Week 1

As always, the new season began with past juggernauts looking to improve upon the success of last season clashing with on the rise hopefuls determined to join the ranks of the top teams in the league. This was no more apparent than in the opening matchup of the season, as the defending super champion Kansas City Chiefs played host to the Detroit Lions. After years of misery, the Lions came into 2023 with some of the highest hopes their franchise has had in recent memory, and the fans were there for it, as the sea of red in Kansas City was frequently peppered with the crisp blue gear of Lions fans coming out to support their team. They were not disappointed, as the Lions toppled the defending champs 21-20 in a thrilling start to the season that left the Chiefs reeling and Detroit’s spirits soaring. Come Sunday, even more telling action was in store. The first Sunday of the season was punctuated by championship favorites making their marks with statement wins. The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7, the Baltimore Ravens had an impressive 25-9 victory over the Houston Texans (though suffered a tough blow by losing running back J.K. Dobbins for the season to injury), and the Dallas Cowboys defense put on an excellent performance, shutting out the New York Giants 40-0. While some thrived, others struggled. The Cincinnati Bengals had high hopes for the season, coming off of two straight American Football Conference (AFC) Championship game appearances, but suffered a rude awakening at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, being dismantled 24-3. The loss was perhaps payback for star Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase referring to the Browns as “elves” before the game. In other news, Week 1 offered some thrilling finishes. Disgraced former number one overall pick Baker Mayfield was beginning a new chapter of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and started it off well with a 20-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Former Saints coach Sean Payton came out of retirement to coach the Denver Broncos, but his return was spoiled by a tight 17-16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Fresh off of a super bowl appearance, the Philadelphia Eagles began 2023 among the favorites to get there again, but had to battle for a tough first win against the New England Patriots, though they did escape with a 25-20 victory. Undoubtedly the best game of the day came from Los Angeles, where the Chargers squared off against the Miami Dolphins in a high powered offensive matchup. Ultimately, Miami got the upper hand, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s 466 passing yards helped them obtain a 36-34 win. Finally, the week wrapped up with a Monday night matchup in the AFC East division. The New York Jets had some of the highest intrigue of any team in the league after acquiring legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. While many fans showed up to their game against the Buffalo Bills with super bowl dreams, they were soon snuffed out, as Rodgers suffered a torn achilles on one of the first plays of the game. While fans didn’t know it at the time, the injury would keep Rodgers sidelined for the rest of the year. However, the Jets didn’t go away. Some costly interceptions from Bills quarterback Josh Allen kept New York in the game, and backup quarterback Zach Wilson managed to lead the game into overtime, where rookie Xavier Gipson ran back a punt 65 yards for the walk off touchdown in a stunning 22-16 victory, signaling an end to a satisfying start to the new season. 

Week 2

Week 2 began with two playoff teams from a year ago squaring off, as the Eagles played host to the Vikings. Philadelphia was able to capitalize off of numerous mistakes and turnovers by the Vikings to seal a 34-28 victory, dropping Minnesota to a troubling 0-2 start. Speaking of playoff teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars played host to the Chiefs on Sunday in a rematch of their AFC Divisional playoff bout last year. Despite Jacksonville’s best efforts, Kansas City reigned supreme with a 17-9 victory. Meanwhile, the Bills were able to rebound from their shocking opening week loss with a convincing 38-10 victory over the Raiders. However, the Bengals weren’t as fortunate, dropping to 0-2 after a narrow 27-24 defeat against their division rivals in the Ravens. It was a week punctuated by walk off field goals, with numerous games being decided by them. In the Peach State, Younghoe Koo nailed the winning kick as his Atlanta Falcons toppled the Green Bay Packers 25-24, and the Chargers suffered their second straight defeat after Nick Folk buried his field goal in overtime to give the Tennessee Titans a 27-24 victory. However, the biggest of these kicks came from Graham Gano, who’s late field goal capped off a 21 point comeback victory for the Giants over the Arizona Cardinals, rallying from a 28-7 3rd quarter deficit to win 31-28. Week 2 was indeed home to some fantastic finishes. In a game many predicted to be high scoring, the Seattle Seahawks found themselves locked into a tight battle with the Lions in Detroit. After the Lions tied the game late it was headed to overtime, where Seattle got the ball first, and last, as Tyler Lockett reached across the pylon for his second touchdown of the game and the winning score. The 37-31 victory brought both team’s records to 1-1. Later that day, the Washington Commanders won an entertaining battle, beating the Broncos 35-33 in a heart stopping finish. Up by 8 with 3 seconds left, Washington looked certain to be victorious. But as quarterback Russell Wilson’s miracle 50 yard throw to Brandon Johnson was caught for a touchdown as time expired, things got a lot more interesting. However, Denver still needed the two point conversion, and the Commanders were able to make one more stop to keep the ball out of the end zone on the conversion attempt and win the game. The week wrapped up with a doubleheader of games on Monday night. First, the Carolina Panthers and their rookie quarterback Bryce Young hosted the New Orleans Saints. The #1 pick in this past draft, Young came into the season with high hopes behind him, but struggled through two weeks as the Panthers lost their second straight, dropping this one to the Saints 20-17. Lastly, the Steelers looked to rebound from their tough first loss against their rivals the Browns. In a game riddled with mishaps and turnovers, the Steelers sealed their win with a fumble return touchdown to defeat Cleveland 26-22. On top of the loss, the Browns took a huge hit by losing Pro-Bowl running back Nick Chubb for the season after a brutal knee injury, ending the week off on a melancholy note.

