2023 NFL Schedule Release: 5 Best QB Matchups This Season
Analysis 5/9/23
The NFL released the entire regular season schedule on Thursday, and I can't wait for several quarterback showdowns. We can look forward to so many great matchups, but I've got five quarterback battles that will be must-watch TV.
5 Best QB Matchups in 2023
Week 17: Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow
When you look at two of the best young quarterbacks in our game, they hail from the AFC. I love watching Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow when they match up.
They don’t have a lot in common regarding their playstyle, but what they do have in common is their low heart rate late in games. These guys are amazing when the game is on the line.
There have been some great games between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs during the past two seasons, including the previous two AFC Championship games. Their games always seem to come down to the wire, so it’ll likely boil down to which of the two quarterbacks has the ball last.
The matchup between these two quarterbacks is always a high-scoring affair, making it difficult for the defenses to handle the offense’s up-tempo style. I just love to watch Mahomes and Burrow, especially late in games. Both are cool as cucumbers with the game on the line.
Week 1: Aaron Rodgers vs. Josh Allen
Last year, the New York Jets had one primetime game late in the season on a Thursday night, and it was a bore because of the quarterback situation. The good news for football fans is we'll get a chance to see the newly acquired Aaron Rodgers square off with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills twice in the regular season.
With Rodgers, you're talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks in the game's history, certainly one of the best quarterbacks during the past two decades. The Jets had a playoff-caliber team a season ago, but the quarterback position held them back. That should no longer be the case with Rodgers under center. The Jets will be a fun team to watch in 2023.
Even at 39 years old, Rodgers is playing at an MVP level. He's won the award four times and back-to-back before what happened last season.
You could explain away some of his struggles in 2022. The Green Bay Packers had injuries along the offensive line and traded Davante Adams in the offseason. So they ended up with a young, inexperienced group at wide receiver and a defense that underperformed a season ago.
I'm looking for big things out of Rodgers with the Jets this season.
Of course, Buffalo has won the AFC East the past three years, and Allen is a big reason why. This is a well-coached team that has to improve in a couple of areas.
One is running the football and not being so dependent on Allen's legs. Defensively, their ability to create negative plays was something they struggled with late in games a season ago. This will be a great divisional matchup this season.
Weeks 9 & 14: Dak Prescott vs. Jalen Hurts
Last season, neither game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys featured both Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. This season, I want to see both these teams healthy and both these quarterbacks get after it.
Hurts was the runner-up for MVP last year, and he was phenomenal from start to finish. He could’ve also won Comeback Player of the Year. He didn’t come back from an injury but from a subpar sophomore season. Hurts showed people in Philadelphia and around the NFL he was here to stay.
On the flip side, the focus for Prescott and the Cowboys offense this offseason was cutting down on the turnovers from a quarterback who had a difficult time a season ago.
>> READ: How Many of Prescott's INTs Were His Fault?
I love what the Cowboys have done this offseason in free agency and the draft. This game is a battle for NFC East supremacy. These two teams are clearly the best in their division.
Week 1: Justin Herbert vs. Tua Tagovailoa
The Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins is another good AFC matchup featuring young quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.
It goes back to that 2020 draft with Tagovailoa being the fifth overall pick and Herbert as the sixth overall pick. I’d be curious to see if the Dolphins had a chance to do it all over again if they would take Herbert ahead of Tagovailoa.
A lot of eyes will be on Tagovailoa at the start of the season to see how he is physically. Is he healthy? Can he play a full 17-game schedule? Both teams spent a ton of money on defense this offseason, yet both teams have yet to win a playoff game with their franchise quarterback.
Late in the game, the battle between the Chargers and the Dolphins could come down to not necessarily the quarterbacks but the defenses.
Week 6: Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Mac Jones
I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about one of my former teams, the Las Vegas Raiders. Many people in Las Vegas are not necessarily happy the Raiders’ roster is beginning to look a lot like the New England Patriots' roster.
There have been a lot of changes with the Raiders during the last two years. General manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels are both from New England. They added Jimmy Garoppolo, a former Patriots quarterback, and Jakobi Meyers, a former Patriots receiver.
So the team's got a certain flair that looks very familiar to the folks in the Northeast. This should be a great match-up.
The Raiders have been good enough offensively, but defensively, they've been one of the worst teams in the league at generating negative plays — 31st sacks a season ago. They have just 12 interceptions during the past two seasons; that's the worst in the NFL. They've got to do a better job defensively.
Indeed, their focus during free agency and the draft was to address that side of the ball. The Raiders need some help because they play in an excellent AFC West with Herbert, Mahomes and Russell Wilson as opposing quarterbacks.
Meanwhile, the Patriots brought offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien back into the fold. That was one of the biggest moves coach Bill Belichick made this offseason. Mac Jones took a turn for the worse last year with Matt Patricia calling plays.
Getting O'Brien, a legitimate offensive coordinator, play caller, and quarterback developer, should be helpful to Jones. I'm eager to see the Raiders and Patriots get after it in Las Vegas at some point during the regular season.
Rich Gannon played 18 seasons in the NFL and won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2002 when he led the Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII. Follow him on Twitter at @RichGannon12.