There's nothing like the return of football, and the league made it a point to deliver even more thrills during the 2017 NFL season with a large serving of tasty matchups to look forward to. That holds especially true for the primetime games when the league has everybody's undivided attention with its showdowns on national television.

Here are the top three primetime games of the 2017 season – along with a couple of honorable mentions – that every football fan must watch this year.

Honorable Mentions

Week 1: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, Sept. 10 on NBC)

Giants Cowboys
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Kicking the season off with a bang is another clash between NFC East rivals, the Cowboys and the Giants, who've faced off in Week 1 in four of the past five seasons.

This storied divisional matchup would've probably made the top three if it weren't for the absence of Dallas stud running back Ezekiel Elliott, who's currently suspended for the first six games of the season stemming from the domestic abuse charges filed against him by his ex-girlfriend. Pending the result from Elliott's appeal hearing scheduled for August 29th, there's still a slim chance for Zeke to start opening week, which will certainly turn Dallas' matchup against the G-Men into an even bigger affair that it already is.

Week 10: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (Sunday, Nov. 12 on NBC)

Patriots Broncos
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For the past few years, there's been no bigger marquee matchup on the NFL calendar than Tom Brady's Patriots going up against Peyton Manning's Broncos. But, for the second year running, Manning's retirement has pretty much watered down this once fierce rivalry.

Nevertheless, Denver still has one of the best defenses in the league, and it was this unit – with most of its core pieces still pretty much intact after two seasons – that took down the Pats in the 2015 AFC Championship Game and virtually won the Lombardi Trophy for the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

Brady won't be fazed easily by any defense in his path, as evident by his stellar championship-winning campaign this past season. However, it's worth noting that the five-time Super Bowl champ is just 3-7 against the Broncos in Mile High, which should make this Week 10 contest as unpredictable as in seasons past, and even more so with likely playoff implications playing a huge factor.

The Top 3

Week 2: Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, Sept. 17 on NBC)

Falcons Packers
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Expect a ton of fireworks to go off Sunday night of Week 2 in the NFC Championship Game rematch between the explosive Packers and Falcons, as Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Atlanta's Matt Ryan have a ton of ammo in store with their respective teams to make this showdown another high-scoring affair. Adding further flavor to this primetime bout is that this will be the first regular season game played in the Falcons' new home, the glitzy Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Rodgers will be out for revenge from his team's brutal 44-21 loss in last year's NFC title game, and what better way to redeem himself than coming away with a road win and spoiling the Falcons' housewarming party. Ryan will certainly have something to say about that, especially coming off the crushing defeat he suffered this past February (more on that later).

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders (Thursday, Oct. 19 on CBS)

Chiefs Raiders
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The AFC West was the stomping ground for a good number of the league's best teams in 2016. Case in point: the Raiders and the Chiefs finished with identical 12-4 records last season, with the Chiefs beating out the Raiders for the division crown by taking both of their meetings.

Kansas City's opportunitic defense is the perfect foil to Oakland's prolific offense, and vice-versa; it's this dichotomy that has turned a once forgettable rivalry into one of the must-see matchups in the NFL. And, apart from the Raiders needing to show that they can really challenge the Chiefs in the division, the Silver and Black will also look to provide their fans what could be the final taste of glory over their archnemesis on Bay Area soil before the team relocates to the Sin City.

Week 7: Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots (Sunday, Oct. 22 on NBC)

Patriots Falcons
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The best primetime game of the season is also the most obvious one, as there's really no bigger thrill than having a Super Bowl rematch occur the following year.

The “Falcons blew a 28-3 lead” memes might never cease to haunt Super Bowl LI's runners-up, so it'll be euphoric and relieving to say the least if Atlanta enacts vengeance on the reigning champs and rubs it in right in front of the Foxborough faithful. Then again, fans should expect nothing less than another spectacular effort coming from the seemingly indomitable Brady-Belichick regime as well.

This blockbuster showdown will also be held right in the middle of the upcoming campaign, meaning there'll be no excuses for the Pats or the Falcons regarding early-season rust or late-season throwaway games, with both title contenders expected to be playoff bound again.