NFL schedule release reaction: Five picks and best bets for the 2023 NFL season 

Without any delays (there had been rumors of some), the 2023 NFL schedule was released on Thursday night. We know Week 1, we know Thanksgiving, we know Christmas and we know everything in between. Now that the schedule is out and the lines for every NFL game have been posted, it’s time to look ahead to the upcoming season. Let’s dive into our NFL picks and NFL predictions for the 2023 season.

2023 NFL schedule highlights

The 2023 NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 7 with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions. Sunday night in Week 1 pits the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants before Monday Night Football features the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.

Thanksgiving starts with the Lions hosting the Green Bay Packers, continues in the form of Dallas vs the Washington Commanders and concludes with the San Francisco 49ers visiting the Seattle Seahawks. A first-ever Black Friday showdown will see the Jets entertain the Miami Dolphins.

As for the Christmas Day slate, it is as follows:

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

You can also go ahead and get your popcorn ready for a Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and Chiefs. That is set for Week 11 Monday Night Football in Kansas City. 

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Best bets for the 2023 NFL season

Week 1: Chicago Bears -1 vs Green Bay Packers 

Yes, for my first best bet of the 2023 season, I’m going with the worst team in football. Well, the Bears were the worst last year. This year figures to be a different story. They already had their quarterback of the future in Justin Fields, so they traded the #1 pick in the NFL Draft and got receiver DJ Moore and a whole bunch of picks from the Carolina Panthers. Suddenly the future is brighter for Chicago – and this coming season is brighter, too. As for the Packers, this will be Jordan Love’s first game as the new full-time starter and there will almost certainly be some growing pains.

Get our analysis for the 2023 NFL schedule Week 1 opening lines

Week 3: Dallas Cowboys -6.5 at Arizona Cardinals 

The Cardinals are expected to be the worst team in the entire NFL. Their over/under win total of 4.5 is the lowest – and with plenty of room to spare. Kyler Murray is coming off a torn ACL and won’t be ready at this point in the season, so fading Arizona in the first few weeks – if not throughout the entire year – looks like a strong play. I’m not putting any playoff chips into the center of the Cowboys’ table, but they should once again be a solid regular-season squad. A moribund franchise like Arizona won’t have much of a home-field advantage, either, so I have no reservations about giving a fair amount of points. I would jump on this line now while it’s less than a touchdown.

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Week 4: Atlanta Falcons +4 vs Jacksonville Jaguars 

The Jaguars are playing back-to-back games in London, starting with this one against the Falcons and then in Week 5 against the Bills. London is a great city and all of that, but the weather there in early October is going to get old in a hurry – especially when the Jags would otherwise be enjoying the Florida sunshine. I don’t think they will be overly enthused by a back-to-back across the pond. The Falcons won in their last trip to London in 2021 and I expect this revamped squad to either win again or at the very least cover. There’s no way Jacksonville should be favored by 4 points on a neutral field. 

Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles ML (-105) at New York Jets 

Is there any team more overvalued than the Jets heading into the new season? Probably not! Yes, they should be pretty good. But let’s not get carried away by thinking that a quarterback who is well past his prime at 39 years old is going to take a team from 7-10 to the best in the league right away. New York is a -1 favorite, so if you factor in 3 points for home field then Philadelphia would be just a -2 favorite at a neutral location. Seriously? The Eagles are the cream of the crop in the NFC and perhaps in all of football. Let’s go with them and don’t bother with the 1 point. 

Week 16: San Francisco 49ers -3 vs Baltimore Ravens 

I’m front-loading my best bets with games in the early stages of the season, as this late into it there is no telling how things might stand. That being said, a great second-half bet to make right now is on San Francisco to cover a field goal at home against Baltimore on Christmas. Lamar Jackson is back, but will he still be healthy and starting for the Ravens in Week 16? There are no guarantees for anyone – and certainly not for Jackson. The 49ers are the better team, anyway, and they are playing at home. So this play looks good even if Baltimore’s franchise quarterback is on the field. 

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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.