Prime-time matchups are all about the quarterbacks.
The NFL released its 2023 schedule on Thursday, and it included full slates for “Thursday Night Football,” “Sunday Night Football” and “Monday Night Football.” The best matchups in those prime-time schedules naturally feature the best QBs.
Patrick Mahomes II is the reigning NFL MVP. Aaron Rodgers made a new home with the Jets. Jalen Hurts got a record contract in the offseason. Joe Burrow is next. Josh Allen is trying to lead Buffalo back to the Super Bowl.
It’s no surprise, then, those quarterbacks will be featured in prime time in the best of the best games.
MORE: Full list of prime-time games in 2023
What about the worst games on those schedules? Will “Thursday Night Football” duds continue to be a problem? Which quarterbacks need to step up in the spotlight?
The Sporting News looks at the five best and five worst prime-time games for the 2023 NFL season.
Best games
1. Chiefs at Jets (‘SNF,’ Week 4)
Believe it or not, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes have never played against each other. Mahomes missed the 2019 matchup against the Packers because of a knee injury. Rodgers missed the 2021 matchup with the Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19. If the Jets can pull off a victory in this one, then the hot takes about the power structure in the AFC will be off the charts. It’s worth the wait to see two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks go head to head for the first time.
MORE: How Rodgers affected the Jets’ 2023 schedule, prime-time games
2. Dolphins at Eagles (‘SNF,’ Week 7)
Will this be the prime-time shootout of the season? Former Alabama quarterbacks Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa will be the focus, and this feels like a night where Nick Saban will land on the “Manning Cast.” The coaching matchup between Mike McDaniel and Nick Sirianni will be fun as well. Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown will make their fair share of chunk plays in the passing game. We might even get an Ace Ventura reference or two if we’re lucky.
3. Bills at Jets (‘MNF,’ Week 1)
The league got this one right. Ratings will be through the roof with Rodgers making his Jets debut against the best team in the AFC East. How will Rodgers fare against the Bills’ aggressive defense? Will Sauce Gardner come up with the game-changing interception? Buffalo is 5-1 against the Jets in the 2020s.
4. Eagles at Chiefs (‘MNF,’ Week 11)
Super Bowl rematch. The Eagles are the class of the NFC, and their upgrades around Hurts through the draft should make for an even better team. Kansas City is at home, however, and that always makes for good TV with Mahomes. Let’s hope the rematch doesn’t hinge on a late defensive holding call.
MORE: Best games on 2023 NFL schedule by team
5. Bills at Bengals (‘SNF,’ Week 9)
Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest in last season’s Week 17 “Monday Night Football” matchup between the teams. Cincinnati throttled Buffalo 27-10 in the AFC divisional playoffs. This is emerging as one of the conference’s best rivalries, and the quarterback matchup between Burrow and Allen is top shelf.
Worst games
1. Bears at Commanders (‘TNF,’ Week 5)
These teams played a 12-7 eyesore of a football game on “Thursday Night Football” last year. Why are we running that back again? Expectations are high for Justin Fields this year, but the Bears’ offense remains a work in progress. The Commanders should be improved around Sam Howell. Will Chicago and Washington double their point total from 2022? Don’t hold your breath.
2. Cowboys at Giants (‘SNF,’ Week 1)
Week 1 “Sunday Night Football” matchups have become the Jerry Jones spotlight game. This is the fourth straight year we get the Cowboys in the Thursday Night Kickoff slot or the first “Sunday Night Football” matchup. The Week 1 Bears-Packers matchup featuring Fields and Jordan Love would have been more entertaining. Instead, we get another showdown between Dak Prescott and Daniel Jones. Dallas has won 11 of the last 12 in this series.
MORE: Why Lions were chosen to face Chiefs in NFL kickoff game Week 1
3. Jaguars at Saints (‘TNF,’ Week 7)
Thursday night games need either a great quarterback matchup or a natural rivalry, and this isn’t there yet. Derek Carr is an interesting addition for the Saints, and the Jaguars are a contender now with Trevor Lawrence, but there isn’t any crossover appeal. Would fans of these teams pass if offered tickets to the LSU-Florida game on Nov. 11 instead? Well, at least we’ll get to see replays of the River City Relay.
4. Titans at Steelers (‘TNF,’ Week 9)
The Tennessee-Pittsburgh rivalry was vicious in the 2000s, but that doesn’t always mean it’s entertaining. In four of the last nine meetings, the winner failed to score 20 points. Who will be the Titans’ quarterback at this point? Will it be rookie Will Levis? Where will the Steelers be with second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett?
5. Vikings at Broncos (‘SNF,’ Week 11)
Which narrative about a 34-year-old quarterback do you want to hear all night? Door No. 1 features Kirk Cousins’ record in prime-time games. Door No. 2 features the relationship between Sean Payton and Russell Wilson. Who knows where that will be by Week 11? This feels like a close, low-scoring, ugly game where one of these quarterbacks leads a drive for a walk-off field goal.
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