Ranking the Top Five Games on the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2023 Schedule

The NFL released its 2023 regular season schedule for all 32 NFL teams on Thursday night, and the Kansas City Chiefs have a multitude of exciting games on the docket for the upcoming season. Following the team's Super Bowl LVII victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, there will be no shortage of hype for the 2023-24 campaign.

Kansas City's schedule for this season includes rematches, rivalry games, once-in-a-while matchups and more. While all 17 games bring at least some level of intrigue, there are five specific outings that rise to the top and manage to stand out. Let's rank those games in descending order, ending with the Chiefs' best game of the 2023 NFL schedule.

5: Chiefs at Chargers (Week 18)

Since Justin Herbert came into the league back in 2020, he has led Los Angeles to some classic games against Kansas City. Regardless of location, time or stipulation, the Chargers have emerged as a potential thorn in the Chiefs' side. Patrick Mahomes and company boast a three-game winning streak over their AFC West rivals, but those wins have each been of the one-score variety.

If the Chargers improve this season and take the proverbial leap that many expect, this Week 18 game could mean more than just a typical intra-division matchup. There should be plenty to play for at the end of the year for both of these teams, so it takes the fifth spot on the list despite there being some risk of Kansas City having locked up the division or even the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed by then.

4: Chiefs at Jets (Week 4)

The "State Farm Bowl," as many have called it in recent years, might finally take place this season. Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, the two most talented quarterbacks of their respective generations, have come close to squaring off in the past but this is expected to be their first meeting after a couple of misses. Now a member of the Jets, Rodgers is tasked with showing that he can return to an MVP level and also elevate New York from a feisty young team to a legitimately competitive AFC club. One of the obstacles standing in his way? The Chiefs.

This game is a road one for Kansas City, which adds some intrigue. It's also a primetime matchup, making it must-watch football programming for Week 4. This game will tell the football world a lot about how serious New York is and since the answer won't be known beforehand, it's one of the Chiefs' coolest games on the docket.

3: Chiefs vs. Dolphins (Week 9)

On social media, there doesn't appear to be a ton of love lost between All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his former team. With that said, the back-and-forth appears to be playful in nature and Hill has been on the record in the recent past explaining how excited he is to face the Chiefs for the first time as an opponent. In Week 9, Kansas City and Miami will finally play each other as the Dolphins aim to cement themselves as a contender. There's a twist, though: Frankfurt, Germany is where the outing will be held.

This game may have been ranked a spot higher had it taken place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, but an international series matchup is quite the consolation prize. Given the stature of these two teams, as well as the location and time of the game, it's hard to beat.

2: Chiefs vs. Eagles (Week 11)

A rematch of Super Bowl LVII has to be guaranteed at least a spot in the top two of the schedule rankings. The Eagles had a stellar draft and while their offseason was busy, they should continue to reign supreme atop the NFC (or at least amongst the top few clubs in the conference). On the flip side, Kansas City also projects to be one of the best teams in its respective conference. From a talent standpoint, there isn't much that this specific game can't offer.

Another element that must be considered is that both teams will be coming off their bye weeks heading into this Week 10 matchup. Nick Sirianni is establishing himself as one of the better young coaches in the league, but Andy Reid is nearly impossible to bet against in these situations. The Super Bowl rematch should be a thriller of a game given the time to prepare, making it one of the best on Kansas City's 2023 slate.

1: Chiefs vs. Bengals (Week 17)

There's no better rivalry in the AFC — even within divisions themselves — than Chiefs-Bengals. Joe Burrow and Cincinnati have been a constant threat to Mahomes and Kansas City in the past couple of seasons, having both regular season and postseason success for clubs on both sides of the coin. This year, the Chiefs and Bengals both project to be contenders in the conference once again. With the game being in Kansas City, this is as big of a game as it gets from a Chiefs-focused lens.

On New Year's Eve, this presents a perfect opportunity for the NFL to send off the 2023 calendar year and usher in 2024 with some fantastic football. The Week 17 factor also raises the stakes significantly, as Kansas City and Cincinnati could be jockeying for seeding at the top of the AFC. That, combined with the bad blood between the two squads, allows this game to take the cake.