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The 2023 NFL season continues to inch closer as the offseason is now officially more than halfway completed. Teams have begun reporting to the OTA portion of their offseason workout programs as players begin their official preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Everyone around the NFL, including teams, players, coaches, and fans, are looking forward to opening day.
While Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is an exciting time for everyone around the league, there are a few matchups that jump out as more significant than the rest. Here are five games to keep a close eye on in the opening weekend of the new league year.
#1. - Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions
As the defending Super Bowl champions from last year, the Kansas City Chiefs get the honor of hosting the kickoff game for the 2023 NFL season on Thursday Night Football. They will also get to hold their Vince Lombardi Trophy ceremony in front of their home fans at Arrowhead Stadium.
The opening game of any season is always one to look forward to after seven months without an NFL game. This particular matchup is quite interesting, as the Detroit Lions enter the year expecting to be contenders in the NFL playoffs.
They missed out on the postseason by just one game last year, but have a tall task in front of them trying to slow down defending NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
#2. - Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cleveland Browns pulled off one of the biggest blockbuster trades of last offseason when they acquired Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. They also gave him the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history, demonstrating their massive expectations for their new quarterback.
Watson was suspended for most of the 2022 season, so the Browns have always been planning for 2023 to be the real start of their new era. His first game in this new scenario will be against one of the Browns' biggest rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. Watson will also face off against Joe Burrow, one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league over the last two years.
#3. - Denver Broncos vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders both entered the 2022 season with massive expectations after adding Russell Wilson and Davante Adams to their rosters. Neither lived up to it as each team had disastrous seasons and this sparked major changes.
The Raiders released Derek Carr, replacing him with Jimmy Garoppolo. The Broncos made a bold move by trading for head coach Sean Payton, pulling him out of retirement. Both teams now enter the 2023 season with high expectations once again and will each be looking to get off to a strong start.
#4. - Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears represent the longest-running, as well as one of the most popular, rivalries in NFL history. Whenever they play against each other it's a notable matchup due to their storied history, but Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season features additional intrigue.
The Aaron Rodgers era is officially over in Green Bay after he was traded to the New York Jets. This opens the door for Jordan Love to get his long-awaited opportunity to be the Packers' starter. He could make an excellent first impression in the new role with a strong performance in this epic rivalry game.
#5. - New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
Aaron Rodgers' first game with a new team for the first time in his entire career is one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the entire 2023 NFL season. The scheduling committee is well aware of this, which may be why they are waiting until Monday Night Football to make it happen.
This adds one more day to build the anticipation while giving him a standalone game to conclude Week 1.
His first game will be a tall task against the Buffalo Bills, one of the most successful teams over the last four years. They have won the AFC East division each of the last three years on their way to four consecutive playoff appearances. Josh Allen has also led them to postseason victories in each of the last three seasons, so a showdown with Aaron Rodgers is enticing.
