On the latest edition of PFSN’s “Football Debate Club,” Ian Cummings and Jacob Infante debated the top-five games of the 2026 NFL season, and the segment produced more agreement than disagreement at the top.
Cummings and Infante built different lists, picked different storylines, and leaned in different directions on holiday slots. They ended up at the same finale: the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 is the can’t-miss game of the 2026 NFL schedule, and they’re both right.
Why Seahawks at Rams Has More on It Than Any Other Game
The NFC West is shaping up to be the deepest division in football. The Seahawks finished 14-3 a year ago, won Super Bowl LX, and Sam Darnold completely changed the narrative around himself.
The Rams went 12-5, advanced to the NFC Championship Game, and Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP, led the league with 4,707 passing yards and threw a career-high 46 touchdowns. Both rosters are built to duplicate their success, and both teams will enter 2026 with the same divisional crown in their sights.
The schedule sets up as a two-act NFC West showdown. Seattle hosts the Rams on Christmas Day at Lumen Field in Week 16, then the Rams host the Seahawks at SoFi in Week 18 to close the regular season. Whichever team carries the division lead through Christmas has to defend it on Stafford’s home field. Whichever team is chasing knows exactly what’s on the table.
“The two most talented teams in the NFL right now, facing off in the last week of the season,” Jacob said.
The supporting cast matches the stakes. Sean McVay against Mike Macdonald. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams against Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Add the NFC Championship Game rematch subtext, where Seattle beat Los Angeles 31-27 at Lumen in January to reach Super Bowl LX, and you have a divisional finale that doubles as a Conference Championship preview.
The Other Top Games on the 2026 NFL Schedule
Ian’s other four picks were matchup-driven. The San Francisco 49ers vs. Rams in Melbourne in Week 1, where Stafford, Nacua, and Adams will face off against Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay coaching chess match will headline the league’s first Australia game.
The Seahawks at the Denver Broncos in Week 6, with Mike Macdonald’s defense against Sean Payton’s offense and new Bronco Jaylen Waddle. Then, he mentioned the Houston Texans at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, with Mike McDaniel running his first Chargers offense against a stout Houston front.
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The Kansas City Chiefs at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, where Joe Burrow welcomes Patrick Mahomes and a Bengals defense that traded for Dexter Lawrence.
Jacob built his list around the holidays, starting with Bills at Broncos in Week 16, a Christmas Day rematch of the 33-30 overtime Divisional Round thriller that ended Buffalo’s season.
The Green Bay Packers at the Chicago Bears in Week 16, also Christmas, with both NFC North contenders fighting for playoff seeding. Then, he highlighted the Chiefs at the Bills in Week 12 on Thanksgiving.
“I don’t think Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have had a single bad game against each other,” Jacob explained. Finally, he mentioned the Patriots at Seahawks in Week 1, a Super Bowl LX rematch to open the season.
While there are plenty of games to get excited about, it will be tough to top Rams-Seahawks with so much potentially on the line.
