The 2023 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday, May 11.
As the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Thursday night season opener on September 7. With nine possible opponents to choose from, the league is tasked with picking the most intriguing matchup.
Let’s rank the best potential matchups for that opening game:
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No. 9: Denver Broncos
This seems to be the least intriguing possible matchup for the season opener. The Chiefs have absolutely dominated the Broncos over the last seven years, winning their last 15 games against them.
Denver is possibly the weakest team on the Chiefs’ home schedule and K.C. will likely be highly favored to win. This game has the noon time slot written all over it. It could even end up being the home game that the team plays in Germany.
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No. 8: Las Vegas Raiders
If the Broncos are the easiest home opponent for the Chiefs, the Raiders aren’t too far behind. They’ve had two winning seasons in the last 20 years and have only beaten the Chiefs three times during coach Andy Reid’s tenure.
You could argue that the Raiders got worse during the offseason. They swapped Derek Carr for Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, traded Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and lost Pro Bowl linebacker Denzel Perryman to free agency. Sure, it’s a classic rivalry, but the Raiders aren’t in the Chiefs’ atmosphere.
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No. 7: Los Angeles Chargers
Chiefs vs. Chargers is usually a good game and wouldn’t necessarily be a bad choice as the season opener. Five of their last seven matchups have been decided by one possession. It’s also a showcase of two of the best quarterbacks in the AFC in Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
However, I have this matchup low on the list for a couple of reasons. It was the Chiefs’ home opener last year (also on a Thursday night) and it just doesn’t quite have that big game feel, probably due to the lack of postseason success from the Chargers over the last several years. This could very well be a primetime game, but it shouldn’t be the season opener.
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No. 6: Chicago Bears
The Bears have had tough last few seasons, but there are some storylines here. Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was Chicago’s head coach from 2018-2021, with 2018 being the last time the Bears had a winning record. The Bears also infamously passed on drafting Mahomes in 2017, haunting the franchise ever since.
Chicago is going all-in on quarterback Justin Fields, who had plenty of impressive flashes last season. He has some new weapons to play with in 2023, including receiver D.J. Moore, running backs D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer and tight end Robert Tonyan.
The Bears also made some splash defensive signings in linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds and defensive tackle DeMarcus Walker. At the end of the day, however, the Chiefs are significantly better than the Bears and there are better matchups to choose from.
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No. 5: Buffalo Bills
A lot of people probably have this game higher on their list, but hear me out. This matchup is certainly worthy of being the season opener as it has been one of the premier rivalries over the last few years. Both teams have loaded rosters and two of the best QBs in the league.
Buffalo was in the season opener last year against the Los Angeles Rams, so I’m not sure if there’s much interest among casual fans to see them in that position again. Like the Chargers, the Bills have also had limited postseason success as of late.
They’ve lost in the divisional round each of the last two years and when they made it to the AFC Championship game in 2020, they were outclassed by Kansas City. The Bills have established a habit of winning a bunch of games early and then flaming out.
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No. 4: Detroit Lions
I know I’ve been harping on lack of postseason success, and the Lions are the poster child for that, but this could be a refreshing and fun matchup to watch. Detroit had its first winning season in five years in 2023 and have an exciting young nucleus that could make them a threat in the NFC for the next few years.
The Lions finished fourth in yards and fifth in scoring on offense last season. Quarterback Jared Goff had a career resurgence with 4,438 passing yards and an impressive 29-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Detroit could hang with K.C. in a shootout.
The Lions had a very bad defense last season, but they’ve made improvements. They signed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to bolster their secondary and drafted linebacker Jack Campbell. I think a lot of fans would appreciate it if the NFL was bold and put some new blood in the primetime scene.
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No. 3: Philadelphia Eagles
There are obviously plenty of storylines for this game. Not only is this a Super Bowl rematch, but it was one of the best Super Bowls of all time. The Eagles lost in a heartbreaking fashion and will undoubtedly have revenge on their minds.
The Eagles have perhaps the most talented roster in the entire league with seemingly no holes. They appear poised to make another run to the Super Bowl, which could very well be against K.C. yet again.
What this matchup has going against it is that the NFL doesn’t typically schedule Super Bowl rematches for the season opener, having only done it once, which was in 2016 with the Broncos and Carolina Panthers.
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No. 2: Cincinnati Bengals
Last season the Bengals overthrew the Bills as the Chiefs’ biggest rival. Cincinnati hit the Chiefs hard with three-straight victories over them dating back to the 2021 season, but K.C. finally broke the curse in last season’s AFC Championship Game.
For my money, these are the two best teams in the AFC. Mahomes and Joe Burrow and two best quarterbacks in the AFC and both squads are pretty much equally as talented. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. would be in Arrowhead for Week 1 once again, but this time as a Bengal.
A lot of bad blood has developed between these two teams, with both sides exchanging plenty of shots. If this game is announced as the season opener, we’ll get four months of trash talk and drama.
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No. 1: Miami Dolphins
Speaking of trash talk, you know when it comes time for the Chiefs and Dolphins to face off, Tyreek Hill won’t be able to help himself. The former Chiefs wide receiver has taken several shots at the Chiefs’ organization over the last year and will surely want to have one of the best games of his career against them. How will Chiefs fans greet him back?
Hill will face a K.C. secondary that was revamped last season and established as one of the best young units in the league. It will be interesting to see who gets the better of who. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa getting Hill the ball will play a big role in that, as his play has been a bit inconsistent.
Outside of the Hill aspect, this should be a very fun game to watch. The Chiefs and Dolphins are two of the speediest teams in the league with exciting offenses. It could easily turn into a track meet. All things considered, both on and off the field, I believe this game would deliver the most.
