NFL Schedule: These Are The Top 12 Contests For The season; Begin in 2023

The NFL schedule for 2023 has been determined. The NFL on Thursday night published the complete schedule for the 2018 regular season.

Throughout the 18-week calendar, there are many excellent contests. But which games—out of the 272 in the regular season—stand out the most?

Here are 12 must-see games in 2023, including Aaron Rodgers‘ Jets debut, rookie QB showdowns, and playoff rematches:

 Week 1 on September 10; Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos

What Russell Wilson looks like will be one of the major themes in Week 1. The Broncos finished the season 5-12, and first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was dismissed after 15 games, making Wilson’s first year in Denver a complete failure.

Wilson has received significant financial and draft capital commitments from the Broncos. They gave the Saints even more valuable selection picks this summer in exchange for Sean Payton‘s services as head coach. Wilson, can Payton repair it? Or did the Broncos dig a giant hole for themselves? In the same game, we’ll see the Payton-Wilson tandem and Jimmy Garoppolo as the Raiders’ quarterback for the first time.

Week 1 on September 10; Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

There is no assurance that Bryce Young will make his NFL debut now. But will the Panthers start the season by beginning Andy Dalton and benching the top pick?

Young, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2021, will aim to dispel any exaggerated worries about his stature before the draft if he starts in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson, a fellow first-round rookie, can disprove those who made fun of the Falcons for selecting a running back in the top 10.

This game might have significant postseason ramifications in an unpredictable NFC South battle beyond Young and Robinson’s debuts.

Week 1 on September 11; Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (Monday Night Football)

For this one, MetLife Stadium is going to rock. With a Monday Night Football matchup against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, the Aaron Rodgers era in New York will get underway. The four-time MVP will don a new uniform and a new number for the first time after playing with the Packers for more than 200 games.

Can Aaron Rodgers bring the first Super Bowl victory for the Jets since the 1960s? It would be a great start to the season if the team defeated the Bills in prime time.

Week 2 on September 17; Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars

Unfortunately, the Jaguars and Chargers won’t be playing each other again in 2023, despite Jacksonville’s historic playoff victory over Los Angeles the previous year. However, Week 2 does have a repeat of the Jaguars-Chiefs playoff game.

After winning its last five games to win the AFC South, Jacksonville was one of the finest stories of the 2022 season. The Jags then managed a surprising playoff triumph over the Chargers before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions 27-20 despite putting up a good fight.

Will Doug Pederson’s second year enable Trevor Lawrence and the company to progress? The Jags have an opportunity to stake a claim in this game.

Week 2 on September 18; Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts

Might this signal the beginning of a fierce QB rivalry? The Texans took C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick in 2023. Two rounds later, the Colts picked Anthony Richardson, a potential future quarterback, and another AFC South club used the same strategy.

Stroud and Richardson are in the same division, so they will likely collide at some point. It remains to be seen if it will occur in either of this season’s two Colts-Texans games and if that first matchup will be the first of many.

Week 8 on October 29; Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers

It was rumored that C.J. Stroud was why the Panthers moved up to the No. 1 pick. However, Carolina ultimately decided to go with Bryce Young, with Stroud falling to the Texans for second overall.

Only nine times in the modern period of the draft were quarterbacks selected with the first two selections. Week 8 should see many matches between Stroud and Young during their careers.

Week 9 on November 5; Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday Night Football)

What setting might this game offer? Damar Hamlin is scheduled to play at Paycor Stadium in Week 9 after having a heart attack there last year.

Hamlin went from being in serious condition at a Cincinnati hospital to being given the all-clear to participate in football practices in a few months. The safety would add a new chapter to his inspiring comeback tale by playing in Cincinnati.

And the Bills will be thinking about getting back at the other team once the Sunday night football game begins. In the divisional round of the playoffs last year, Cincinnati traveled to Buffalo and shocked the Bills 27-10.

Week 10 on November 9; Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears

In Week 10, Bears supporters will glimpse what might have been. Some others thought the Bears, who first held the first pick, should have selected Bryce Young. Chicago finally decided to sell the selection to Carolina for additional money and go ahead with Justin Fields at quarterback.

When Carolina plays the Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday Night Football, will Young convince the Bears they made a grave error? Will Fields and former Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore demonstrate that something exceptional is being created in the Windy City?

Week 11 on November 20; Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs (Monday Night Football)

A Super Bowl LVII rematch won’t have to wait long for football lovers. On Monday Night Football, the Eagles went to Arrowhead for some form of retribution for the Chiefs’ most recent championship victory eight months ago.

In an exciting game between the Chiefs and Eagles in Arizona, Kansas City finished a second-half comeback with a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds. The quarterback duel between 2022 MVP Patrick Mahomes and 2022 MVP runner-up Jalen Hurts could be another epic one.

Week 13 on December 3; Philadelphia Eagles vs San Francisco 49ers 

Deebo Samuel will undoubtedly circle this. After suffering injuries to both eligible quarterbacks, Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson, San Francisco lost to Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game last year.

After the game, Samuel claimed that if Purdy hadn’t been wounded, the 49ers would have easily won.

The opportunity to do so will present itself when Samuel and company face the Eagles in Week 13. And after adding defensive lineman Javon Hargrave in free agency, San Francisco will face a replay of last season’s NFC championship game against one of Philadelphia’s finest players.

Week 14 on December 10; Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen. Is there anything else that needs to be declared?

The Chiefs defeated the Bills in one of the most memorable playoff matchups between the two AFC heavyweights two postseasons ago. Buffalo won at Arrowhead during the regular season to exact some retribution, and they’ll aim to do the same in Week 14.

Week 17 on December 31; Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs

The wait will be worthwhile because this game will be played in Week 17. The best non-divisional rivalry in the NFL is now the Bengals vs. Chiefs. Four games, including two AFC Championship Game matchups, between Cincinnati and Kansas City have occurred during the last two seasons.

Joe Burrow had a perfect 3-0 record versus Patrick Mahomes going into the AFC championship game of the previous season, but Mahomes ended the moniker “Burrow head” with a victory against Cincinnati. It wouldn’t be shocking if these two were again the final two AFC clubs remaining.

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