NFL schedule 2023: Highlighting key matchups, debuts, storylines, new primetime games

The NFL unveiled its complete schedule for the 2023 regular season on Thursday night and the action is set to kick off with a contest between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the upstart Detroit Lions.

There will be no shortage of eyeballs tuning in for Aaron Rodgers’ debut with the New York Jets and Opening week will be capped off with the Jets home opener when they take Josh Allen and the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

The Jets have one of the best young rosters on both sides of the ball and adding a four-time MVP like Rodgers puts them in the upper tier of Super Bowl contenders.

With football fans buzzing about Rodgers and the Jets it’s no surprise the team is highlighted in plenty of primetime games. In fact, the Jets are currently set to play in primetime in Week 1, Week 4, Week 9, Week 12 and Week 17.

Only four teams will be seen in primetime more than the Jets this season: the Chiefs, Bills, Cowboys and Chargers are each slated to have six regular-season primetime games.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier in the week that not all teams this season were guaranteed to be featured in a primetime matchup and that some teams could be featured in multiple Thursday games.

The Cardinals, Colts, Falcons and Texans do not have any primetime games scheduled, while Detroit, Kansas City, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and New Orleans are all scheduled to play multiple Thursday games in 2023.

Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, will presumably make his official NFL debut when the Carolina Panthers visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. Another anticipated game for Young and the Panthers will take place Week 8 when they host No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud and the refurbished Houston Texans.

Last year’s NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will open their regular season on the road against the New England Patriots and the pre-game ceremonies for that one will feature Tom Brady as the Patriots honour the retired legend during their home opener.

Those looking forward to a Super Bowl rematch will have to wait until Week 11 when the Eagles travel to visit the Chiefs. One can assume Donna Kelce will be on hand in her dual Philly/Kansas City jersey to support her All-Pro sons Jason and Travis.

As is the case every year, there’s no shortage of revenge games to look forward to.

There will be five matchups under the NFL International Series banner in 2023 with three taking place in London, England and two in Frankfurt, Germany:

Week 4: Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.
Week 5: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Week 6: Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Week 9: Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park
Week 10: Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park

The Jaguars are no strangers to playing overseas and are the only team with multiple international games on the schedule this season.

The NFL has hosted games in Europe since the 2007 season and the Jags have played in England annually since 2013 — apart from in 2020 when no international games were held. Jacksonville’s game versus Atlanta will technically be a home game, while their contest against Buffalo will count as a road game for scheduling purposes.

“To see the Jacksonville Jaguars extend their stay in the U.K. and play two regular season games here this year is indicative of the Jags' commitment to continuing to grow their fanbase here long-term,” GM of NFL U.K. Henry Hodgson said in a press release.

The NFL made its German debut in 2022 in Munich but hasn’t previously been to Frankfurt.

In addition to the annual U.S. Thanksgiving tripleheader in Week 12 that features the Packers at Lions, Commanders at Cowboys and 49ers at Seahawks in Seattle’s first-ever home Thanksgiving game, the league will for the first time have a game the following day on Black Friday. That one will air on Amazon’s Prime Video and see the Jets host the Dolphins in another all-AFC East matchup.

The NFL will continue to feature prominently during the winter holidays with a 10-game slate on Christmas Eve followed by a Christmas Day tripleheader: Raiders at Chiefs, Giants at Eagles and Ravens at 49ers.

One of the final games in 2023 that could end up having significant AFC playoff implications is a showdown between the Bengals and Chiefs in Week 17 when Cincinnati visits Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium on New Year’s Eve.

You can view the NFL’s entire 2023 schedule here and for those eager to prepare for the season, below is each team’s Week 1 matchup (all listed times Eastern)…

THURSDAY
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs 8:20 p.m.

SUNDAY
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns 1 p.m.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts 1 p.m.
San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m.
Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints 1 p.m.
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Commanders 1 p.m.
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m.
Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots 4:25 p.m.
Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos 4:25 p.m.
Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers 4:25 p.m.
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks 4:25 p.m.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears 4:25 p.m.
Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants 8:20 p.m.

MONDAY
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets 8:15 p.m.