Ranking the top 10 games on the 2023 NFL schedule

Friday morning might as well have been Christmas morning, at least for NFL fans. After the league’s full schedule was released Thursday night, fans will be counting down the days until the return of football.

Whether it be planning trips o poring over the list of games to predict how their team will fare, fans now have football firmly on their minds. In that vein, here are 10 of the most highly anticipated games across the NFL in 2023.

» READ MORE: 2023 Eagles schedule: Beat writers analyze the season game-by-game and make predictions

All right, stay with me here. This game might not jump off the page right away, but there is plenty of Philadelphia intrigue, as former Eagles offensive coordinators Shane Steichen and Frank Reich face off. Known for their work with quarterbacks, Steichen and Reich both have new young arms to mold in Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young, respectively. While Young, the No. 1 overall pick, will likely start from Day 1 for Carolina, will Richardson (No. 4 overall) be starting for the Colts when these two meet in Week 9?

Aaron Rodgers is gone, but this rivalry remains. Who will rule the NFC North in his absence? Sorry, Lions fans, the best guess is one of these two teams. Jordan Love is finally the guy in Green Bay and a midseason test on home turf against last year’s division winners will be a good gauge of where he’s at. Add in Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, already one of the league’s most electrifying players, and Packers wideout Christian Watson, who had seven touchdowns as a rookie, and this could be a fun one. Buckle up.

The 2020 Tua Tagovailoa vs. Justin Herbert draft debate rages on three years later, and Week 1 will provide another game to measure the pair against each other. While Herbert far outperformed Tagovailoa in his first two NFL seasons, Tua was a different quarterback last season with the addition of Tyreek Hill. Both quarterbacks enter pivotal seasons, and health concerns aside, the debate might be closer than once thought.

Lamar Jackson has a new contract and some new weapons in Odell Beckham and rookie Zay Flowers. Will it lead Baltimore back to the top of the AFC North for the first time since 2019? That road goes through Joe Burrow and Cincinnati starting in Week 2.

Two historic franchises. Two elite defensive fronts. Dallas vs. San Francisco just screams football. The 2023 edition promises to be a good one, as both teams are considered contenders in the NFC, and have recent history (they’ve met the last two years in the playoffs). Micah Parsons vs. Nick Bosa is a good game within the game here, too.

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ 2023 schedule includes two Super Bowl rematches and a grueling second-half stretch

The game that was never finished. The Bengals and Bills meet again after last year’s game on Jan. 2 was postponed and eventually canceled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and was rushed to a nearby hospital. In the weeks and months that followed, the NFL and sports community rallied around Hamlin, who is now fully cleared for football activities and participating in the Bills’ offseason workouts. This promises to be a special night, one when the result doesn’t really matter.

There is palpable buzz around the Jets since Rodgers’ arrival and we won’t have to wait long to see if there’s substance behind it. Rodgers and the Jets draw three-time defending AFC East champion Buffalo in their opener on Monday Night Football. Can he lay down a marker and buy the Jets some instant credibility against Josh Allen and the Bills? This should be a special night in the New York area on Sept. 11.

Maybe the two best teams on paper in the NFC, the Eagles and 49ers both have aspirations of reaching Super Bowl LVIII. They also don’t like each other very much. The Eagles dominated the 49ers in last season’s NFC title game, but the 49ers want a rematch with a healthy quarterback. The 49ers have done plenty of talking since that day and on Dec. 3 they’ll get their chance to back it up.

There’s a strong argument to be made that Patrick Mahomes and Burrow are the top two quarterbacks in the NFL. They’ve also combined to form the NFL’s best new rivalry between the Chiefs and the Bengals. In a matchup of last year’s AFC championship game, Burrow will be looking to improve to 4-1 against Mahomes.

The Eagles circled this game as soon as it was released after losing a 38-35 heartbreaker to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII. Jalen Hurts vs. Mahomes in a Super Bowl rematch on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium. Andy Reid. Another Kelce Bowl. Need I say more?