Week 3

While Week 2 was home to walk off wins and dramatic endings, Week 3 was full of one sided victories. In a historic performance, the Dolphins picked up their third straight win in mind blowing fashion, crushing the Broncos 70-20. Their offensive total is the most points scored in an NFL game since 1966. While no other team did it on the scale that Miami did, there were more blowout wins to be found. The Browns rebounded nicely from their Week 2 loss with a 27-3 win over the Titans, helped by two touchdown passes from Deshaun Watson. The Bills seemingly began finding their stride, as they mercilessly defeated the Commanders 37-3. Another theme of the week was teams projected to be bottom feeders knocking off championship contenders. After a breakout season and playoff appearance last season, the Jaguars had high hopes for a deep run this year, but a rough 37-17 loss to the Texans was a foreboding sign. Despite being picked by many as the worst team in the league before the season, the Cardinals were hanging in games at the beginning of the season, and finally got a win with a stunning 28-16 defeat of the Cowboys, who many had started lauding as championship favorites. Despite the number of blowouts this week there were still some entertaining games. The Indianapolis Colts battled with the Ravens in Baltimore, and got a 22-19 victory in overtime off of a field goal from Matt Gay. The Colts were without their promising rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who left their Week 2 game with a concussion, but backup Gardner Minshew was able to get the job done and pull off the upset win. The Chargers vs Vikings game we were treated to had unprecedented early season playoff implications. Both teams were unexpectedly winless, and the historic statistics for teams making the playoffs after starting 0-3 is pretty discouraging. The matchup didn’t disappoint, as a late interception in the end zone sealed a 28-24 victory for the Chargers after a close game. Packers quarterback Jordan Love also got his first home start at historic Lambeau Field, and led his team to a close 18-17 win over the Saints. The week came to a close again with a Monday Night doubleheader, and the second of the two matches was a big one for the Bengals. Unexpectedly 0-2, and with star quarterback Joe Burrow battling a calf injury, Cincinnati needed a win. They managed to pull it off, taking down the Rams 19-16 in a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years prior, saving themselves from the dreaded 0-3 start.

