Which game should kick off the 2025 NFL season? Lions-Eagles among top options

PICK: Detroit Lions

The Lions were the top seed in the NFC last season and a popular pick to win the Super Bowl. That is, before a bevy of injuries capsized their roster — especially on defense — and left them vulnerable enough that the Washington Commanders upset them in the Divisional Round. Now the Lions are trying to make another run with two new coordinators and the knowledge that the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles stand in their way. This could’ve been the NFC title game many people wanted to see last year. Making it happen in Week 1 would be a smart play.

PICK: Las Vegas Raiders

Forget a rematch with playoff opponents. Miss me with another prime-time visit from America's Team. Saquon Barkley and the Eagles should open up against Ashton Jeanty and the Raiders. The kickoff to the 2025 season can serve as a showcase for the last two running backs to be drafted in the top six -- and announce the return of the tailback as a star-making position. Add in Pete Carroll's return to the NFL, Geno Smith's Raiders debut and Las Vegas' classic unis, and you have an intriguing product -- if not one football fans are used to. The Raiders have only played in five road prime-time games since their move to Sin City, tied for fifth-fewest in the NFL in that span. It's time for fans to see the Silver and Black in a new light -- under the lights against the reigning champs.

PICK: Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams were close to ousting the Eagles in last year's Divisional Round but ultimately fell short. The Rams are running it back with Matthew Stafford and replaced Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams. Sean McVay's offense still has the playmakers to make one more push before the veteran QB calls it career, and Chris Shula's defense feels like it is about to hit its stride behind a youth-led front. And we know the Eagles aren't going anywhere. This playoff rematch would kick the season off with a bang.

PICK: Detroit Lions

Is there a better way to kick off the 2025 season than a what-could-have-been matchup between NFC powerhouses? Many expected the Lions and Eagles to face off in last year's conference title game before the Commanders stunned Detroit. Just as it would have been then, it remains an appetizing matchup, especially because we haven't seen these two teams square off since the Lions' renaissance truly got rolling under Dan Campbell. The last Lions-Eagles game was in Week 1 of the 2022 season, a high-scoring affair won by Philadelphia after holding off a Detroit comeback. Campbell's squad found its identity late in that campaign before winning consecutive NFC North titles the following two seasons, a streak officially prompted by Detroit's thrilling upset of the defending-champion Chiefs in the 2023 NFL Kickoff Game. You can expect Campbell's Lions will be looking to make a statement once again to dispel any doubt after losing both coordinators this offseason. Going into Philadelphia ought to be a nice test for one of the biggest questions entering 2025 -- let's get an early answer for a potential playoff preview. 

PICK: Chicago Bears

Ideally, the Kickoff Game is a rip-roaring barnburner that keeps everyone buzzing until Sunday. In that light, the Bears might seem like an odd match, coming off a five-win 2024. But as tempting as the Rams, Lions and Commanders might be, we won't actually know the shape of each team's season -- and their ability to push the Eagles -- until long after the first Thursday night of play. So let's zero in on one of the questions I'm most eager to see answered: Can Ben Johnson and Chicago's remade offensive line unlock Caleb Williams? As litmus tests go, this would be a doozy for the Bears, with none of the cover provided by a 1 p.m. ET start on Sunday against, say, the Browns or Raiders. But that's part of the appeal. If they can hang with Philly, the hype that's been building in Chicago will be at least partially realized -- and if they can't, the amount of work Johnson and Co. have left will be brutally revealed. To this offseason-addled brain, either outcome feels compelling. (Plus, we could get a shadow version of one of the clashes -- the offense of ex-Detroit coordinator Johnson vs. Vic Fangio's defense -- that the Lions' early exit denied us in the postseason.)

PICK: Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions were one of the best teams in the league for most of last season. That is, until they were ravaged by injuries, then were upset at home in the Divisional Round by the upstart Commanders. Thoughts of what could have been still sting for some, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, who said this offseason he wants a healthy Detroit team to get the first crack at the reigning champions this fall. This meeting will be must-see TV, with appealing matchups all over the field, including the Lions' explosive offense vs. a defense that dominated in the Super Bowl. Not to mention, there would be star power galore, thanks to Saquon Barkley, Aidan Hutchinson, A.J. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, among plenty of others.

PICK: Washington Commanders

Last year's belle of the ball, the Washington Commanders, reached the doorstep of the Super Bowl in a dreamlike season that ended only because they encountered a juggernaut. What better way to open the season than by running back the NFC Championship Game on a national stage, instantly testing both the Eagles' ability to carry their title-winning momentum in 2025 and the Commanders' viability as an anticipated contender with only one season of success to show for it?

PICK: Detroit Lions

Who am I to argue with Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has already stumped for this Week 1 matchup? The Lions' disastrous Divisional Round loss robbed us of a chance to see the top two NFC clubs facing off in the playoffs. Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and A.J. Brown versus a Lions defense, with Aidan Hutchinson returning from season-ending injuries, provides one juicy plotline. The Lions bring their own intrigue with the defection of Ben Johnson to Chicago. How will Jared Goff and the explosive offense look? What will the Eagles' devastating defensive front look like against one of the best O-lines in football after losing playmakers this offseason? Let's get this heavyweight bout in Week 1, before injury attrition hits and waters down a game that could decide seeding in the NFC.

PICK: Los Angeles Rams

The squad that was closest to beating the Eagles in their run to the Lombardi Trophy was the Rams, who had the eventual Super Bowl champions on the ropes late in the Divisional Round. The Rams are a contender once again with Matthew Stafford back under center, and Sean McVay and Co. would love nothing more than to prove that right out of the gate.

PICK: Detroit Lions

It’s the NFC Championship Game that could have been. A rematch of the NFC Championship Game that was would be exciting, but we saw Eagles-Commanders three times last season and will be treated to it twice more again. It doesn’t need to kick off the 2025 campaign. Instead, let’s pit the NFC’s top-seeded clubs from a year ago against each other and let them go to blows. Jalen Hurts versus Jared Goff. Saquon Barkley versus Sonic and Knuckles. A healthy Aidan Hutchinson returning to face last year’s best offensive line. The storylines are abundant. How do the Lions fare after losing both their offensive and defensive coordinators? Can the Eagles avoid the beginnings of a Super Bowl hangover? These two clubs are as reliable as they come for a heavyweight showdown, and whoever emerges victorious can set a definitive tone as the conference’s team to beat.

PICK: Washington Commanders

I really don’t like the idea of having division rivals play in the first week of the season. Doesn’t seem fair. Heck, I’d say we shouldn’t have divisional games until at least Week 5. That said, the only game that can open up the season is the Eagles vs. the Commanders, a rematch of last year's NFC title game. Nothing else should be considered.