By Alex Al-Kazzaz
Is it already the middle the May?! That means that the 2023 NFL season is closing in! FASTER THAN YOU THINK! And now the schedule has been released! And as always, there's many matches to look forward to!
A total of five games games will be played overseas. The Jacksonville Jaguars will play TWO games in London! And what's interesting is that the Jags will play in London in back-to-back weeks! They'll play Atlanta at Wembley Stadium on October 1st and Buffalo at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the 8th. Baltimore and Tennessee will play at at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the 15th of October.
Kansas City will play Miami in Frankfurt, Germany on the 5th of November. A week later, the Colts take on the Patriots. The excitement for 2023 is beyond the games being played overseas.
Let's take a look a five exciting matches for next season...
New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16
An NFC East showdown on CHRISTMAS DAY! The Giants will spend Christmas in the city of BROTHERLY LOVE! Of course, Jalen Hurts & company would love nothing more than to give the Giants a very sad Christmas! Philadelphia is coming off a fantastic 2023 NFL Draft.
New York gave Daniel Jones his payday, but the drama surrounding Saquon Barkley is still there. The team made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and upset the Vikings in the first round before losing to Philadelphia in the divisional round. The Giants are determined to return to the level of Super Bowl worthy, but that may take years. Philadelphia is already there.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17
A rematch of last season's AFC Championship! The score is 1-1 as Cincinnati pulled off the win in a miracle fashion in the 2021 AFC Championship. However, this will be a regular season finale match. So the score may remain even for a while.
Kansas City are the defending champions while Cincinnati is determined to once again reach the promise land and WIN IT ALL. KC is clearly the favorite to win their division while Cincy ought to be as well. No doubt, everyone would love to see them meet once again in the AFC Championship to break the deadlock.
A Cincinnati win in this match is good for Joe Burrow & company, however, it does not allow them to gain redemption. The only way Cincinnati can avenge and redeem themselves is in an AFC title rematch. And who knows when it will happen again.
Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers in Week 5
Dallas has really had enough of San Francisco as of late. Two back-to-back losses to the 49ers in the playoffs. It's not really the 1990s vibe for Dallas. This will be a Sunday Night Football showdown between the Cowboys and 49ers and it'll take place in San Francisco.
If Dallas were to pull off the win, they wouldn't really gain anything out of it, would they? Sure, it'll add a W to their 2023 record, but unless it's a playoff win, Dallas won't be satisfied. The only way Dallas gets redemption is if they beat their old 90's playoff nemesis in a playoff game.
Obviously, in San Francisco's case, the question is who will be under center for the offense. Trey Lance is entering his third year in the league and is still recuperating from that nasty ankle injury. Brock Purdy recently underwent surgery on his elbow to repair his UCL and the recovery process is six months. Sam Darnold signed with the 49ers back in March. The team may not announce their official starter until the preseason concludes.
As far as Dallas goes, results from mini camp, offseason workouts, training camp, etc. will tell it all. Philadelphia is clearly the overwhelming favorite to win the NFC East so Dallas could be battling it out with New York and/or Washington for a playoff berth.
Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets in Week 1
The biggest story in this one is Aaron Rodgers' debut with the Jets. After 18 years in Green Bay, it'll certainly be interesting to see the four-time NFL MVP in a new uniform.
Buffalo has won the AFC East three straight years. New York hasn't won the division since 2002 and hasn't made the playoffs since 2010. The Jets are hoping that Rodgers can end that. Veteran receiver Randal Cobb recently joined the Jets. Furthermore, in January, the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator. Hackett served as OC for Green Bay from 2019 to 2021.
Buffalo pulled off quite a win in last year's NFL Kickoff Game with a dominant road win against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bills have been on a quest to reaching the Super Bowl and winning it all, but they've not been able to do so. It wouldn't be good for Josh Allen & company to start the season with a loss to the Jets. No doubt, the AFC East ought to be interesting this season.
Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots in Week 10
This rivalry hasn't been the same since the days of Payton Manning and Tom Brady in their primes. To be honest, without the two, has it really been a rivalry? If so, then it hasn't really been fun. But there's always hope, so the world is always curious to see how an encounter between the Colts and Patriots turns out. So despite the lack of serious potential, this kind of match always sticks out.
The Colts drafted Anthony Richardson fourth overall. New England is still working on getting Mac Jones on the right track. Both teams have really not been going through good times as of late. The future of both are up in the air. As far as expectations for both go, there's not much honestly. Perhaps, the winner of this one merely gets simple bragging rights for winning?!
This match takes place at Foxborough. These two last met in 2021 with the Colts taking a 27-17 win at home.
Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears in Week 1
The start of the post-Aaron Rodgers era. Chicago Bears fans must be happy. A decent percentage of Packers fans too. Packer fans are really hoping to see Jordan Love solidify himself as the next franchise quarterback. And they're hoping he can do what Rodgers did; OWN THE BEARS.
No doubt, Bears fans would love for their team to own the Packers for years to come. Justin Fields is looking to have a better season. If he could lead his team to a win over Green Bay in Week 1, his stock would certainly rise. And it would boost confidence and hopefully motivate the team further.
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