2025 NFL season: Ranking all 32 teams by watchability - ESPN

It's a Sunday in September. You're obviously going to have NFL RedZone up on one screen — why wouldn't you? — but you have a second screen, and your favorite team isn't playing until "Monday Night Football." Which game should you watch?

Boy, do I have the guide for you.

I ranked all 32 teams on watchability, which is different from overall goodness. Overall goodness is about managing game state, sustaining drives, controlling the ball, creating big plays while minimizing them defensively, avoiding turnovers while creating them defensively, playing for field position and setting up shot plays. Watchability is about throwing the ball over them mountains. Watchability is about touchdowns and interceptions and fourth-down attempts and sacks and points, more points and even more points if you've got 'em.

Watchability is also about intrigue. Teams get watchability bumps if they have new young quarterbacks or interesting coaching changes, and they get watchability demerits if they're the Kansas City Chiefs and everyone knows the outcomes of the games anyway. (That was a joke. The outcomes of Chiefs games are not predetermined.)

So what am I grading watchability on?

Big plays. I like running backs who can score from their own 20-yard line. I like receivers who are open downfield even when they aren't. And I like quarterbacks who launch that sucker even when the safety's lurking. I like defenses who take the ball away, blitz and sack. My Gen Z brain needs the zoomies. Most NFL teams are hunting big plays on offense, but some teams are still playing the sort of defenses that surrender them (looking at you, Detroit Lions). These teams are the cream of the watchability crop. Conversely, we have some teams that have become so