The 2023 NFL season will begin on Thursday, September 7, 2023, with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium. The regular season will conclude on Sunday, January 8, 2023, with all 16 games being division matchups.
Each team will play 17 games this season, one more than in previous years. The 17th game will be against a team from the opposite conference that finished in the same division as the home team the previous season. The AFC will be the home conference for the 17th game in 2023.
The NFL uses a complex algorithm to create the schedule, taking into account factors such as stadium availability, travel distance, and competitive balance. The schedule is released in stages, with the full schedule being released in May.
Here is a look at some of the key matchups on the 2023 NFL schedule:
- Super Bowl LVII rematch: The Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in Week 11. This will be a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won 38-35.
- Divisional round rematches: Several games on the 2023 schedule will be rematches of the 2022 divisional playoffs. The Chiefs will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, a rematch of the AFC Divisional Playoff game that the Chiefs won 38-35. The Buffalo Bills will travel to Cincinnati in Week 9, a rematch of the AFC Divisional Playoff game that the Bills won 42-35. The New York Giants will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Weeks 16 and 18, rematches of the NFC Divisional Playoff games that the Eagles won 31-16 and 38-7.
- Most Valuable Player matchup: The two most recent winners of the NFL Most Valuable Player award, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, will meet for the first time in their careers when the Chiefs visit the New York Jets in Week 4.
- Top-two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft matchup: The top-two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, will meet in Week 8 when the Carolina Panthers host the Houston Texans.
The NFL will continue to use “flexible scheduling” in 2023. This allows the league to move games to different time slots based on competitive considerations. For example, if two teams are playing for a playoff spot, the league may move their game to a prime time slot.