The Biggest Winners and Losers of the 2023 NFL Schedule Release
Far be it from the NFL to ever pass on the opportunity to turn something into a media event. Thursday was no exception, as fans gathered far and wide to see...the 2023 schedule get revealed.
No, really. That was it. The schedule. We already knew who was playing who and the 2022 winning percentage of each team's opponents. But we didn't know when those teams were playing.
Now we do.
We know that the 2023 season will get underway when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on September 7. We know that Aaron Rodgers will get his first taste of the AFC East on Monday Night Football in Week 1 when the Jets host the Buffalo Bills. We know the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will play Week 11 in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.
From Game No. 1 to Game No. 272, we know them all now.
Now that we have the full NFL slate for 2023, we know each team's path from Week 1 to Week 18. For some, it was a good day—the schedule revealed appears relatively navigable. For others, not so much. There are matchups and stretches of games that left players and coaches shaking their heads and muttering about the unfairness of it all.
Just as on every NFL Sunday, schedule release day brought winners and losers.
Here's a look at some of them.
Winner: Detroit Lions
1 of 10
The Detroit Lions have been wandering the NFL wilderness for a long time. Last year was Detroit's first winning season since 2017. The team hasn't won 10 games since 2014. Detroit last won a playoff game during the final years of the George Bush administration.
The older one. George H.W. Bush.
Now, there's no guarantee that the Lions will reverse any of those years of failure in 2023. But after winning nine games last year and knocking the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs in the final Sunday night game of 2022, the Lions have established some momentum.
And apparently that momentum has also brought with it the perception that the Lions are tomato cans no more.
The Thursday night opener is a showcase for the league. All of America's eyes are glued to the screen as the previous season's champion kicks off that year's campaign.
And this year at Arrowhead Stadium, that game will feature the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions.
It's not Detroit's only big game in 2023. There's a game the following week at home against Seattle and a Week 10 trip to Los Angeles to face the Chargers, and let's not forget the NFC North slate for a team hoping to win its division for the first time since 1993.
But a spot in the league's season opener absolutely makes the Lions a winner—for once.
Loser: Las Vegas Raiders
2 of 10
The good news for fans of the Las Vegas Raiders is that as is usually the case, there will be no shortage of primetime tilts featuring the Silver and Black—five in total.
The bad news is by midseason, fans may well be doing more complaining than cheering during those contests.
It's not just that the .524 opponent winning percentage the Raiders drew in 2023 is the highest in the division—higher even than the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
But after opening the season in Denver (never an easy place to play), the Raiders' schedule toughens up in a hurry. In Week 2, the Raiders travel east to face the Bills. Two weeks after that, they will be in Los Angeles to face the Chargers. But that's not the worst of it.
Beginning with a Week 9 home date against the Giants, the Raiders will face six 2022 playoff teams in seven games—including a trip to Miami and a home date with Minnesota. Mind you, the Raiders team that will be running that gauntlet turned blowing second-half leads last year into an art form.
Even if you believe that Jimmy Garoppolo makes these Raiders a better team, they aren't so much better that they can peel off a 12- or 13-win season with this schedule.
And that's going to leave the Raiders where they have so often been in recent years—staring up at the Chiefs and trying to cling to relevance.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
3 of 10
It's a time of massive change in Titletown. After well over two decades of Hall of Fame quarterback play, the Packers are turning the offense over to a relative unknown in Jordan Love.
Fortunately, the schedule-makers chose to give Love some time to get his feet wet.
We already knew that the Packers had a relatively easy schedule in 2023—the ninth-easiest in the league with an opponent winning percentage of .476.
But in addition to facing opponents who were a combined 14 games under .500 last year, the Packers also get some time for their new quarterback to adjust to his new role.
Granted, the Packers open the season against their most hated rivals in Chicago, and the team won't play a game in Lambeau Field until hosting the New Orleans Saints on September 24. After that tilt with the Saints comes two primetime tilts with the Lions on Thursday night and a Monday night trip to face the Raiders in Vegas ahead of the bye.
