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Iconic Football Movies to Watch As NFL Season Starts

Iconic Football Movies to Watch As NFL Season Starts

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Iconic Football Movies to Watch As NFL Season Starts

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

40. Wildcats (1986)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

39. Necessary Roughness (1991)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

38. Everybody's All-American (1988)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

37. The Longshots (2008)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

36. The Longest Yard (2005)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

35. All the Right Moves (1983)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

34. The Game Plan (2007)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

33. When the Game Stands Tall (2014)

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

32. Little Giants (1994)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

31. The Waterboy (1998)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

30. Facing the Giants (2006)

Courtesy of Destination Films

29. Semi-Tough (1977)

Courtesy of United Artists

28. The Replacements (2000)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

27. Varsity Blues (1999)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

26. Radio (2003)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

25. The Last Boy Scout (1991)

Courtesy of Geffen Pictures

24. The Program (1993)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

23. Draft Day (2014)

Courtesy of Lionsgate

22. Any Given Sunday (1999)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

21. Gridiron Gang (2006)

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

20. School Ties (1992)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

19. We Are Marshall (2006)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

18. Black Sunday (1977)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

17. Concussion (2015)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

16. 80 for Brady (2023)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

15. The Express (2008)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

14. Lucas (1986)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

13. Invincible (2006)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

12. Woodlawn (2015)

Courtesy of Pure Flix Entertainment

11. North Dallas Forty (1979)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

10. Heaven Can Wait (1978)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

9. The Longest Yard (1974)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

8. Greater (2016)

Courtesy of Hammond Entertainment

7. The Blind Side (2009)

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

6. Jerry Maguire (1996)

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

5. Friday Night Lights (2004)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

4. Rudy (1993)

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

3. Remember the Titans (2000)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

2. The Freshman (1925)

Courtesy of Pathé Exchange

1. Horse Feathers (1932)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Iconic Football Movies to Watch As NFL Season Starts
40. Wildcats (1986)
39. Necessary Roughness (1991)
38. Everybody's All-American (1988)
37. The Longshots (2008)
36. The Longest Yard (2005)
35. All the Right Moves (1983)
34. The Game Plan (2007)
33. When the Game Stands Tall (2014)
32. Little Giants (1994)
31. The Waterboy (1998)
30. Facing the Giants (2006)
29. Semi-Tough (1977)
28. The Replacements (2000)
27. Varsity Blues (1999)
26. Radio (2003)
25. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
24. The Program (1993)
23. Draft Day (2014)
22. Any Given Sunday (1999)
21. Gridiron Gang (2006)
20. School Ties (1992)
19. We Are Marshall (2006)
18. Black Sunday (1977)
17. Concussion (2015)
16. 80 for Brady (2023)
15. The Express (2008)
14. Lucas (1986)
13. Invincible (2006)
12. Woodlawn (2015)
11. North Dallas Forty (1979)
10. Heaven Can Wait (1978)
9. The Longest Yard (1974)
8. Greater (2016)
7. The Blind Side (2009)
6. Jerry Maguire (1996)
5. Friday Night Lights (2004)
4. Rudy (1993)
3. Remember the Titans (2000)
2. The Freshman (1925)
1. Horse Feathers (1932)

Iconic Football Movies to Watch As NFL Season Starts

The NFL season starts this week, but the game doesn't have to live solely on the field. Between tailgates and primetime matchups, football films are there if you need your fix, but there's no game coming up. If you're counting down to Sunday each and every week, this lineup turns the wait into part of the ritual.

To build a definitive watch list of the most iconic football movies, 24/7 Tempo created a simple index using three equal pillars: IMDb average user rating, Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, and the Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Documentaries were excluded to keep the focus on narrative features, and cast credits were pulled from IMDb to anchor each pick in verifiable sourcing.

Additional sources for this piece include Pew Research Center, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and 24/7 Tempo's own compiled ratings index. Let's kick off the NFL's season with these classics!

This post was updated on September 3rd, 2025, to reflect additional information.

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