Traditionally, Sunday Night Football matchups are the premier prime-time matchup of the week in the NFL. They don’t have Carrie Underwood singing, “I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday Night” for no reason. The Sunday Night Football schedule is once again loaded for the 2023 season with premier matchups from start to finish.
With the full 2023 NFL schedule now released, let’s take a look at every Sunday Night Football matchup NFL fans will be treated to this coming season, including SNF productions that will take place outside of Sunday night.
Every Sunday Night Football game on the 2023 NFL schedule
NFL Kickoff (Thursday night): Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs
I think it’s safe to say that most people were surprised to see the Detroit Lions in the season opener against Kansas City, but no one should be complaining. This game has the potential to be full of fireworks, featuring two of the NFL’s top-five scoring offenses from last season.
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
The NFL didn’t wait long to get the Dallas Cowboys in prime time, did they? Just like the Monday Night Football slate kicks off with an AFC East matchup, the Sunday Night Football slate will kick off with a divisional matchup out East, but of the NFC variety. These two teams both made the playoffs in 2022 and this will be an early test for divisional supremacy.
Week 2: Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots
Week 1 started off with an NFC East battle for the Sunday Night Football crew, and Week 2 pits AFC East rivals Miami and New England against each other. Watching Vic Fangio and Bill Belichick scheme against Mike McDaniel and Bill O’Brien is going to be must-see TV.
Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Two legendary NFL franchises go toe-to-toe in Week 3. Both the Steelers and Raiders missed the playoffs in 2022 after making it in 2021. Can either of these teams find their way back into postseason play this coming season?
Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs @ New York Jets
Patrick Mahomes vs. Aaron Rodgers. This will be the first time these two quarterbacks have ever met should they both be healthy enough to play in this game. As early as this is in the season, this should be one of NBC’s most highly-anticipated games of the year and one of the most-watched games of the season.
Week 5: Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers
These two teams have become very familiar in the postseason and the 49ers are becoming the bane of the Cowboys’ existence. Kyle Shanahan once worked for Dan Quinn when they were with the Atlanta Falcons, so they know each other well and always do a good job of scheming against each other. This is a great chess match of two NFC powerhouses.
Week 6: New York Giants @ Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills return to Sunday Night Football for the first time since the scary event that took place last season with safety Damar Hamlin. I’m sure there will be a very powerful tribute to Hamlin before this game. Brian Daboll returns to Buffalo to take on his former team.
Week 7: Miami Dolphins @ Philadelphia Eagles
Speed, speed, and more speed. AJ Brown/Devonta Smith vs. Jalen Ramsey? Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle against James Bradberry and Darius Slay? This is going to be one of the better games of the NFL season in terms of matchups at WR and CB.
Week 8: Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Bears and Chargers matchup in Week 8 feels like the most random Sunday Night Football pairing of the season. Chicago had the worst record in the league last year while the Chargers made the playoffs. Brandon Staley came up as an assistant at one point with the Bears. The NFL is getting a decent amount of Justin Fields and the Bears at midseason or later in prime time action.
Week 9: Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals
No coin flip needed, this game will be played in Cincinnati. Two AFC powerhouse franchises, two of the best rosters in the league.
Week 10: New York Jets @ Las Vegas Raiders
Did Aaron Rodgers spurn the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason? Was there ever any mutual interest there? Regardless, Aaron Rodgers will be taking on his old pal Davante Adams in this AFC matchup.
Week 11: Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos
The Minnesota Vikings won 13 games a season ago but won’t appear on Sunday Night Football until Week 11 when they travel to Denver to face off against Russell Wilson and the Broncos. This is the second semi-random AFC West-NFC North matchup the SNF crew will be getting on this year’s schedule.
Thanksgiving (Thursday): San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
After you’ve eaten two platters full of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and countless slices of pie, settle in for the 49ers traveling to Seattle for a classic NFC West showdown.
Week 12: Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers
If you look at the Monday Night Football schedule, the NFL bizarrely doesn’t have 2019 MVP and big-money QB Lamar Jackson on SNF or MNF until Week 12. Although the Ravens have a good number of prime time matchups, it’s weird that we won’t be seeing Lamar Jackson under the SNF or MNF lights until this point in the year.
Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs @ Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers is no longer playing, so this is a weird matchup to have in prime time this late in the season. This could be one of the biggest “Ls” for the scheduling crew of the year.
Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
This one is a juicy matchup. Late in the season, it ramps up for the Sunday Night Football crew as they get to travel to Dallas in Week 14 to watch two teams that should still be neck-and-neck for the NFC East crown at this point.
Week 15: Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s a shame we won’t get to see the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night until Week 15, but it’s better late than never. Hopefully, at this point, both the Jaguars are Ravens are playing for playoff relevance and we’ll get to see a really intense game against two of the NFL’s best QBs.
Week 16 (Saturday): Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers; Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Chargers
On December 23, we get a double-header from the NBC production crew including Bengals @ Steelers and Bills @ Chargers. The Bills and Chargers game has come under some scrutiny because it’s a Peacock exclusive. Nothing like the NFL making it harder for fans to watch games.
Week 17: Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Depending on how things are going for the Packers at this point of the season with Jordan Love at the helm, this has the potential to be the least-watched game of the year in prime time action.