But the Packers won't play a 2022 playoff team until hosting the Vikings on October 29, and they won't face a second one until hosting the Chargers on November 19.
Only six of Green Bay's 17 games in 2023 are against 2022 playoff teams—and two of those are with the rival Vikings.
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Loser: New York Jets
4 of 10
You may not have heard, but the New York Jets have undergone some significant changes in 2023. Something about a new quarterback or something.
The arrival of Aaron Rodgers has ratcheted up the enthusiasm in the Big Apple. It has also ratcheted up the expectations. Once the 2023 schedule dropped, something else ratcheted up.
The pressure.
It's no secret the Jets were going to face a challenging schedule this season. In terms of 2022 winning percentage, only five teams faced a tougher slate than Gang Green in 2023.
And apparently, the NFL decided to see just how good these new-look Jets are right from the jump.
In his very first game as a Jet, Rodgers will lead his team against the three-time defending AFC East champion Bills on Monday night. The next week, it's off to Dallas to face a familiar foe in Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. The Jets host the Chiefs on Sunday night in Week 4, and then play the other participant in Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 6. Add in a Week 8 Met Life Stadium showdown with the Giants, and that's five 2022 playoff teams over the first half of the season.
If Rodgers is slow to jell with his new offense, or the team struggles out of the gate, the Jets could be in real trouble by Halloween.
Winner: New Orleans Saints
5 of 10
You would be hard-pressed to find a division in the NFL generating less enthusiasm than the NFC South. But with the addition of Derek Carr, the New Orleans Saints appear to have the most settled situation at quarterback of any of the four teams.
They also have the easiest schedule—one that could help propel New Orleans to a fast start.
After opening the season against the Tennessee Titans, the Saints travel to Carolina to take on a Panthers team that will probably be guided by a rookie quarterback in Bryce Young. Then it's an inexperienced signal-caller in Jordan Love of the Packers. A retread in Baker Mayfield of the Buccaneers. The New England Patriots. The Houston Texans.
In the entirety of the 2023 campaign, the Saints face five playoff teams from a year ago—and two of those meetings are with a Buccaneers team that lost Tom Brady. Outside of those matchups, they face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7 and just one more playoff team (the Vikings) before their Week 11 bye.
Using a previous season's strength of schedule can be a dangerous approach to gauging difficulty. But only one team in the league (Atlanta) has a softer one in 2023—and it shows.
If Carr plays reasonably well this year, the Saints have to be considered the favorites in the NFC South.
Loser: Philadelphia Eagles
6 of 10
It's no surprise the Philadelphia Eagles were going to face a tough road to repeat as NFC champions in 2023. It's not just a matter of entering the season with a proverbial target on their backs. No team in the league faces a slate of opponents with a higher winning percentage in 2022 than the .566 the Eagles drew.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the schedule revealed a second half for which the word daunting does not begin to cover it.
In Week 9, the Eagles host the hated Dallas Cowboys in their last game before the off week. Jalen Hurts and Company had better enjoy that siesta—because beginning in Week 11, the gauntlet starts.
First, there's a Super Bowl LVII rematch in Arrowhead against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Then it's a home date with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Then comes an NFC Championship Game rematch with the San Francisco 49ers. Then trips to Dallas and then Seattle before a Christmas Day game with the New York Giants.
Counting that first Cowboys meeting, that's seven consecutive games against 2022 playoff teams. Teams that had a combined record of 70-30 last season.
It's a daunting stretch—even for a team as talented as the Eagles. And it's going to define their 2023 campaign—for better or worse.
Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
7 of 10
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't make the playoffs last year, but they were able to maintain head coach Mike Tomlin's record of non-losing seasons.
Making the postseason in Kenny Pickett's second season isn't going to be easy—most would rate the Steelers as the third-best team in the AFC North.
But the schedule-makers afforded the Steelers an opportunity to build some momentum and stack some wins in the middle of the season—and maybe even get into the playoff conversation.
