The first week of the NFL’s 2020 season will end with a double-header on Monday night: the New York Giants will host the Pittsburgh Steelers before the Denver Broncos will take on the Tennessee Titans. Fans of the New England Patriots, of course, will be in the comfortable situation of watching the games after a victory — and with not much at stake in either contest. With that being said, there are some clear rooting references in both matchups.
Let’s find out what they are.
Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) at New York Giants (0-0)
When: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford NJ
Television: ESPN
Live streaming: fuboTV (Sign up here!)
SB Nation coverage: Behind the Steel Curtain (Steelers), Big Blue View (Giants)
Patriots rooting guide: Go Giants! Rooting for the New York team might be unnatural, but it makes sense in this game. Not only are the Giants led by long-time Patriots assistant Joe Judge, who took over as their head coach earlier this year, they are also playing in the NFC — a victory would therefore not have an impact on the Patriots’ position in the conference standings. It could, however, hurt the Steelers in the long run. Plus, it always feels good to see Pittsburgh lose...
Tennessee Titans (0-0) at Denver Broncos (0-0)
When: 10:10 p.m. ET
Where: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver CO
Television: ESPN
Live streaming: fuboTV (Sign up here!)
SB Nation coverage: Music City Miracles (Titans), Mile High Report (Broncos)
Patriots rooting guide: Go Broncos! Rooting for Denver makes sense despite the Titans having plenty of Patriots connections on their roster and staff: the Broncos will travel ontoNew England later this year, and them beating Tennessee would therefore improve the Patriots’ strength of schedule and possibly strength of victory as well — two tiebreakers that could become important when it comes to the standings later on.