5 best weeks in the NFL's 2023 schedule

Mark your calendars, football fans.

The NFL announced the full schedule for the 2023 regular season Thursday. This year's slate features several must-watch matchups, including 14 playoff rematches from 2022 and 23 Super Bowl rematches.

Here are the five best weeks of the 2023 campaign:

5) Week 11

Several weeks could've taken this fifth spot, including a Week 6 that features Buffalo Bills-New York Giants, New York Jets-Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Chargers-Dallas Cowboys, among other matchups. However, Week 11 got the edge for featuring the most anticipated game of the 2023 regular season.

The Super Bowl LVII rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and Eagles will line up last season's two best teams. Kansas City edged Philadelphia in February in a nail-biting 38-35 matchup, and we should expect something similar here. The storylines behind this matchup are endless, including a clash between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, the Kelce brothers facing each other again, and Andy Reid coaching against his former team. The list goes on.

Week 11 also features another heavyweight bout between the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets and the Josh Allen-led Bills. That'll be the second meeting of the season between the two AFC East rivals, and it could carry big playoff implications heading into the final stretch of the campaign.

4) Week 13

Week 13 starts and ends with a banger. Dak Prescott and Dallas will host Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football before another pair of playoff teams go head to head with the Cincinnati Bengals visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night. That matchup will also give NFL fans a battle between two outstanding quarterbacks and former No. 1 picks in Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow.

San Francisco fans can't wait to face the Eagles again after Philadelphia beat the 49ers 31-7 in last season's NFC title game. It's hard to talk about that contest and not mention the fact the Niners had to play most of it with their fourth-string quarterback. Would the outcome of that bout have changed had Brock Purdy not gone down with a first-quarter injury? That's what the 49ers fans think, and the team will have a chance to prove that point in Week 13. Let's also keep an eye on Javon Hargrave, who signed with San Francisco after putting on a show for Philly in 2022.

3) Week 5

Week 5 has essentially everything. Playoff rematches? Check. Powerhouses going head to head? Check. Great rivalries? Check. Revenge games? Check. There's even a game in London between Buffalo and Jacksonville!

All eyes will be on 49ers-Cowboys, one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. There'll be 10 Super Bowl titles combined when those teams square off again in 2023. San Francisco has eliminated Dallas in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, including a 19-12 victory in the divisional round in January.

There were questions about how good the Vikings were last year despite finishing the campaign with 13 wins. We'll have a very good idea of how good they are in 2023 just a month into the season when they host the Chiefs.

2) Week 9

Tyreek Hill facing the Chiefs for the first time since the trade that sent him to the Dolphins is must-watch TV. All of us, including Hill himself, wished the game happened at Arrowhead Stadium, but the NFL scheduled it in Germany. That said, it'll be fascinating to watch Hill and Miami's dynamic offense trying to keep up with Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Co.

The Chiefs playing the Miami Dolphins alone makes Week 9 one of the most interesting weeks of the season. But there's much more, with the Eagles hosting the Cowboys in a bout with presumably a lot at stake and the Bills visiting the Bengals in a battle of AFC contenders just months after Cincy beat Buffalo in the playoffs. Those matchups make a meeting between two playoff teams (Baltimore Ravens versus Seahawks) and a Monday Night Football between Rodgers and Justin Herbert look normal. Get your popcorn ready!

1) Week 1

This year's Week 1 will be one to remember. Yes, season openers are always exciting. But the first weekend of the 2023 NFL season features a schedule as spectacular as any football fan could ask for.

Things start with the Chiefs kicking off the season against the Detroit Lions in a battle of two of the league's best offenses. It's also the first time Mahomes and Jared Goff face off since Goff led the Los Angeles Rams to a historic 54-51 win over Kansas City on Monday Night Football in 2018. A rivalry meeting between the Cowboys and Giants - both playoff teams last year - will take place on Sunday Night Football, while Rodgers will make his debut with the new-look Jets on Monday night versus Allen and the Bills in one of the most anticipated games of the campaign.

It doesn't stop there, though. Sunday's Week 1 afternoon slate will also include a Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and New England Patriots and another chapter of the NFL's oldest rivalry, as the Jordan Love era with the Green Bay Packers begins versus the Chicago Bears. Oh, and the Dolphins squaring off against the Chargers should be pretty interesting, too. Make sure you're ready for the Tua Tagovailoa versus Justin Herbert debate by then.