2025 NFL Schedule Features

2025 Revenge Games

Revenge games are one of the fun storylines that pace the NFL season. The scale of emotion can range from minor (it is unlikely Sam Darnold has much emotional attachment to San Francisco) to players like Cooper Kupp and Austin Ekeler, who sit near the top of franchise record boards, reporting to the visitor locker room in their former home.  With the NFL schedule official, what games stand out in 2025?

Week 1: Justin Fields (Pittsburgh at NY Jets) 

This is light on the revenge scale as Fields spent just one year and six games with the Steelers. That said, Fields was honest and uncomfortable with how the team managed the quarterback situation involving him and Russell Wilson in 2024. In free agency, Fields wasted little time switching to New York and pairing with his college teammate Garrett Wilson.

Week 1: Jakobi Meyers (Las Vegas at New England)

Meyers played against the Patriots in Week 6 of 2023, posting five receptions with 61 yards and a touchdown. He gets his first chance to return to New England, starting the season against his former Raiders head coach, Josh McDaniels, who returns for his third stint as the Patriots' offensive coordinator. 

Week 2: DK Metcalf (Seattle at Pittsburgh) 

Metcalf’s 438 receptions were seventh in Seahawks history, 6,324 yards were sixth, and 48 touchdowns were fourth. Metcalf was outspoken in his trade requests and received a new contract immediately after arriving in Pittsburgh. The fans may feel this one a bit more than the star receiver. 

Week 5: Stefon Diggs (New England at Buffalo)

Diggs played against Buffalo in Week 5 of 2024, posting six receptions for 82 yards in a Texans win. This will be his first game returning to the stadium he called home for four years. 

Week 5: Austin Ekeler (Washington at LA Chargers)

Ekeler returns to the team he called home for seven seasons. He left the Chargers following the 2023 season, third on the team's rushing yardage and touchdown record boards with 4,355 and 39.  Ekeler was a change of pace back in his first season away from the Chargers, and it is unlikely his role will grow in his age-30 season. 

Week 8: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay at Pittsburgh)

Rodgers is not a Steeler currently, and he may not become one. But if he does make this move, this will be a huge matchup. 

The Steelers will not see George Pickens in 2025. While there is a chance the Cowboys and Steelers will pull a cross-conference matchup in 2026, they are not scheduled to see each other until 2028. The Cowboys will still get a taste of revenge.

Week 8: Javonte Williams (Dallas at Denver)

Williams' best season as a Bronco was his rookie year, when he rushed for 903 yards. Injuries took his second year, and he never fully recovered, but he will get a chance to reset in Dallas. The Cowboys have an open backfield competition with Williams, Miles Sanders, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah. Whoever emerges with most of the work will be a fantasy value at current ADP.

Week 10: Najee Harris (Pittsburgh at LA Chargers) 

Harris topped 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons as a Steeler and is the only player in the NFL with 1,000 yards rushing in each of the last four seasons. His 4,312 rushing yards were the sixth most in franchise history, while his 28 touchdowns were seventh. 

Week 11: Cooper Kupp (Seattle at LA Rams) 

Kupp returns to Los Angeles after an eight-year run as a Ram. He is third in franchise receptions and touchdowns, with 634 and 57, trailing Isaac Bruce (942 and 84)  and Torry Holt (869 and 74). At 7,776 yards, he is fourth, with Henry Ellard (9,761) joining Bruce (14,109) and Holt (12,660) in the top three.

Week 12: Tyler Lockett (Seattle at Tennessee) 

Lockett is second to Steve Largent in every franchise receiving statistic, with 661 receptions, 8,594 yards, and 61 touchdowns against Largent’s line of 819 receptions, 13,089 yards, and 100 touchdowns. 

Week 12: Christian McCaffrey (Carolina at San Francisco) 

McCaffrey was traded in the middle of the 2022 season, but he gets his first chance against his former team. McCaffrey has played against 30 franchises in his career, with his hometown Denver Broncos, the team his father played for nine seasons, joining Carolina as teams he has not seen. 

Seattle overhauled their receiving corps in the offseason, sending out longtime tandem DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett while bringing in former division rival Cooper Kupp. We know Kupp will play the Seahawks twice due to an intradivision switch, but as chance would have it, the Seahawks will see both Lockett and Metcalf in 2025. 

Week 13: Sam Darnold (Minnesota at Seattle)
Week 17: Sam Darnold (Seattle at Carolina)

The Seattle reunion tour rolls on, and Darnold will play against the Vikings, the team most responsible for his career resurrection. He will also return to Carolina, where he started 17 games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Darnold has the 49ers twice as division rivals, but with only one start and 46 attempts with the team, the personal scale of that matchup will be minimal. 

Week 15: Matthew Stafford vs. Jared Goff (Detroit at LA Rams)

Stafford and Goff will be linked in history due to the blockbuster trade that resulted in a Rams Super Bowl victory and the Lions franchise resurrection. Goff holds the head-to-head team results, with a 2-1 regular season advantage and 1-0 playoff record. Stafford has a Super Bowl ring. Surprisingly, Goff holds a statistical edge, with a better career competition percentage (65.6 vs 63.4), passer rating (95.7 vs 91.2), team win percentage, and four Pro Bowls to two.