The 2014/2015 NFL season is well under way, with some teams already looking like genuine Super Bowl contenders and others looking so bad they seem to be playing a different sport entirely.

With the time difference between the UK and US meaning that most games don't kick-off until the evening hours over here, there's plenty of time to kill on Sundays waiting for the matches to start. Digital Spy picks out nine American football-based movies to pass the time on Sundays and get in the mood for the real thing...

1. Friday Night Lights (2004)

Based on the book of the same name (the TV series came later), Friday Night Lights tells the story of a high school American football outfit struggling to be the best they can be under the extreme pressure of expectation placed on them by the small Texan community they represent.

Each of the kids in the team dreams of making it to the NFL one day, but the majority of them must overcome serious issues first - including career-threatening injuries and a lack of stability at home. That might sound clichéd, but the script and directing - as well as an excellent performance from Billy Bob Thornton as the team's coach - prevent things spilling over into distasteful territory.

Essential viewing for American football fans and sports lovers in general.

What to Read Next

2. Any Given Sunday (1999)

Oliver Stone's movie based on the fictional Miami Sharks football team is as over-the-top as it is impressively cast. Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid and Cameron Diaz lead the line in this story of betrayal, underhanded politics and cutthroat actions, but Jamie Foxx and James Woods do their part too.

Many have criticised Any Given Sunday for not presenting its vision of sports-based corruption in a way that is realistic and/or easy to follow, but the messy tone on offer does mirror the plot and questionable ethics of those involved. Whatever the case, it's an exciting thriller and offers arguably the best scenes of American football action ever filmed.

3. Wildcats (1986)

As far as awards for being original go, Wildcats isn't going to win any. It's about as predictable as a sports movie can get. Having worked at an elite school as an athletics coach, Molly McGrath (Goldie Hawn) follows her dream and jumps ship to coach a high school football team. The catch is that the inner city team she's moved to is decidedly less professional and decidedly more rough around the edges than her previous environment.

What ensues is an 'against all odds' story of a team of misfits learning to come together under the guidance of a passionate and intelligent mentor. It's silly, funny and heart-warming. Brilliant Sunday-afternoon fodder.

4. The Blind Side (2009)

Based on the true story of Michael Oher, current member of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, The Blind Side is primarily about overcoming adversity. It's also about selflessness, the theme embodied by Sandra Bullock in her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy.

Tuohy rescues a young Oher from a life of homelessness and abuse, eventually helping him achieve the highest level possible in college football and, in turn, securing the illustrious status of being a first round pick in the NFL draft. Story aside, the production values and actor performances elevate The Blind Side and make it one of the best sports movies around.

5. The Longest Yard (1974)

Not to be confused with the less impressive 2005 remake, this 1974 original starring Burt Reynolds is one part sports thriller and one part prison drama. The two elements make for an engaging combination, the narrative revolving around a team of prisoners playing competitive football against the prison's guards.

Things soon go sour as play turns dirty, which causes repercussions for those involved that extend beyond the sanctity of the playing field. Despite the serious themes, The Longest Yard is a comedy as much it is anything else, placing it firmly into the 'easy watching' category.

6. Remember the Titans (2000)

This story of racial segregation and the power to overcome it is a tear-jerker in the most explicit sense. If you're not at least getting moist around the eyes as the credits roll then you should check your wrist for a pulse.

Denzel Washington provides a typically first-rate performance and largely steals the show from his co-stars, many of whom are the teenage members of his football team, although Will Patton also holds his own as assistant coach.

Sure, the film is manipulative in its ability to force emotion from you, but when it's this skilfully presented it's difficult to complain.

7. Gridiron Gang (2006)

As with many sports movies, Gridiron Gang focuses on a group of teenagers with little prospect for a better future and shows how teamwork and motivation can help them achieve a better life. Set in a juvenile detention centre, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson plays the role of counsellor and takes it upon himself to head up a football program designed to help the kids understand that co-operation is more powerful than conflict.

Like Wildcats, the plot is predictable right up to the finale, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The Rock is especially good value.

8. Jerry Maguire (1996)

There's not much in terms of on-the-field action in Jerry Maguire, but it makes up for it through its delivery of strong characters and relationships. Tom Cruise plays the role of a sports agent with a strong moral streak that causes him to fall foul of his greedy employers, setting up a plot that very much revolves around wholesome good guy vs a seemingly all-powerful bad guys. All very David vs Goliath.

Sprinkled through this is a love story and the often humorous coupling of sports agent and his superstar athlete client (Cuba Gooding Jr), the latter of which provides the film with its highlight moments.

9. The Waterboy (1998)

Should you be in the mood for something entirely ridiculous that requires only the slightest of brain power to consume then you could do worse than The Waterboy. Adam Sandler plays the waterboy, a socially redundant shut-in living under the claustrophobically over-protective care of his mother, who discovers that he has the ability to tackle like no-one else on the planet. Cue place in the starting line-up.

It's sheer absurdity in both script and execution, but that's what makes it entertaining. What else could we reasonably expect from Adam Sandler circa-1998?