It’s been about four months since every team in the NFL became aware of its 17-opponent slate for the 2023 season, but the finality of each order was disclosed Thursday.
As is the case with unbalanced schedules, they aren’t all created equal. That’s why there are winners and losers in each schedule reveal.
Advertisement
It doesn’t necessarily mean the “winners” are destined for the playoffs and the “losers” should heighten their scouting efforts on USC quarterback Caleb Williams. But there are most certainly some ideal and unfavorable quirks that happened with each team’s slate.
Let’s run through some of the most glaring of those situations.
Winners
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars
One of the league’s hottest young teams, the Jaguars will corral a greater spotlight than usual (three prime-time games), and that should do wonders for Lawrence’s marketability as a premier quarterback on the rise. They’ve also got back-to-back games in London (weeks 4-5 against the Falcons and Bills), and that’ll provide a unique team-bonding opportunity early in their most heavily anticipated season in years.
GO DEEPER
Finding NFL games on TV in 2023 could be confusing. Here's what you need to know
Falcons
The Falcons knew in January they’d have the easiest strength of schedule based off their opponents’ collective .417 winning percentage in 2022. Following a busy offseason, there’s reason for optimism for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning record or playoff appearance since 2017.
Patriots
They’ve got a tough slate, but the Patriots have a chance to make a playoff push in 2023. If they can hover around .500 through Week 8, they’ll enter a midseason stretch with home games against the Commanders and Colts before their Week 11 bye and a chance to show their worth against comparably tricky teams like the Giants, Chargers and Steelers before the homestretch. If the Patriots are an improving team, they’ll set themselves up for an intriguing stretch run.
Texans
Are the Texans getting back to the playoffs in 2023? Probably not. But they should be an improved team, and they don’t have back-to-back road games until weeks 14-15 (preceded by three consecutive home games). That’s a favorable bounce for a team that could use one.
GO DEEPER
NFL schedule 2023: Team by team opponents, release time and what you need to know
Browns
There’s a lot of attention on home-road splits after the schedule release, which is understandable because it’s the only thing written in stone. (No one knows, truly, who will meet or fall short of expectations.) But the Browns, who have quarterback Deshaun Watson for their first full season, have only one road trip — to faraway Pittsburgh — in the opening six weeks. They host the Bengals, Titans, Ravens and 49ers along with their bye week in that span, so there’s a chance for Cleveland to establish some early momentum before a winnable late-season slate.
Advertisement
49ers
They’ve got a weird opening stretch with road games against the Steelers and Rams, and that’ll be a little trickier until they get more clarity on quarterback Brock Purdy’s elbow. But based on recent trends, the 49ers are a second-half team, and they close the season against the Seahawks, Cardinals, Ravens, Commanders and Rams. If the 49ers are as solid as they’ve been in recent years, they could again be one of the hottest teams at the start of the postseason.
Jordan Love
For better or worse, quarterback Jordan Love has an awesome opportunity to show why the Packers were ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have five prime-time games — tied for the fifth most in the NFL — and Love can win over a lot of people if he plays well under the spotlight.
Losers
Giants
Brian Daboll, the reigning coach of the year, already knew his sophomore campaign would come with a bevy of challenges, but he couldn’t have possibly forecast this scenario. Seven of the Giants’ first 11 games are on the road against the Cardinals, 49ers, Dolphins, Bills, Raiders, Cowboys and Commanders. And three of their home games in that opening stretch are against the Cowboys and Seahawks (two playoff teams from 2022), as well as Rodgers’ Jets. If the Giants can manage to tread water, they’ll have a chance to make a run in the second half, but that’s going to be a mighty task.
Eagles
While the defending NFC champs should be just fine this season, they have the most difficult strength of schedule — which they already knew, as their opponents had a collective .566 winning percentage in 2022 — and they’ll run into a supercharged Gillette Stadium when Tom Brady is honored in Week 1. Tough opening quirk.
Jets
Six of the Jets’ first eight games are against reigning playoff teams, and the exceptions are the Patriots and Broncos, who each have reason to be better in 2023. Surely, there’s a lot of deserved hype with the Jets because they’re carrying over a talented defense and added Rodgers. But if there are any offensive growing pains with the new system, the Jets are going to have a lot of catching up to do in the second half against a loaded AFC.
GO DEEPER
Rodgers making Jets debut on 'MNF' vs. Bills
Dolphins
There’s optimism in Miami, too. But there are also understandable question marks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and the Dolphins open on the road against the Chargers and Patriots. That’s a tricky start for an unproven team. Another tough nugget: The Dolphins don’t host an AFC East team until the Patriots on Oct. 29, so they don’t have the huge home-field advantage of a divisional game in that intense South Florida heat.
Advertisement
Raiders
There’s pressure on the Raiders in coach Josh McDaniels’ second season, and they open with road trips to Denver and Buffalo followed by a home opener against the Steelers and another divisional road trip to the Chargers. The Raiders also don’t have a bye until Week 13. And then they come out of that bye against the Vikings, Chargers and Chiefs. Lots of stressful moments.
Vikings
The reigning NFC North champs have no choice but to finish strong if they want to get back to the playoffs. They’ll emerge from their late Week 13 bye with back-to-back road games against the Raiders and Bengals before hosting the Lions and Packers and visiting the Lions. If the Vikings are good enough, it won’t be an issue. If not? It’ll be a much tighter divisional race than it was in 2022.
Panthers
The Panthers have a lot going for them after a terrific offseason. They were a tougher out than expected late in 2022, hired a dynamite coaching staff led by Frank Reich, traded up and landed quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick and should be on the rise. But if they are in contention around Thanksgiving, they’re going to have to work to stay there, as they’ve got a stretch beginning in Week 11 against the Cowboys, at the Titans, Bucs and Saints, against the Falcons and Packers, at the Jaguars and against the Bucs. That’s a tough way to close out the season.
Prime-time oh-fers
The Texans, Falcons, Cardinals and Colts don’t have a single prime-time game. And while that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise — regardless of the Texans and Falcons being listed in the “winners” section — it’s never a good feeling to be left out of the spotlight. That could absolutely change later in the year with flex scheduling if C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson or Kyler Murray make their teams more entertaining than expected or if the Falcons make the jump in the winnable NFC South.
(Top photo of Miami’s Eric Rowe and Green Bay’s Jordan Love: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)