The NFL has released its schedule for the 2023 season, and there are a litany of exciting games on tap for us this year. There are big names on new teams, a fresh group of rookies to watch, and second-year players looking to prove their first season wasn’t a fluke.
But which games are we the most excited to watch this season? And which games will be must-see TV?
Here are the top 10 NFL games we can’t wait to watch.
Top 10 NFL Games To Watch This Season
1. Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs
Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 7 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
The NFL kicks off the regular season with a midwest matchup in Week 1. Jared Goff and the Lions head to Kansas City to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Last year, the Chiefs finished first in scoring (496 points) and the Lions ranked fifth (453 points). Detroit also finished tied for third-most points allowed.
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Everybody loves to see a shootout, and it could be just that if the defenses come out flat.
Amon-Ra St. Brown does the heavy lifting for this Lions’ offense, but it should be exciting to watch Lions rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs start his NFL career. We know Mahomes will target Travis Kelce a ton, but which wide receiver gets the most love: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, or Skyy Moore?
- Read our early Lions vs Chiefs predictions preview.
2. San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3 (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
The 49ers hope to avenge what was a hard-to-watch loss to the Eagles in last season’s NFC Championship Game. Christian McCaffrey was the only player in that game to get much traction, and he’ll again be the centerpiece to San Francisco’s offense.
The Eagles can beat you a number of ways, and don’t forget about their defense. They posted 70 sacks in 2022, most by far in the NFL.
Haason Reddick finished second in the NFL with 16 sacks, and Philly had three more players finish with 11 sacks.
3. Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Week 1: Monday, Sept. 11 (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC)
We’ll get our first regular season look at Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets in a Monday Night Football matchup against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. If the Jets do upset or seriously challenge the Bills in Week 1, it sets a whole new narrative for the AFC East.
A healthy Breece Hall is the wild card to the Jets’ offense, and he is on track to start in his recovery from a torn ACL. The Bills have to avoid a letdown to start the season after a disappointing finish to the 2022 season.
4. New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
Week 16: Monday, Dec. 25 (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX)
The 2022 NFL season was a boon for the Giants and first-year head coach Brian Daboll. However, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles made a huge leap, as well, leading to a Super Bowl berth.
D’Andre Swift joined the Eagles’ backfield via trade and will cause headaches along with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert.
Daniel Jones and his receiver cohorts could have trouble as the Eagles allowed the fewest passing yards in 2022.
5. Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
The 49ers have ended the Cowboys’ playoff runs in each of the last two seasons. The big question mark for San Francisco is who will be available to play quarterback: Trey Lance or Brock Purdy?
Tony Pollard will finally lead the Dallas backfield this season, and he’ll need to be on top of his game against the 49ers’ No. 1 ranked run defense from a season ago. Brandin Cooks will also join CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup to give the Cowboys’ passing game more firepower.
6. Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS)
In a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship, the Bengals will have another shot at the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Cincinnati did get the better of Kansas City in the 2022 AFC Championship Game.
Joe Burrow vs Mahomes in primetime in a regular season game that most certainly carry postseason seeding implications. It doesn’t get much better than that.
7. Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 (9:30 a.m. ET, CBS)
The legend of Bill Belichick versus rookie quarterbacks is a common talking point to bolster his legacy. He’ll have his hands full against Colts rookie Anthony Richardson.
With two months of experience under his belt by this point, the former Florida Gator could be turning it on.
It’s also worth speculating on whether Mac Jones can continue to hold down his starting job if the Patriots fail to deliver a positive record at this stage in the season.
- Stay with us throughout the season to find the best NFL bets.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars @ Buffalo Bills
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8 (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL)
The 2022 season was a coming out party for Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. Even Christian Kirk and Zay Jones returned great value in his first season with the Jaguars.
Hopefully Calvin Ridley can return to form this year as Jacksonville’s latest weapon.
The Bills need to get James Cook and this running game more traction. Buffalo also added Damien Harris and Latavius Murray as the thunder to Cook’s lightning.
Keep an eye on potential sleeper Bills’ receiver Khalil Shakir in 2023.
9. Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets
Week 14: Friday, Nov. 24 (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video)
The first Black Friday contest is coming in 2023, and we can thank Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s presence in the NFL space.
It should be an exciting game as the Jets’ stellar pass defense meets Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who combined for 194 receptions, 3,066 yards, and 15 touchdowns last season.
A revamped Jets’ pass attack, led by Garrett Wilson, has been augmented this offseason with Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb.
10. Seattle Seahawks @ New York Giants
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1 (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
In Geno Smith’s journeyman experience across the league, he spent the 2017 season with the Giants. It’s all just part of the process.
Looking to bounce-back from Seattle’s wild-card round exit last year against the 49ers, Smith and the Seahawks will face last year’s No. 6 playoff seeded New York Giants.
The Giants have more to prove, as well, despite what was a modest upset in the first round of the playoffs a year ago. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley spearhead an offense that scored 21.5 points per game in 2022 (16th).
A big part of their success was minimizing turnovers, as their 16 giveaways were the second-fewest in the league.
