With the entire regular season schedule released, there are so many great games for football fans to watch this year. It’s hard to choose the ten best ones out of 272 total. But, I gave it my best shot. (Spoiler: there are a few Chiefs games on this list).
10. Dolphins-Eagles, Week Seven (Sunday Night Football, 7:20 PM on NBC)
Number 10 on my list of most intriguing games is Dolphins-Eagles. I am extremely excited to see how things unfold for the two teams to start the season. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagaviloa had his ups and downs with staying healthy last year, as he suffered two separate concussions. However, when he is healthy, Miami is a true contender for the AFC thanks to a loaded offense and a recently revamped defense with the signing of linebacker Bradley Chubb.
On the Eagles side of things, they look to repeat as NFC champions in 2023. During this year’s draft, general manager Howie Roseman struck gold by trading up into the top 10 to draft star defensive tackle Jalen Carter to add to a stacked defense. On offense, Philadelphia was top 3 in rushing yards a year ago led by quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts has star receiver AJ Brown and tight end Dallas Goddert as valuable weapons to go to.
9. Chiefs-Packers, Week 13 (Sunday Night Football, 7:20 PM on NBC)
On paper, this game might not jump off the page to fans as a must-see type. However, I am looking forward to seeing how Packers quarterback Jordan Love handles the Sunday Night Football spotlight at Lambeau Field for the first time in his career. He has two career appearances, including one start, (2020 against the Chiefs) but a night game at Lambeau is a different environment. Especially considering who is on the other side: Patrick Mahomes. I believe this game will be better than people think. We will see when it gets here.
8: Bills-Jets, Week One (Monday Night Football, 7:15PM on ESPN)
Week one will be the debut of Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback of the New York Jets. Fitting that this game is in primetime. Rodgers announced in March he had a desire to play for the Jets and by the week of the draft in late April, the trade was made official. Rodgers in the Big Apple is going to be fun to watch. Will the Jets be immediate contenders? They will have to go through Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills to win the AFC East and the battle for division supremacy begins right off the bat.
7. Packers-Raiders, Week Five (Monday Night Football, 7:15 on ESPN)
Simply put, this will be a great game for numerous and it comes in at number seven on my list. First off, this will be Jordan Love’s first start in primetime so the entire nation gets to see what he’s capable of. Secondly and perhaps most importantly, wide receiver Davante Adams will face off against his former team for the first time since he was traded from Green Bay to Las Vegas before the 2022 season. I anticipate Adams having a monster game. Can’t wait to watch this game in October.
6. Bears-Chiefs, Week Three (3:25 kickoff on Fox)
For the first time, football fans get to see Justin Fields vs Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is the best quarterback in football coming off an MVP season and winning a second Super Bowl. On the other side, Justin Fields had an outstanding second half of the season and will look to continue to build with an upgraded offense led by wide receiver DJ Moore. It’s an early season test for a Bears team that a lot of people believe can contend in the NFC next year. Which of these young QBs will emerge victorious? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mcAqBEjsmQOA1Qz9549bAsQNwB0dx9uC9Pn1jD6vJPs/edit#heading=h.hob5owanchga
5. Eagles-Chiefs, Week 11 (Monday Night Football, 7:15 on ESPN)
A rematch of last year’s Super Bowl? YES PLEASE!!! This was easily a top-five game to look forward to in 2023. Super Bowl 57 was an all time classic ending in a Chiefs victory 38-35. Both teams have gone through minor roster changes during the off-season, but I expect this game to be another shootout involving the two-star quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes.
4. Dolphins-Chiefs, Week 9 (Germany)
This to me is known as the “Tyreek Hill Game”. The Chiefs traded their star receiver to Miami before the 2022 season. On top of that, this is an international game being played in Germany. Expect a ton of big plays in this one on both sides. It will be a shootout.
3. Bills-Bengals, Week 9 (Sunday Night Football, 7:15PM on NBC)
I put this game into my top three not just because it could be a shootout between quarterbacks Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, but this game is also symbolic. A year ago, these same teams played on Monday Night Football in Week 17. They were in pursuit of the AFC’s number one seed. And then all of a sudden, a harsh reality about the game of football and life set in. This was the game where Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field after making a tackle and at that point, football became secondary.
The scene was so surreal at that point, it’s hard to describe. Both teams were visibly shaken during the ordeal as they gathered around Hamlin and paramedics as they tried to save his life and fans across the country were left to wonder if the Bills star safety was going to be ok. The game would end up being cancelled after a lengthy delay and rightfully so. Almost a year later, these two teams meet again with a cloud of uncertainty surrounding it.
2. Chiefs-Jets, Week 4 (Sunday Night Football, 7:15PM on NBC)
For the longest time, NFL fans have long been waiting for one particular quarterback matchup to happen: Patrick Mahomes vs. Aaron Rodgers. The two previous games between the Packers and Chiefs in 2019 and 2020 had one of the two stars sitting out. Mahomes missed the game in 2019 due to an ankle injury. Rodgers missed the game in 2020 due to testing positive for COVID-19. This matchup is LONG OVERDUE.
1. Bengals-Chiefs, Week 17 (New Years Eve)
The Bengals-Chiefs rivalry has become the modern day version of Cowboys-49ers from the 1990’s. High stakes in the standings, two superstar quarterbacks, two great head coaches and friendly banter between the players and fanbases. It’s everything a fan could want. On top of that, this game is being played on New Year’s Eve. Get your snacks, dinner and dessert ready ahead of time because this game is can’t miss.
Which games, Chiefs related or not are you most looking forward to this year?
