There are four weeks of the 2022 NFL regular season still to be played, but the ’23 schedule with home and away opponents has mostly been determined. The NFL uses a rotation system to make sure each team plays one another at least once every four years. Flexible scheduling also helps showcase the best late-season matchups to the largest audiences, and the schedule-makers consider bye weeks and travel to maintain competitive equity.
The way the schedule has worked since the league expanded to eight divisions in 2002 is as follows: Each team plays its three divisional opponents twice, home and away. Each division is matched against an entire division in the opposite conference, rotating every four years. Each division is matched with an entire division within its own conference, rotating every three years. And each team plays against one team from each of the other intraconference divisions, corresponding with that team’s finish in the standings the previous year (first-place teams play against each other, etc.). Since the schedule was expanded to 17 games in ’21, the extra game comes against a team from the opposite conference, also corresponding with the previous year’s standings, with the bonus game coming from the division each team played in full two years prior.
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The 2022 schedule was a challenge to create after numerous trades and quarterbacks changed teams. The one thing fans can count on in ’23 is that AFC teams will play nine home games after the NFC had nine home contests this season. With a growing slate of neutral-site international games, AFC teams will likely be the designated “home” teams in Europe or Mexico, so most teams still have at least eight in their home stadium. The dates and times of the 272-game puzzle will be released in May.
Here’s the schedule as it stands now:
AFC
EAST
What to know: The AFC East plays the entire NFC East, the entire AFC West and one opponent each from the AFC North, AFC South and NFC South, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Bills
Home: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, AFC South TBD, NFC South TBD
Away: Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Eagles, AFC North TBD, Commanders
Dolphins
Home: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, AFC South TBD, NFC South TBD
Away: Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Eagles, AFC North TBD, Bills, Commanders
Jets
Home: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles, AFC South TBD, NFC South TBD, Commanders
Away: Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, Patriots, Giants, AFC North TBD, Bills
Patriots
Home: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles, AFC South TBD, NFC South TBD, Commanders
Away: Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants, Jets, AFC North TBD, Bills
NORTH
What to know: The AFC North plays the entire AFC South and one opponent each from the AFC East, NFC North and AFC West, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Bengals
Home: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Texans, Colts, Rams, Seahawks, AFC East TBD, NFC North TBD
Away: Cardinals, Ravens, Browns, Jaguars, 49ers, Titans, AFC West TBD, Steelers
Browns
Home: Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Cardinals, 49ers, AFC East TBD, NFC North TBD
Away: Ravens, Texans, Colts, Rams, AFC West TBD, Seahawks, Steelers, Bengals
Ravens
Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Texans, Colts, Rams, Seahawks, AFC East TBD, NFC North TBD
Away: Cardinals, Browns, Jaguars, 49ers, Titans, AFC West TBD, Steelers, Bengals
Steelers
Home: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Titans, Cardinals, 49ers, AFC East TBD, NFC North TBD
Away: Ravens, Browns, Texans, Colts, Rams, AFC West TBD, Seahawks, Bengals
SOUTH
What to know: The AFC South plays the entire AFC North, and one opponent each from the AFC East, AFC West and NFC West, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Colts
Home: Texans, Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Saints, Buccaneers, AFC West TBD, NFC West TBD
Away: Falcons, Ravens, Panthers, Texans, Jaguars, Titans, AFC East TBD, Bengals
Jaguars
Home: Texans, Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Falcons, Panthers, AFC West TBD, NFC West TBD
Away: Browns, Texans, Colts, Saints, Buccaneers, Titans, AFC East TBD, Steelers
Texans
Home: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Saints, Buccaneers, AFC West TBD, NFC West TBD
Away: Falcons, Ravens, Panthers, Colts, Jaguars, Titans, AFC East TBD, Bengals
Titans
Home: Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Ravens, Bengals, Falcons, Panthers, AFC West TBD, NFC West TBD
Away: Browns, Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Saints, Buccaneers, AFC East TBD, Steelers
