The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will welcome the Detroit Lions to open the 2023 NFL season on Sept. 7, the league announced Thursday morning.
The game, which will be the debut of Lions’ first-round draft choice RB Jahmyr Gibbs, will be at 8:20 p.m. ET and will be shown on NBC.
>> WATCH: Gibbs Makes Lions Instantly Better
The tradition of having the defending champion play host to the season opener began in 2004. The exception came in 2013 when the Baltimore Ravens opened on the road because the Baltimore Orioles had a home playoff game.
Ahead of the full schedule release Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, the NFL has shared a few games to whet fans’ appetites.
The New England Patriots will honor their former quarterback, Tom Brady when they welcome the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles that first Sunday. Interestingly, the game features the two teams from Super Bowl LII, which is one of Brady’s three losses in the big game.
The future Hall of Famer, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, announced his retirement on Feb. 1.
The first Monday night game (Sept. 11) will feature an AFC East matchup of superstar quarterbacks when Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills travel to New Jersey to take on Aaron Rodgers and the new-look New York Jets. The 8:15 p.m. start will be seen on ESPN.
>>WATCH: Motivated Rodgers is Best Rodgers
Another top quarterback meeting will come Oct. 1, when Mahomes and the Chiefs take on Rodgers and the Jets in a Sunday night game. The 8:20 ET game will be shown on NBC.
Two long-time rivals who met in last year’s playoffs will tangle for an Oct. 8 Sunday night game. Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys will play at the San Francisco 49ers in an 8:20 p.m. ET game on NBC. In January, rookie QB Brock Purdy led the 49ers to a 19-12 victory in an NFC divisional round game.
Finally, the two teams from last year’s thrilling Super Bowl will meet again on Monday, Nov. 20 when the Eagles travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The 8:15 ET game can be seen on ESPN. The Chiefs won, 38-35, in February, in Glendale, Ariz.
The league also has released five international games and five holiday games.
