The 10 Most Surprisingly Intriguing Games of the 2009 NFL Season

With the NFL releasing the 2009 schedule later today, I figured I’d take a look at the 10 most surprisingly intriguing (to me, anyway) games of the 2009 season.

As soon as the schedule comes out I’ll be highlighting these games—and because of NFL Sunday Ticket, I’ll actually be able to watch them all.

I’m already excited.

Broncos-Chiefs

The offensive coordinator vs. the quarterback he made rich.

Or the recently made rich quarterback vs. the offensive coordinator he turned into a legit head coaching candidate.

However you want to look at it.

This matchup is made even more intriguing by the fact that Josh McDaniels tried to get Matt Cassel and failed, then saw him land with a division rival for a measly second round pick.

Falcons-Jets

John Abraham returns to New York for the first time since he left after the 2005 season, but that’s not why this game interests me.

In the Falcons, you have a team with a fantastic young quarterback.

In the Jets, you have a team without any semblance of a quarterback.

I just like seeing it rubbed in New York’s face...

Cardinals-Titans

Kurt Warner vs. Kerry Collins. They’re a combined 73 years old. They’ll be a combined 74 years old when the 2009 season starts. Even better, they both signed multi-year contracts this offseason.

How can you not be intrigued by this?

Bengals-Lions

In a matchup that could determine who gets the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the hapless Lions travel to Cincinnati to face the pathetic Bengals.

Everyone loves the Bad News Bears. Now, imagine them as a football team. Playing against clones of themselves. ‘Nuff said.

Broncos-Patriots

Most years, a Broncos-Patriots game wouldn’t show up on anyone’s preseason radar. With the exception of the “intentional safety” game, the Broncos usually blow out the Patriots. Every now and then the opposite happens (like last season), but these two teams very rarely play an entertaining game.

Or at least a game that’s entertaining to both fanbases.

I’m not saying this game will be any different, but the whole “teacher vs. student” storyline is always interesting.

Another subplot is how well McDaniels knows Tom Brady. Maybe he can find a weakness. I mean, other than his knee...

Steelers-Lions

Massive bloodbath potential here. Thank God for NFL Sunday Ticket. No way I’d miss this one. The over-under on rushing yards for the Steelers is 280.

I’ll take the over.

Cowboys-Chargers

Norv Turner vs. Wade Phillips. Two men who have mystified generations of football fans with their annoying ability to get and retain head coaching jobs in the NFL.

Two guys with supremely talented teams that underachieve every year.

An overrated offensive head coach vs. an overrated defensive head coach.

The over-under on delay of game penalties is nine. The over-under on wasted timeouts is four. Per team.

We can only hope that one or both of these guys won’t be fired before we get to see this clash of the head coaching titans.

Raiders-Redskins

Dan Snyder vs. Al Davis. Talk about a battle of inept NFL ownership—these two guys are poster children for how not to run an NFL team.

In all fairness, Al Davis only falls into this category because he’s lost his mind. Snyder never actually had a mind to lose.

49ers-Bears

Mike Singletary was an absolute monster when he played linebacker for the Bears. As a head coach, he’s been an entertainingly loose cannon. This game will mean something to him (it would mean more if it were being played in Chicago, but it will be meaningful nonetheless), and I expect his players to react accordingly.

This will be a surprisingly good game.

Vikings-Panthers

The Vikings and Panthers will meet in the battle of teams that needed to address the quarterback position this offseason to remain relevant but failed miserably. Sage Rosenfels? Seriously?

Give me a break...

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com.

Follow Sean on Twitter.

Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at [e-mail].