When does the 2023 NFL season start? First game and Sunday of the season

The NFL preseason is under way, but when does the real deal kick off?

The NFL‘s 2023 preseason is in progress, kicked off by the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The following Thursday, two more games kicked off, and soon enough all 32 teams will have their first exhibition match-ups of the season under their belts.

Preseason is fun and all, but it’s just an appetizer for the real deal: Week 1 of the 2023 regular season. After the Chiefs won their second title in four years this most recent February, fans are hungry to see how the 2023 iteration of the NFL season plays out. Will the Chiefs enter dynasty mode with a third title?

Will another AFC team, like the Bengals or Bills, finally get the job done? Or will a surprise contender from the NFC pop into the mix and hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February?

Here’s when it will all kick off.

When does the 2023 NFL season start?

The 2023 NFL schedule starts officially on Thursday, September 7th. That kickoff game is between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

That makes the first Sunday of the season September 10th. Go ahead and pre-order your pizza, wings, and favorite beverages and prepare to plop your rear into the recliner for about 12 hours straight of football that day. It’s been months since we’ve had a regular season full of Sunday madness, and we’re back to it soon enough.

With plenty of time to spare, you also have no excuse to not have your fantasy lineup set for Week 1. Get to it!

What is the first game of the 2023 NFL season?

As referenced above, the Lions will be traveling to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in the first game of the 2023 season on Thursday, September 7th.