Things don't start easy—the Steelers open the season against the San Francisco 49ers at Acrisure Stadium. But after that comes a lengthy stretch of also-rans and tomato cans.
The Cleveland Browns. The Las Vegas Raiders. The Houston Texans.. The Los Angeles Rams. That's four out of five contests (over six weeks) against teams that failed to make the playoffs. After a Week 8 tilt with the AFC South champion Jaguars, there are matchups with the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers and a second meeting with Cleveland.
That's seven matchups in 9 games with teams who failed to make the postseason in 2022—with games against the Cardinals, Patriots and Colts after that.
We knew the Steelers had the second-easiest schedule in the AFC North.
But this manageable slate should have fans even more excited.
Loser: New York Giants
8 of 10
The New York Giants entered 2023 on a wave of positive momentum. The team is fresh off its first playoff trip since 2016 and first postseason win since downing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI and was able to bring back key free agents like quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley.
The G-Men knew that building on that success wouldn't be easy—New York drew the joint-fourth-toughest strength of schedule in the league in 2023.
But just how tough a return trip to the playoffs could be this year became evident Thursday—because New York's schedule to open the season is brutal.
Beginning with a season-opening NFC East tilt with the rival Cowboys on Sunday night, five of New York's first six opponents made the playoffs last year, and three of the five games are on the road—at San Francisco (Week 3), vs. Seattle (Week 4), at Miami (Week 5) and at Buffalo (Week 6).
The Giants also won't receive a week off until late in the season (Week 13), and even Christmas was ruined—the Giants will spend the holiday getting jeered by Eagles fans in Philadelphia.
It marks two meetings over the final three weeks of the year with the defending NFC champions.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
9 of 10
The AFC South is generating only marginally more excitement this year than the NFC South. Most of it is either coming from a rising young Jacksonville Jaguars team or the new rookie quarterbacks in Houston and Indianapolis.
It's the former that will be of the most interest leaguewide this year. Can Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence take another step forward and meet the increased expectations in Duval County.
There are certainly things working in their favor—the biggest of which is six games in the AFC South. In addition to the Texans and Colts breaking in new quarterbacks, the Titans took a major step backward in 2022.
There will be tests as well. The Jaguars are headed to London for a two-week jaunt that includes a tilt with the Buffalo Bills. There are also matchups against AFC heavyweights in Cincinnati, Kansas City and a showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.
But that London contest against the Bills is the only of those marquee matchups that will take place outside of TIAA Bank Stadium, and the Jaguars have three prime-time tilts outside those London tilts.
The Jaguars want recognition; a chance to show they belong with the big boys. This schedule gives them a puncher's chance of doing just that.
Loser: Miami Dolphins
10 of 10
The Miami Dolphins were equal parts frustrating and exciting in 2022. When Tua Tagovailoa was healthy and the team was firing on all cylinders, the Dolphins looked like Super Bowl contenders. But Tagovailoa couldn't stay on the field, and Miami limped into the playoffs before losing in the AFC Wild Card Round.
Expectations are high for a healthy Tagovailoa and the Dolphins in 2023. But the schedule isn't doing those expectations any favors.
It starts right off the bat with a Week 1 trip to Los Angeles to face Justin Herbert and the Chargers. The next two games against the rival Patriots and Denver Broncos are winnable, but hardly gimmes. Then comes the six-week stretch that could define Miami's season—at Buffalo, vs. New York Giants, vs. Carolina, at Philadelphia, vs. New England and at Kansas City.
That's a meeting with the three-time defending AFC East champions and both Super Bowl teams from last year—all on the road. The Dolphins don't have to win all those games, but they can't lose them, either. And that's without taking into account home dates with the Bills and Dallas Cowboys in the season's final three weeks.
The Dolphins have aspirations of being a real contender in the AFC, although questions persist about the validity of those aspirations.
If Miami can navigate this schedule with some success, it will go a long way toward answering those questions.
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