When the NFL schedule is released, fans are excited to see who has the primetime slots, who will be on TV for the holidays, and which International Series games will be played. The NFL does a good job of scheduling the better matchups for those slots, making for exciting games when viewership will be up.

That leaves room for some unexciting games throughout the season. We can’t expect greatness every weekend and for every game. It’s the nature of the NFL. As much as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants to have consistent, elite NFL action, it’s hard for every team to be competitive.

Here are the seven games in the NFL schedule that are shaping up to be the worst.

Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets (Week 5)

Is it a surprise that both these teams are here? The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets have been the lagging stocks in the NFL for decades. While each team had a solid draft and has exciting futures, 2026 likely won’t be the year either makes major strides. Both teams will be picking in the top 10 of the NFL draft next year, making this game less appealing.

The Browns still have to figure out who’s playing quarterback, whether that’s Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. The defense is solid, and the offensive line has been rebuilt. The Browns’ future looks bright, but they need rookies to contribute heavily in important positions.

For the Jets, fans once again experienced a disappointing season in 2025. To fix it, the team turned to Geno Smith to lead them into 2026. Everyone remembers the struggles Smith had in 2025, but the Jets’ offense, on paper, looks better than the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense did a season ago.

The future looks bright for both of these teams, but this game likely won’t be played over other games this weekend.

Arizona Cardinals @ New York Jets (Week 15)

The Jets will be on this list a couple of times, but the one redeeming part is that they’re better than the next two opponents they’ll face.

Arizona Cardinals fans don’t have much to be excited about heading into the season, and I don’t blame them. They have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL and one of the worst quaterback rooms in the NFL. The hiring of Mike LaFluer wasn’t a bad move, but looking at the roster, it’s hard to see the impact he can have in 2026. The options to be the signal caller for this team are Jacoby Brissett, Carson Beck and Gardner Minshew. Mix that with Josh Sweat’s request for a trade, and this Cardinals team isn’t off to a great start.

There are exciting young players on this Cardinals team, but don’t be surprised if they’re picking in the Top 5 again next draft.

New York Giants @ Detroit Lions (Week 16 MNF)

Having a primetime game in this list may be a surprise to some. It’s not because of the Detroit Lions; this team is primed for a playoff run, and they’ll likely make it happen.

The New York Giants are the reason. The hiring of John Harbaugh has New York fans eager for the season to start, but the reality is this team isn’t ready to win in 2026. There are fun pieces like Abdul Carter, Arvell Reese, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, but there are still major holes on the roster. The wide receiver room could use upgrades, the cornerbacks are an issue, and the defensive tackle position looks bleak. If Dart struggles in 2026, then the Giants may be picking in the Top 10 next year.

Not every primetime game is a banger, and looking at the Monday Night Football slate, this game stood out late in the year. The Giants could be out of playoff contention, which could lead to a boring matchup between these two teams.

Arizona Cardinals @ Kansas City Chiefs (Week 11)

The Cardinals’ schedule is tough, and traveling to face the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t an easy task either. Arizona will be coming off matchups against the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs will be coming off games against the Atlanta Falcons and the Jets. This game feels like a blowout in May, and don’t be surprised when it is in November.

This game is set to kick off at 1:00 Eastern Standard Time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one of the least-watched games during this week. Both teams are in majorly different positions, one competing for a Super Bowl and the other in a clear rebuild.

Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers (Week 2)

One of the scariest times to fear the San Francisco 49ers is the beginning of the season, when the team is actually healthy. The Miami Dolphins are in the same spot as the Cardinals, schedule-wise. It’s a tough one, but in the Dolphins’ case, they have the worst roster in the league. Facing San Francisco, who’s coming off extra rest thanks to the game they’ll play in Australia against the Rams, means they’ll be ready to face the Dolphins.

Miami will likely stay out west in preparation for this matchup, as they play the Raiders in Week 1. It’ll be a tall task for this Dolphins team to contain San Francisco, so don’t be surprised when this is the least intriguing game in the late afternoon slot for Week 2.

Miami Dolphins @ Denver Broncos (Week 14)

Every game the Dolphins play this year could’ve made this list, and the majority of them did. The Denver Broncos are loaded to make another run in the AFC this season, and in Week 14, they get the Dolphins. Mimai has to play at a higher altitude in Denver, which could prove challenging for a roster primarily composed of rookies and younger players.

It’ll be a hard season for head coach Jeff Hafley, and this will no doubt be a tough task.

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins (Week 12)

Divisional matchups are a given every year, and I tried to avoid them on this list, but this one was clearly a bottom-seven game in the NFL this season. We’ve gone over why both of these teams will likely struggle, and even so, this game could feature great offense. Smith could have this Jets offense rolling, and Dolphins quaterback Malik Willis could find his footing within the offense by Week 12.

Still, all signs point to this game being less entertaining than others during this week.