The Five Most Exciting Games Of The 2023 NFL Season
Updated: Jun 30, 2023
The NFL just released the official schedule for the 2023 season. There are many exciting games to look forward to. From already great teams to up and coming franchises, football fans should be in store for a fantastic season. Let’s take a look at five highly regarded matchups that even the most casual fan will want to see.
NFL Week Two: Chiefs At Jaguars
Fans don’t have to wait long for a 2022 playoff rematch. This time, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs who have to go on the road to meet the Jacksonville Jaguars. Second-year head coach Doug Pederson did a remarkable job taking the Jags from a 3-14 2021 to a respectable 9-8 in his first year on the job in 2022. His team came very close to knocking off the eventual NFL Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the divisional round. Despite being heavily favored, the game came down to the end with Kansas City winning by seven.
Expect a highly competitive Jaguars team this year looking to compete with top teams like the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals. This early season matchup will be a great test for both teams as they look to build upon successful 2022 campaigns.
Week Three: Patriots At Jets
The New York Jets now own the largest playoff drought in all of American sports. They have not reached the postseason since 2010 but have gone all-in this year. New York traded for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl champion will lead the offense for an improving Jets team.
This Week Three matchup will feature two AFC East teams looking to get back on track. New England still has the greatest coach in football, Bill Belichick, but missed the playoffs last year. It will be very interesting to see how his defense matches up against a quarterback with the caliber of Rodgers. Along with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, the AFC East could be the most exciting division in all of football.
Week Eight: Texans At Panthers
Just a season ago, this would have likely gone down as one of the worst games of the year. In 2023, there is plenty of optimism for both franchises as they try to climb out of the league cellar. Each team will have a new head coach and quarterback this year. The Carolina Panthers brought in former Indianapolis Colts head coach and Super Champion offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, Frank Reich. In four and a half years with the Colts, he finished with a winning record, so he was a good choice for Carolina.
The Houston Texans hired DeMeco Ryans who has quickly ascended as one of the younger rising stars in NFL coaching ranks. He is back with the team who drafted him in 2006 after leading the San Francisco 49ers defense to two straight NFC Championship games.
Additionally, the first two quarterbacks drafted in 2023 are expected to start this game. 2021 Heisman winner for Alabama and first overall pick, Bryce Young, will lead the Panthers. He’ll go against second-overall pick C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State. The guy picked after them, Will Anderson, will also be in this game and should be a major part of Houston’s defense.
Week Nine: Bills At Bengals
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals will once again meet in a prime-time matchup. It’ll be a game featuring the two best teams in the AFC behind the Kansas Chiefs in recent years. Last year’s highly anticipated Week 17 game ended in a no-contest with Bills defender Damar Hamlin going down with a chest injury in the first quarter. He has since recovered and could be back on the field for this game. The playoff rematch occurred in the Divisional Round with the Bengals winning it surprisingly easy.
This new rivalry between the high-performing teams also features two of the best quarterbacks in the league. Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow has a Pro Bowl selection, comeback player of the year award, and came very close to a Super Bowl title two seasons ago. Buffalo’s Josh Allen has two Pro-Bowl selections and narrowly missed a chance at competing in the Super Bowl three seasons ago. Maybe 2023 could be the year, one of these two teams could hoist their first ever Lombardi Trophy.
Week 13: 49ers At Eagles
The San Francisco 49ers were infamously without a quarterback in their NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles this past season. Ever since, the debate has gone on whether the 49ers would have won with a healthy Brock Purdy. Even with a 49ers defense at full-strength, the Eagles still put up 31 points to advance to the Super Bowl. This offseason, the 49ers upgraded their roster, while the Eagles had to fill some holes via the draft due to departing free agents.
There should be a lot of talk going back and forth leading up to this one. 49ers receiver Deebo Samuelstill believes his team is the better team and calls the Eagles his most hated rival. With both teams expected to be among the NFC’s most elite, this game could decide on who gets the first seed in the playoffs.
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