Chiefs hosting Lions to kick off ’23 NFL season; 49ers back in Philly

The Kansas City Chiefs will start the 2023 NFL season with a game against the Detroit Lions on September 7 at Arrowhead Stadium in the traditional Thursday prime-time season opener for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The game is among the highlights of the regular season schedule that the NFL released Thursday night. The Chiefs will play six prime-time games, including a replay of their Super Bowl LVII win over the Chiefs Philly Eagles on a Monday night in week 11 at Arrowhead.

The Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will play a rematch of the last two AFC championship games on New Year’s Eve in Week 17, also at Arrowhead. The teams split conference title games, with the Bengals winning by overtime in 2021 and the Chiefs winning by late field goal last season.

Last season’s NFC Championship Game contestants, the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, will face off in Philadelphia in Week 13. The Eagles beat the quarterback Brock Purdy from the conference title game en route to a dominant 31-7 win. Purdy underwent elbow surgery during the offseason but should be ready by the time the teams meet again.

The New York Jets and new quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get a big helping of the national stage. The Jets will open their season at home against the Jets on Monday night Buffalo Bills and will play four more prime-time games, including a Sunday night home game against the Chiefs in Week 4.

The top two picks in the current draft are quarterbacks Bryce Young And CJ Stroudare scheduled to meet in week 8 when the Carolina Panthers host of Houston Texans.

The schedule calls for a triple header on Christmas Day, a Monday, beginning with the Las Vegas Raiders in Kansas City. Games between the New York Giants and Eagles in Philadelphia and the Baltimore Ravens and 49ers in San Francisco.

The Thanksgiving triple header includes three division games. It starts with Jordan love and the Green Bay Packers Visit to the Lions. The Dallas Cowboys Then host the Washington commandersand the Seattle Seahawks Prime time host of the 49ers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to play Sunday night (at home to the Ravens in Week 15) for the first time in 15 years and Monday night (at home to the Bengals in Week 13) for the first time in 12 years. Both streaks are the longest of their kind in the NFL.

The Chiefs plan to unveil the championship banner to mark their Super Bowl LVII win over Philadelphia in their season opener. Unlike the opener after the Super Bowl LIV win over the 49ers, they can celebrate their title with a packed stadium full of fans. Then, in 2020, COVID-19 restrictions limited viewership to the advertised total of 15,895 as the Chiefs defeated the Texans.

The Lions have won eight of their last 10 games in 2022, finishing the game 9-8 and setting their first winning record since 2017. They were first selected to play in the NFL Kickoff Game, which began in 2002.

Among the other teams that could have been picked for a game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium were the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and eagle.

The Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles takes place on November 20 in a Monday Night Football matchup on ESPN and ABC.

The Giants, meanwhile, host the Week One Cowboys Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

The NFL announced the league on Wednesday first Black Friday game on November 24th with the Miami Dolphins He plays for the Jets and has played five international games, three in London and two in Frankfurt, Germany. The Jaguars will become the first team to play two international games against the United States in a single season Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 at Wembley Stadium and the Bills in Week 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The NFL’s 18-week, 272-game regular season schedule concludes with 16 division games in Week 18, including two on Saturday, January 6th.

ESPN’s Mike DiRocco and The Associated Press contributed to this report.