WEST
What to know: The AFC West plays the entire AFC East, and one opponent each from the AFC North, AFC South and NFC East, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Broncos
Home: Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders, Patriots, Jets, Packers, Vikings, AFC North TBD, NFC East TBD
Away: Bears, Lions, Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, Dolphins, AFC South TBD, Bills
Chargers
Home: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Bills, Dolphins, Bears, Lions, AFC North TBD, NFC East TBD
Away: Broncos, Packers, Chiefs, Raiders, Vikings, Patriots, Jets, AFC South TBD
Chiefs
Home: Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Bills, Dolphins, Bears, Lions, AFC North TBD, NFC East TBD
Away: Broncos, Packers, Raiders, Chargers, Vikings, Patriots, Jets, AFC South TBD
Raiders
Home: Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Packers, Vikings, AFC North TBD, NFC East TBD
Away: Bears, Broncos, Lions, Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, AFC South TBD, Bills
NFC
EAST
What to know: The NFC East plays the entire AFC East, and one opponent each from the NFC South, NFC North and AFC West, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Commanders
Home: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Dolphins, NFC North TBD
Away: Cowboys, Rams, Patriots, Giants, Jets, Eagles, Seahawks, NFC South TBD, AFC West TBD
Cowboys
Home: Giants, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, Patriots, Jets, NFC North TBD, Commanders
Away: Cardinals, Dolphins, Giants, Eagles, 49ers, NFC South TBD, AFC West TBD, Bills, Commanders
Eagles
Home: Cowboys, Giants, Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Dolphins, NFC North TBD, Commanders
Away: Cowboys, Rams, Patriots, Giants, Jets, NFC South TBD, AFC West TBD, Seahawks, Commanders
Giants
Home: Cowboys, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, Patriots, Jets, NFC North TBD, Commanders,
Away: Cardinals, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, 49ers, NFC South TBD, AFC West TBD, Bills, Commanders
NORTH
What to know: The NFC North plays the entire AFC West, and one opponent each from the AFC North, NFC West and NFC East, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Bears
Home: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, NFC West TBD
Away: Lions, Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, NFC East TBD, AFC North TBD
Lions
Home: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, NFC West TBD
Away: Bears, Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, NFC East TBD, AFC North TBD
Packers
Home: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Chargers, NFC West TBD
Away: Falcons, Panthers, Bears, Broncos, Lions, Raiders, Vikings, NFC East TBD, AFC North TBD
Vikings
Home: Bears, Lions, Packers, Saints, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Chargers, NFC West TBD
Away: Falcons, Panthers, Bears, Broncos, Lions, Packers, Raiders, NFC East TBD, AFC North TBD
SOUTH
What to know: The NFC South plays the entire AFC South, and one opponent each from the AFC East, NFC East and NFC West, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Buccaneers
Home: Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Bears, Lions, Jaguars, Titans, NFC East TBD
Away: Falcons, Panthers, Packers, Texans, Colts, Vikings, Saints, NFC West TBD, AFC East TBD
Falcons
Home: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Packers, Vikings, Texans, Colts, NFC East TBD
Away: Panthers, Bears, Lions, Jaguars, Saints, Buccaneers, Titans, NFC West TBD, AFC East TBD
Panthers
Home: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Packers, Vikings, Texans, Colts, NFC East TBD
Away: Falcons, Bears, Lions, Jaguars, Saints, Buccaneers, Titans, NFC West TBD, AFC East TBD
Saints
Home: Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, Jaguars, Titans, NFC East TBD
Away: Falcons, Panthers, Packers, Texans, Colts, Vikings, Buccaneers, NFC West TBD, AFC East TBD
WEST
What to know: The NFC West plays the entire AFC North and one opponent each from the AFC South, NFC North and NFC South, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
49ers
Home: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, Cowboys, Giants, Ravens, Bengals, NFC South TBD
Away: Cardinals, Browns, Rams, Eagles, NFC North TBD, AFC South TBD, Seahawks, Commanders, Steelers
Cardinals
Home: Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Giants, Ravens, Bengals, NFC South TBD
Away: Browns, Rams, Eagles, 49ers, NFC North TBD, AFC South TBD, Seahawks, Commanders, Steelers
Rams
Home: Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, Eagles, Browns, Steelers, NFC South TBD, Commanders
Away: Cardinals, Ravens, Cowboys, Giants, 49ers, NFC North TBD, AFC South TBD, Seahawks, Bengals
Seahawks