Week 4

So far, the Lions had been playing up to expectations, going into Week 4 with a 2-1 record and some great performances under their belt. They got another one on Thursday night of this week, defeating the Packers 34-20 in a game in which they led 27-3 at halftime. Come Sunday, the NFL went international for the first time this season, as the Falcons squared off with the Jaguars in London. Jacksonville rebounded from their tough loss to win 23-7, bringing both teams’ records to 2-2. In one of the most highly anticipated games of the week, the two top teams in the AFC East division squared off. Both the Bills and Dolphins were looking like Super Bowl contenders through three weeks, but this game was all Buffalo. Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns as the Bills dominated 48-20. The Broncos rebounded from their embarrassing 70-20 loss with a close 31-28 victory over the winless Chicago Bears, for their first victory of the year. Week 4 also saw two games go to overtime. After their close win last week, the Colts found themselves in another overtime contest, this time against the Rams. However, they were on the losing end this time around, as rookie receiver Puka Nacua, a 5th round draft pick who came out of nowhere to shatter rookie receiving records, hauled in the game winning touchdown for LA in their 29-23 win. The Eagles were 3-0, but ended up in a tight battle with their divisional opponents the Commanders. Ultimately, Philadelphia remained undefeated with a 34-31 overtime victory. After getting their first win a week ago, the Bengals again struggled, and handily lost to the Titans 27-3. Without their starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns were forced to start 5th round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who put up a valiant effort but could not do enough to beat the Ravens. Baltimore easily got the win 28-3. Finally, the Sunday of Week 4 wrapped up with some intrigue in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Despite dropping their last two games and struggling without Aaron Rodgers the Jets were still fighting hard. This was evident in their Sunday night matchup against the Chiefs. Some uncharacteristic mistakes by Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes made an anticipated blowout a close game, but a 4th quarter field goal gave the Chiefs a 23-20 win, though one that was certainly too close for comfort for Kansas City fans. 

Week 5

Going into Week 5, only two teams remained winless, and one of them got their first victory in this week’s Thursday night game. Powered by a monster game from wide receiver DJ Moore, who racked up 230 receiving yards and three touchdowns, the Bears got in the win column for the first time this season with a 40-20 victory over Washington. With the Panthers losing 42-24 to the Lions on Sunday, they now stood as the only team without a win. The Jaguars spent a second week playing in London and kept up their momentum from last week in a close 25-20 win over the Bills. After losing a week ago, the Falcons rebounded, squeaking past the Texans 21-19 via a last second field goal. This week had more exciting endings to offer, as the Steelers stunned the Ravens 17-10, winning on a late score from receiver George Pickens. As far as milestones go, Saints running back Alvin Kamara became the franchise’s all time touchdown leader in a 24-0 blowout win over the Patriots, dropping New England to a lowly 1-4 record. This week was also a prime time for squads to establish themselves as a team to beat. The Eagles remained undefeated after a 23-14 road victory against the Rams, yet again appearing as front runners in the National Football Conference (NFC). The Chiefs, who faced them in the Super Bowl last year, were looking good as well, winning their fourth straight game 27-20 over the struggling Vikings. Probably the most highly anticipated matchup of the week was the Sunday night contest between the Cowboys and 49ers, with both teams looking like Super Bowl hopefuls through the first quarter of the season. However, Dallas couldn’t even make it competitive, as the Niners dominated on all fronts to win 42-10, remaining undefeated at 5-0 and asserting their dominance in the top tier of the NFC. The week closed with a 17-13 Raiders victory over the Packers, as Vegas’s defense came up with three interceptions to secure a close win to send of Week 5.

Week 6

Philadelphia and San Francisco stood as the only two undefeated teams remaining in the league going into this week, but that soon changed, as both squads fell for the first time. The Eagles went on the road confident they could beat a struggling Jets team, but had a rude awakening after falling in a close game 20-14. The 49ers also had a road game that they expected to win, but instead found themselves needing a game winning field goal late against the Browns. Unfortunately for them, kicker Jake Moody could not hit the go-ahead kick, and Cleveland hung on behind new backup quarterback P.J. Walker to hand San Francisco their first defeat, 19-17. In other news, the NFL continued their international series with a matchup between the Ravens and Titans in London, which Baltimore won 24-16. The Bengals managed to get a narrow win against the Seahawks 17-13, improving their record to 3-3 and giving them hope for turning the season around. Two more teams became 3-3, as the Texans took care of business against the Saints 20-13, and the Raiders managed a 21-17 victory against a rock bottom Patriots team. The primetime games this week also had some thrilling late action that had our eyes glued to the screen. The Giants were playing shorthanded without starting quarterback Daniel Jones, and against a tough opponent in the Bills. However, behind the leadership of veteran backup Tyrod Taylor, New York managed to keep it close, and came up just short of a miraculous victory, as a dropped pass in the endzone sealed a 14-9 Buffalo win. The next day, the Cowboys and Chargers had an exciting battle on Monday night, with Dallas rallying in the fourth quarter for a 20-17 victory as a nice bounceback from their embarrassing loss a week ago, ending off their week on a hopeful note. 

