With the final week of the 2022 NFL regular season in the books, the ’23 schedule with home and away opponents has been entirely determined. The NFL uses a rotation system to make sure each team plays one another at least once every four years. Flexible scheduling also helps showcase the best late-season matchups to the largest audiences, and the schedule-makers consider bye weeks and travel to maintain competitive equity.
The way the schedule has worked since the league expanded to eight divisions in 2002 is as follows: Each team plays its three divisional opponents twice, home and away. Each division is matched against an entire division in the opposite conference, rotating every four years. Each division is matched with an entire division within its own conference, rotating every three years. And each team plays against one team from each of the other intraconference divisions, corresponding with that team’s finish in the standings the previous year (first-place teams play against each other, etc.). Since the schedule was expanded to 17 games in ’21, the extra game comes against a team from the opposite conference, also corresponding with the previous year’s standings, with the bonus game coming from the division each team played in full two years prior.
The 2022 schedule was a challenge to create after numerous trades and quarterbacks changed teams. The one thing fans can count on in ’23 is that AFC teams will play nine home games after the NFC had nine home contests this season. With a growing slate of neutral-site international games, AFC teams will likely be the designated “home” teams in Europe or Mexico, so most teams still have at least eight in their home stadium. The dates and times of the 272-game puzzle will be released in May.
Here’s the schedule as it stands now:
AFC
EAST
What to know: The AFC East plays the entire NFC East, the entire AFC West and one opponent each from the AFC North, AFC South and NFC South, in addition to intradivisional opponents.
Bills
Home: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, Buccaneers, Jaguars
Away: Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Eagles, Bengals, Commanders
Dolphins
Home: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, Titans, Panthers
Away: Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Eagles, Ravens, Bills, Commanders
Jets
Home: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles, Texans, Falcons, Commanders
Away: Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, Patriots, Giants, Browns, Bills
Patriots
Home: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles, Saints, Colts, Commanders
Away: Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, Giants, Jets, Steelers, Bills
