The NFL Has Begun Revealing the Biggest Matchups of the 2023 Season
Josh Frey
|
May 11, 2023
While the official release of the 2023 NFL schedule is set to take place tonight, the league has slowly begun leaking a few of the biggest matchups for this season. Based on these leaks, here is a look at everything we know about the schedule so far.
5 International Games
Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- When: Week 4
- Where: London, England (Wembley Stadium)
- Why It Matters: Both teams feature young QBs and overall promising, young rosters. The Jaguars were a surprise playoff team last year after a bit of a slower start to the season, and Atlanta is hoping to be one of those teams this year. This is a nice early test for Ridder and the Falcons.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills
- When: Week 5
- Where: London, England (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Why It Matters: This is the first time a team will play international games in back-to-back weeks as the Jaguars will remain in London for Week 5. After being the team offering a test the week before, this is their own chance to be tested as they face off with the perennial Super Bowl contending Buffalo Bills.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans
- When: Week 6
- Where: London, England (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Why It Matters: In both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Ravens and Titans faced off during the playoffs. During 2020, the Titans defeated Baltimore in the Divisional round, and during 2021, the Ravens defeated Tennessee in the Wild Card round. With both teams looking to make it back to the tournament this season, this should be a fun matchup between two teams with reasons to dislike each other.
Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Week 9
- Where: Frankfurt, Germany (Frankfurt Stadium)
- Why It Matters: This is the Tyreek Hill revenge game. After years helping make Kansas City into a dynamic, high-flying offense, the wide receiver is now playing a very similar role in Miami. Don’t be surprised if these are two of the top-five scoring offenses this year when it’s all said and done.
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
- When: Week 10
- Where: Frankfurt, Germany (Frankfurt Stadium)
- Why It Matters: This used to be one of the headline rivalries in the NFL back in the Tom Brady/Peyton Manning days. Now, after a couple down years from the two teams, they both seem poised to be back on the rise in 2023.
Season Opener: Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Week 1
- Where: Arrowhead Stadium
- Why It Matters: Apart from this being the official kickoff to the 2023 regular season, could this be a dark-horse as a potential Super Bowl preview? The Chiefs look to remain atop the mountain after capturing another Lombardi Trophy last season, and the Lions are hoping to build off a strong conclusion to their 2022 season and become true contenders in a wide-open NFC.
First Monday Night: Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets
- When: Week 1
- Where: MetLife Stadium
- Why It Matters: Aaron Rodgers gets welcomed to the AFC East with a primetime matchup against the three-time reigning division champs. If you’re gonna be the best, you have to beat the best, and Rodgers’ New York Jets get a chance at that to open the season.
Black Friday: Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets
- When: Week 12
- Where: MetLife Stadium
- Why It Matters: This is the first Black Friday game the NFL has ever scheduled. It is also one of (likely) many nationally televised games for the new-look New York Jets with QB Aaron Rodgers. By this time in the season, the playoff race will be in full-force, and these two teams will likely be jostling for position near the top of the AFC.
NFC Championship Rematch: San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- When: Week 13
- Where: Lincoln Financial Field
- Why It Matters: When the dust settled, these two teams were the final ones remaining in the NFC, but that NFC title game has a bit of an asterisk behind it, with both Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson getting injured at quarterback. By the end of the game, the 49ers offense was limited solely to a ground-and-pound style game, and that was always going to be a tough task against Philly’s defense. Hopefully, the two teams will be more healthy for the rematch.
Christmas Day: New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- When: Week 16
- Where: Lincoln Financial Field
- Why It Matters: The Eagles absolutely demolished the Giants during the Divisional round, beating them by a score of 38-7. Now, the two NFC East rivals are set to duke it out again in front of the world as part of the NFL’s Christmas Day tripleheader.
Christmas Day: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Week 16
- Where: Arrowhead Stadium
- Why It Matters: This is the second of the three Christmas games to be revealed this week, and it features an AFC West rivalry that has given us a couple of the more memorable regular season games over the past few years.
AFC Championship Rematch: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Week 17
- Where: Arrowhead Stadium
- Why It Matters: This has turned into one of the NFL’s premier rivalries over the past couple years. The two teams have battled in each of the last two AFC Championship Games, with each franchise coming away with a three-point victory. These two have also represented the AFC in each of the last four Super Bowls.
NOTE: This tracker originally appeared on our sister-site, PurplePTSD.com
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
Share:
You must be logged in to post a comment.