Week 7

This week kicked off with a closely contested game down south, as the Jaguars took on the Saints in New Orleans. Despite dealing with a sprained knee, quarterback Trevor Lawrence managed to lead his team to victory in the Thursday night matchup, 31-24. Come Sunday, Week 7 soon became home to a plethora of close games. Despite their dysfunctional quarterback situation, the Browns kept finding ways to win, this week edging past the Colts 39-38 in a back and forth game. After a miserable 1-5 start to the season, the Patriots found life again this week, rolling to a surprise 29-25 upset of the Bills. The victory was the 300th win for legendary New England coach Bill Belichick, as he became only the third head coach in history to reach the milestone. In an NFC South divisional matchup, the Falcons overcame mistake prone play from their young quarterback Desmond Ridder to defeat the Buccaneers 19-16 after a game winning 51 yard field goal from Younghoe Koo. However, the struggles from Ridder shed doubt upon an already unstable quarterback situation in Atlanta. In a game of two teams with subpar records, the Broncos got the best of the Packers 19-17 despite almost losing the lead in the second half. In addition to these close games, this week also offered some highly anticipated games between top teams in the league, even if the results were a bit more underwhelming than perhaps anticipated. The Ravens played host to the Lions in a matchup between two of the most exciting young teams in the NFL, though when it was all said and done, Baltimore walked away with a resounding 38-6 victory, putting themselves on the map as legitimate title contenders. The day wrapped up with another headlining matchup, as the Dolphins and Eagles faced off. To Miami’s dismay, Philadelphia seemed right back on track after their unexpected loss a week ago, and cruised to a fairly one sided 31-17 Sunday night win. The 49ers had similar hopes to recover from their first defeat, but unfortunately the struggles continued on Monday night against the Vikings, who got the upper hand 22-17, wrapping the week up with plenty of question marks for the Niners.

Week 8

After their upset loss to New England last week, the Bills went into Week 8 needing a confidence boost, and got it with a 24-18 win at home over the Buccaneers, all while quarterback Josh Allen battled through a shoulder injury to get the win. While Allen has been in the league now since 2018, this week was also a big one for his rookie counterparts. Titans second round pick Will Levis made his first professional start after an injury to starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and he did not disappoint. In a game where Levis threw for over 200 yards and 4 touchdowns, the Titans defeated Atlanta 28-23 to improve to 3-4, with perhaps a newfound hope for the rest of the season. We also saw two even higher profile rookie quarterbacks square off, as number one pick Bryce Young of the Panthers faced number two pick C.J. Stroud of the Texans. Carolina was sitting dead last in the NFL as the only remaining team without a win, but Panthers fans had a pleasant surprise this week as their team won 15-13 for their first victory of the season. Despite the battle of New York teams always being a fun storyline, this year the matchup seemed destined to be underwhelming, as both the Jets and Giants were having mediocre campaigns up to this point. Indeed, the game was an ugly one for both sides, as the Jets got a 13-10 win in overtime to push themselves to a winning record at 4-3, despite still being without Aaron Rodgers. Just a year removed from an unexpected playoff appearance, things were not looking good for the 2-6 Giants. The Eagles, however, seemed destined to return to the postseason, as they improved their record to 7-1 after a 38-31 win over the Commanders, albeit one that was closer than anticipated. Just a few weeks after injuring his knee, quarterback Jalen Hurts seemed on point in spite of it, throwing for 4 touchdowns and over 300 yards in the Philadelphia victory, stride for stride with Washington starter Sam Howell’s similar stat line. This week also saw a streak of one kind prolonged, and a streak of another kind snapped. The Bengals won yet again, seemingly finding their rhythm behind Joe Burrow’s three touchdown passes, and this week it was 31-17 over the sputtering 49ers, who lost their third straight after starting 5-0. This opened the door for the Seahawks to leap up to the top of the division with their narrow 24-20 win over the Browns, the loss interrupting a 2 game win streak for Cleveland. Speaking of streaks, one of an even larger scale was broken this week as well, as the Broncos’ 24-9 upset of the Chiefs was Denver’s first win over Kansas City since 2015, and prolonged their current win streak this season to three games.