The wait is over. The 2023 NFL schedule is here. Eighteen weeks. Thirty-two teams. Two hundred seventy-two games, with the first coming on Sept. 7.
Now let’s dig in. What are the best NFL games to watch each week from the 2023 NFL schedule release?
What Are the Best NFL Games To Watch Each Week in 2023?
Week 1: Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets
- Date/Time
Sept. 11, 8:15 p.m. - 2022 Records
Bills 13-3; Jets 7-10 - Last Meeting
Bills 20, Jets 17 (Dec. 11, 2022) - Overview
Aaron Rodgers to the Jets was the biggest story of the 2023 offseason. But will the play on the field match the hype off of it?
Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Date/Time
Sept. 17, 1 p.m. - 2022 Records
Chiefs 14-3; Jaguars 9-8 - Last Meeting
Chiefs 27, Jaguars 20 (Jan. 21, 2023) - Overview
Most expect the Jaguars will be the class of the AFC South. But can they make a real Super Bowl run? They get the ultimate test early in the season.
Week 3: New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Date/Time
Sept. 21, 8:15 p.m. - 2022 Records
Giants 12-5; 49ers 13-4 - Last Meeting
49ers 36, Giants 9 (Sept. 27, 2020) - Overview
There are so many unanswered questions with these teams. Who will be the Niners’ QB by that point? Were the Giants a fluke or the real thing in 2022?
Week 4: Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills
- Date/Time
Oct. 1, 1 p.m. - 2022 Records
Dolphins 9-8; Bills 13-3 - Last Meeting
Bills 34, Dolphins 31 (Jan. 15, 2023) - Overview
These AFC East rivals met three times in 2022. Those three games were decided by a combined eight points. How is this a 1 p.m. kickoff?
Week 5: Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Date/Time
Oct. 8, 8:20 p.m. - 2022 Records
Cowboys 12-5; 49ers 13-4 - Last Meeting
49ers 19, Cowboys 12 (Jan. 22, 2023) - Overview
What an embarrassment of riches this week. Cowboys-Niners is the best of a slate that includes Ravens-Steelers, Jaguars-Bills, Jets-Broncos, and Chiefs-Vikings.
Week 6: Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- Date/Time
Oct. 15, 1 p.m. - 2022 Records
Seahawks 9-8; Bengals 12-4 - Last Meeting
Seahawks 21, Bengals 20 (Sept. 8, 2019) - Overview
A potential Super Bowl preview? Dare to dream. If Geno Smith continues to play like he did for most of 2022, it’s not that far-fetched.
Week 7: Detroit Lions vs. Baltimore Ravens
- Date/Time
Oct. 22, 1 p.m. - 2022 Records
Lions 9-8; Ravens 10-7 - Last Meeting
Ravens 19, Lions 17 (Sept. 26, 2021) - Overview
The Lions are the darlings of the football world. And with a relatively soft schedule, this will be one of the few true litmus test games.
Week 8: Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers
- Date/Time
Oct. 26, 8:15 p.m. - 2022 Records
Texans 3-13-1; Panthers 7-10 - Last Meeting
Panthers 24, Texans 9 (Sept. 23, 2021) - Overview
Bryce Young vs. C.J. Stroud. Prime-time football. The 2023 NFL Draft’s top two picks meet for the first time. It won’t be the last.
Week 9: Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Date/Time
Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. - 2022 Records
Chiefs 14-3; Dolphins 9-8 - Last Meeting
Chiefs 33, Dolphins 27 (Dec. 13, 2020) - Overview
The Tyreek Hill Bowl! Cheetah has been talking all kinds of trash since orchestrating a trade out of K.C. Adding to the intrigue: The game is in Frankfurt.
Week 10: Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Chargers
- Date/Time
Nov. 12, 4:05 p.m. - 2022 Records
Lions 9-8; Chargers 10-7 - Last Meeting
Lions 13, Chargers 10 (Sept. 15, 2019) - Overview
This should be an absolute shootout. The Lions and Chargers score in vastly different ways. And they allow points in many creative ways as well.
Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Date/Time
Nov. 20, 8:15 p.m. - 2022 Records
Eagles 14-3; Chiefs 14-3 - Last Meeting
Chiefs 38, Eagles 35 - Overview
The Eagles and Chiefs were the two best teams in football in 2022 and rightfully met in the Super Bowl. A rematch in February 2024 would surprise no one.
Week 12: San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Date/Time
Nov. 23, 8:20 p.m. - 2022 Records
49ers 13-4; Seahawks 9-8 - Last Meeting
49ers 41, Seahawks 23 (Jan. 14, 2023) - Overview
The NFC West is shaping up as a two-team race, with the Niners and Seahawks (at least on paper) far ahead of the rest.
Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Date/Time
Dec. 4, 8:15 p.m. - 2022 Records
Bengals 12-4; Jaguars 9-8 - Last Meeting
Bengals 24, Jaguars 21 (Sept. 30, 2021) - Overview
Want an example of how effective tanking can be? Look no further than this matchup. Both teams turned No. 1 picks into contenders.
Week 14: Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Date/Time:
Dec. 10, 4:25 p.m. - 2022 Records
Bills 13-3; Chiefs 14-3 - Last Meeting
Bills 24, Chiefs 20 (Oct. 16, 2022) - Overview
Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes is as good as it gets in terms of quarterback showdowns. The AFC’s No. 1 seed could be on the line.
Week 15: New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins
- Date/Time
Dec. 17, 1 p.m. - 2022 Records
Jets 7-10; Dolphins 9-8 - Last Meeting
Dolphins 11, Jets 6 (Jan. 8, 2023) - Overview
Both these teams have Super Bowl dreams, but here’s the reality: Both have super hard schedules, so this could be a de facto elimination game.
Week 16: Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Date/Time
Dec. 25, 8:15 p.m. - 2022 Records
Ravens 10-7; 49ers 13-4 - Last Meeting
Ravens 20, 49ers 17 (Dec. 1, 2019) - Overview
This Christmas nightcap is a soothing digestif after a day of gorging on turkey, yams, pies, and pigskin.
Week 17: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Date/Time
Dec. 31, 4:25 p.m. - 2022 Records
Bengals 12-4; Chiefs 14-3 - Last Meeting
Chiefs 23, Bengals 20 (Jan. 29, 2023) - Overview
These heavyweights have met four times in the last two years, including twice in the conference title game. Each of those four games was decided by three points.
Week 18: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants
- Date/Time
TBD - 2022 Records
Eagles 14-3; Giants 9-7-1 - Last Meeting
Eagles 38, Giants 7 (Jan. 21, 2023) - Overview
These bitter, bitter rivals have met 181 times in their long history. The Eagles have the edge in the all-time series 92-87-2, a record that includes a shellacking in the 2022 playoffs.