The Good vs Bad vs Fun Watchability Matrix in the NFL

Let’s face it: good doesn’t always mean exciting, just as bad doesn’t always mean that it isn’t something that you want to keep watching.

Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Retired Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees made waves this week after going on ESPN’s First Take and commenting that he can’t stand to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play because the offense is “boring.” They’re a defense-first team that Howie Roseman built through the trenches to build a fortress around Saquon Barkley and a Jalen Hurts tush push play that is so dominant that there was a debate about whether or not we should ban a play where everyone just shoves a line of men with brute strength past a brick wall of human beings to get a few yards. Is it as aesthetically pleasing as the bombs that Brees was throwing in his heyday to Marques Colston? Absolutely not; even AJ Brown is upset about the style of play as a wide receiver that has already been paid and has a Super Bowl ring, merely about his involvement and the style that irritates him. He passive-aggressively started reading on the sidelines last year, and this year we’re getting cryptic tweets as he’s only gotten 14 catches through 4 games.

Well, the Eagles are one of the last two remaining undefeated teams, and Nick Sirianni couldn’t care less about how they did it. They likely heard Brees’s comments and did their own version of a trick play tush push, and won without Jalen Hurts having a second-half completion against the Bucs.

They’re 4-0, and they’re going to be in prime time slots as a winning team that we have to watch. Is it fun? Probably not unless you’re an Eagles fan shouting, “It’s winning football! Go Birds!

Let’s create a matrix of teams to determine whether they are both good and fun, good but not fun, bad but fun, or bad and not fun (the worst kind).

Good and Fun: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Do you want to see undefeated Josh Allen and his rocket arm sling it, or James Cook run for a touchdown almost every single game? Do you want to see Justin Herbert throw the rock with precision nearly 40 times a game now to a revived Quentin Johnston while Derwin James makes tackles all over the field as a ball-hawking safety?

See, the Detroit Lions have an elite Sonic and Knuckles backfield with receivers that block Dan Campbell style?

Or Baker Mayfield plays the most “chip on the shoulder” football of all-time when the Bucs are losing and he gets to talk smack to other coaches? This is the ideal place to be.

Good but NOT Fun: Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers

While the Chiefs sort of got their magic back on offense in a huge win at home against Baltimore, where Mahomes threw for 4 touchdowns for the first time in what felt like forever, we’re just burnt out of this team on prime time, and the entertainment may not ever get back to the 2019 inventive peak.

DK Metcalf has been electric with Aaron Rodgers thus far, but it’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of the offense when what you’re writing home about is “He’s still managing despite his age!”

The 49ers are a new test case as to how many injuries Kyle Shanahan’s roster can accrue for them to still be a contending team. They’re aging, Brock Purdy is back but is still seen as the “game manager” that we saw Mac Jones was in his absence, and their only hope has been to give it to McCaffrey or Jake Tongues. Even the defense hasn’t been turning the ball over.

Bad but fun!: New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders

Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo are already the most New York sports cult-following figures since Tommy Devito, and they’ve gotten one win together. They lost Malik Nabers for the year in the process, but having Dart the electric rookie step up and run through the pocket, Cam Skattebo run like he wants to get CTE, and then yell “IT’S A NEW ERA BIG BLUE IN THE TRAP!” on camera afterwards, it’s going to be a fun ride to see what that can be.

The Cowboys lost Micah Parsons and turned every quarterback they face into prime Joe Montana, but Dak Prescott has put the team on his back and forced a 40-point overtime with Green Bay on Sunday Night. Even post-Micah, it’s not the “we’re always on primetime and just sad, losing Cowboys” Cowboys. Dak is going to throw the ball as much as he can to keep them into the game, and Javonte Williams has been an excellent pickup after we thought they bargain shopped. It’s shootouts galore in Jerry World now that you decided not to pay for a generational pass-rusher!

Meanwhile, Geno Smith in Las Vegas has unfortunately looked like he’s regressed to his pre-Seahawks revival form in Seattle, with 7 interceptions in 4 games. That leads to it at least being chaotic and giving Maxx Crosby even more chances to wreak havoc on defense! Ashton Jeanty also looked every bit as he was made out to be in their game against Chicago this weekend, with the Michael Meyers standing pose setting him up for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Bad AND not fun: Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals

We wanted to be excited about Bryce Young making a leap after his career was revived following the 2024 cycle of bad, benched, back as the starter for Andy Dalton after a car accident, then promising! However, despite the 30-point win against Atlanta, which may end up being the strangest result of the year, they followed it up with a 29-point loss to New England, where everyone just… appeared open. It kind of feels like we’re back to square one.

Cam Ward literally called the 0-4 Titans “a*s” after they fell to 0-4, and there are already “fire Callahan” chants. Ward has a Russell Westbrook to his game as the rookie first overall pick, where he throws the ball in situations where you would only make that decision in a video game, but there’s so little positive will in the franchise right now that it’s just all bad.

The Arizona Cardinals are 2-2, and it feels a lot worse. Marvin Harrison Jr. suddenly feels like he can’t catch anything and has never met Kyler Murray before, continuing the struggles from last season, and Kyler is approaching a potential trade with such a dearth of a lack of success with how high of a pedigree he had as a Texas high school football legend and Heisman-winner. The peak that we wanted from them has never been reached, and due to the dual threat, the excitement of what he can be, we tend just to think he’s a good player not living up to expectations. What’s supposed to be exciting is the 6th-worst offense in the league and a roster that may or may not hate each other.