The NFL has released the schedule for the upcoming season, with the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, set to host the Detroit Lions in the season opener on Thursday, 7 September.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57, will start their season at the New England Patriots on Sunday, 10 September. The Patriots will be honoring their former quarterback, Tom Brady, who retired in February, at that game.
In week four, the New York Jets, led by Aaron Rodgers, will play against the Chiefs and last season’s MVP Patrick Mahomes. This will mark the Jets’ first Sunday night game since 2011.
The Chiefs will also have a Super Bowl rematch at home to the Eagles in week 11, and a repeat of the past two AFC Championship games in week 17 as they host the Cincinnati Bengals.
The reigning champions will be playing in Europe for the first time since 2015. The NFL has confirmed the teams and dates for 2023’s five international games.
There will be three games played on both the US holiday of Thanksgiving, 23 November, and on Christmas Day, with the San Francisco 49ers playing on both.
They will face the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens respectively, while the Chiefs will host the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day.
The regular season will end on 7 January 2024, followed by three rounds of playoff games to decide who will play in Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas on 11 February.
Another interesting match-up sees the 49ers visit the Eagles in a repeat of last season’s NFC Championship game in week 13. In week eight, the top two draft picks, Bryce Young’s Carolina Panthers and CJ Stroud’s Houston Texans, will go head-to-head.
Before the full schedule release on Thursday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft invited Brady, who won six Super Bowl rings during his 20 years with the team, back to Foxborough for New England’s opener.
Kraft called Brady “the greatest player in the history of the game”, adding that “he’s very excited to come back and see our fans”. “It will be the beginning of many celebrations to honor Tom and say ‘thank you’ for what he did for us,” said Kraft.
