That bummed-out feeling that sinks in right after the Super Bowl will be delayed by a week this year.
The 2021 NFL schedule was released Wednesday, complete with 16 more games and the new Week 18 of the regular season.
These are The Post’s 10 most anticipated games of the upcoming season, aside from the Jets and Giants matchups:
Cowboys at Buccaneers, Week 1
Tom Brady is used to this Thursday night season-opening window reserved for the defending Super Bowl champion. The Bucs are not. The only one of last year’s four playoff opponents scheduled to visit is the Saints – an unknown without retired Drew Brees. So, the NFL turned to Dak Prescott’s return from a compound ankle fracture to play spoiler and draw the eyeballs of Cowboys Nation.
Packers at 49ers, Week 3
The 49ers called this month about acquiring Aaron Rodgers, trying to make up for their 2005 Draft mistake. They didn’t pry him away. If someone else does, this game loses its luster. If not, it’s Rodgers returning to his Southern California roots against a team that embarrassed his Packers twice in 2019. Coach Matt LaFleur has to get over the hump of beating mentor Kyle Shanahan.
Buccaneers at Patriots, Week 4
If you need an explanation of why this is the most anticipated game of the regular season, you’ve been living under a rock since Brady’s split from Bill Belichick in 2020. Since then, Brady won a seventh Super Bowl. The Patriots had a losing record for the first time since 2000 and spent $300 million in free agency. A nice twist of fate the game is in Foxborough to see the fan reception.
Bills at Chiefs, Week 5:
The Bills added pass-rushers with their first two picks of the NFL Draft, after learning in the AFC Championship Game that they can’t win a shootout against the Chiefs. The only path to victory is to pressure Patrick Mahomes without losing line-of-scrimmage contain. Josh Allen should be the next young quarterback to win an MVP award, joining Mahomes and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson.
Dolphins at Jaguars (in London), Week 6
Urban Meyer’s .854 winning percentage in college is a safe bet to translate better than others who made the jump. Why? Because he has Trevor Lawrence, one of the all-time best quarterback prospects. Maybe tight end Tim Tebow – a bigger magnet than both Meyer and Lawrence – sticks on the roster, too. The goals? Save this once-dead NFL market, expand European interest and win.
Lions at Rams, Week 7
Could be a lopsided game, but it’s worth checking out Lions coach Dan Campbell’s “kneecap biters” once this season to see if they are Detroit’s new “Bad Boys.” It’s not often blockbuster quarterback-for-quarterback trades happen. Matt Stafford faces immense pressure to elevate the Rams to a Super Bowl. Jared Goff would love nothing more than to stick it to the team that gave up on him too soon.
Patrick Mahomes will get his showdown with Aaron Rodgers. AP PhotoPackers at Chiefs, Week 9
The new 17-game schedule gifts us this Super Bowl contenders matchup two years earlier than expected. All Packers games included on this list are under the assumption that the disgruntled Rodgers stays put rather than gets traded or retires. This would be the first Rodgers-Mahomes matchup because Mahomes missed the 2019 meeting due to injury.
Steelers at Chargers, Week 11
A passing of the torch game? Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s likely last stand after the Steelers started 11-0 and faded down the stretch last season. Time to see how good Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert plays with an improved offensive line. Another star here? SoFI Stadium, which will welcome fans after the Chargers and Rams played in silence during the opening season.
Browns at Ravens, Week 12
A rematch of the 2020 Game of the Year, won 47-42 by the Ravens after the teams combined for 35 fourth-quarter points. The winner can claim to be the third-best team in the AFC and a darkhorse to upset the Chiefs or Bills. The upstart Browns lost twice to the Ravens last season and are 11-33 in the series since their reincarnation after the original Browns became the Ravens.
49ers at Seahawks, Week 13
If Russell Wilson’s frustrations with the Seahawks’ poor blocking and run-first play-calling are going to boil over, the 49ers pass rush led by Nick Bosa could push him over the edge. Any team could finish first, any team could finish last in the NFC West. But the 49ers should be much improved, in a make-it-or-break-it season for Jimmy Garoppolo, after a historic rash of injuries in 2020.
