The Five Most Intriguing NFL Schedules for 2023

Free agency has slowed to a crawl and the NFL draft is over. There are still moves to be made but teams are beginning to take form.

The National Football League begins its 104th campaign on Thursday night, September 7, at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions. The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Detroit Lions, who finished strong in 2022.

Of course, the latter missed the playoffs despite a 9-8 record. Including the postseason, Andy Reid’s team won 17-of-20 games and enter 2023 on an eight-game roll.

Did the Chiefs or Lions make the list below? Here’s a look at five teams with 17-game slates that are interesting, to say the least.

5. Indianapolis Colts

This year’s slate is eerily similar to the team’s 2022 slate. This past season, the Colts played five of their first seven games vs. their divisional rivals. New head coach Shane Steichen will see his club host the defending AFC South champion Jaguars on the opening Sunday and all told, will see their division foes four times in the first six weeks. Indianapolis closes 2023 with three of its final four games at home.

4. Seattle Seahawks

Will Pete Carroll’s club push the 49ers for the NFC West title this season? A year ago, the Seahawks surprised many by reaching the playoffs but would drop three games to San Francisco, including a 41-23 loss in the wild card round. Half of the club’s final eight games are vs. the division, including both clashes with the Niners (Weeks 12 and 14). The Seahawks play five of those final eight contests on the road.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

Brandon Staley’s club will kick off the season by hosting Miami. All told the Chargers will face four teams in their first six games (Dolphins, Vikings, Cowboys, and Chiefs) that reached the playoffs this past season. The Bolts also have an early off-week (Week 5). Staley’s team will close the year with three divisional clashes in their final five weeks, including a pair with Denver, and host Kansas City in the season finale.

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2. Baltimore Ravens

The club plays three of its first five games on the road against each one of their divisional rivals and that is followed by a clash with the Titans in England (Tottenham) in Week 6. John Harbaugh’s club then has a three-game home stretch (Weeks 9-11), starting with the Seahawks and then the Browns and Bengals twice in a five-day span.  Finally, the Ravens’ off-week doesn’t occur until early December (Week 13).

1. New York Giants

The team is coming off its first playoff appearance since 2016 and its first playoff victory since 2011. The Giants will be in the prime time spotlight in four of their first six contests. Perhaps even more intriguing is the fact that Brian Daboll’s club will host the Cowboys on Sunday night in Week 1 and then play seven of their next nine games on the road. Big Blue will face the Eagles twice in the season’s final three weeks.