NFL schedule release: Opening Lines and Odds for Week 1, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas 

It’s never too early to start looking ahead toward a new NFL season – especially when the schedule has been released. And that is the case following Thursday night’s big reveal on the NFL Network. Week 1 cannot come soon enough for football fans, and what an opening slate of games it projects to be. The 2023 campaign all gets started on Thursday, September 7 when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions. The other primetime slots feature an NFC East showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants (Sunday) and an AFC East battle that pits the Buffalo Bills against the New York Jets (Monday).

Let’s take a look at the entire Week 1 schedule in addition to some of the other primetime games throughout the season. 

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NFL Week 1 schedule and opening lines 

Thursday, September 7

Detroit Lions (+6.5) vs Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5), 8:20 pm ET on NBC

Sunday, September 10

Carolina Panthers (+2.5) vs Atlanta Falcons (-2.5), 1:00 pm ET on FOX
Houston Texans (+9) vs Baltimore Ravens (-9), 1:00 pm ET on CBS
Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5) vs Cleveland Browns (+2.5) , 1:00 pm ET on CBS
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5) vs Indianapolis Colts (+3.5), 1:00 pm ET on FOX
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+7) vs Minnesota Vikings (-7) , 1:00 pm ET on CBS
Tennessee Titans (+3.5) vs New Orleans Saints (-3.5), 1:00 pm ET on CBS
San Francisco 49ers (-3) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (+3), 1:00 pm ET on FOX
Arizona Cardinals (+4.5) vs Washington Commanders (-4.5), 1:00 pm ET on FOX
Green Bay Packers (+2) vs Chicago Bears (-2), 4:25 pm ET on FOX
Las Vegas Raiders (+3.5) vs Denver Broncos (-3.5), 4:25 pm ET on CBS
Miami Dolphins vs (+2.5) Los Angeles Chargers (-2.5), 4:25 pm ET on CBS
Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) vs New England Patriots (+3.5), 4:25 pm ET on CBS
Los Angeles Rams (+5.5) vs Seattle Seahawks (-5.5), 4:25 pm ET on FOX
Dallas Cowboys (-2) vs New York Giants (+2), 8:20 pm ET on NBC

Monday, September 11

Buffalo Bills (-1.5) vs New York Jets (+1.5), 8:15 pm ET on ESPN

Right off the bat, I would think about snagging the Chiefs now while you can still get them at less than a touchdown against a Lions team that is on the rise but not exactly deserving of opening Thursday night billing at this point in time. The other bookend primetime game also has value, with the Bills giving only 1.5 points to the overhyped Jets. As for Aaron Rodgers’ former team, I think the Bears will cover a small -2 spread at home against the Panthers. Another short favorite at home that I like is Atlanta (-2.5) against Carolina.

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2023 NFL schedule: Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas

Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 23)

Green Bay Packers (+4) vs Detroit Lions (-4), 12:30 pm ET on FOX
Washington Commanders (+5.5) vs Dallas Cowboys (-5.5), 4:30 pm ET on CBS
San Francisco 49ers (-1.5) vs Seattle Seahawks (+1.5), 8:20 pm ET on NBC

Black Friday (Friday, November 24)

Miami Dolphins (+2.5) vs New York Jets (-2.5), 3:00 pm ET on Amazon Prime

Christmas (Monday, December 25)

Las Vegas Raiders (+8.5) vs Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5), 1:00 pm ET on CBS
New York Giants (+7) vs Philadelphia Eagles (-7), 4:30 pm ET on FOX
Baltimore Ravens (+3) vs San Francisco 49ers (-3), 8:15 pm ET on ABC

Who knows where things will stand this late in the season, but as of now my favorite play among this group of seven games is San Francisco -3 at home against Baltimore on Christmas Day. Will Lamar Jackson still be in one piece in late December? Even if he is, the 49ers are the superior team and have home-field advantage.

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Pickswise is the home of free NFL Picks and NFL Odds. Be sure to check out all of our offseason coverage as we gear up for the 2023 campaign.