Potential opponents for Kansas City to open the 2023 NFL season

The NFL schedule won't be released until May, but NBC Sports' Peter King took an early look at potential candidates for the opener on Sept. 7. 

We already know Kansas City will host the game thanks to winning Super Bowl LVII. Its 2023 home opponents are the Bills, Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Lions, Raiders, Chargers, Dolphins and Eagles.

As King notes, the league must appease its network partners, which means games against Buffalo, Cincinnati and Philadelphia may be reserved for late-afternoon starts on CBS and Fox or an NBC primetime game later in the season.

There still are enticing options if the Bengals, Bills and Eagles are off the table, with the following being the three most attractive.

Denver Broncos

Sean Payton vs. Andy Reid in Week 1? That would be a great way to start the season, pitting two of the league's best offensive minds against each other. We'd also get our first look at the Payton-Russell Wilson pairing, which promises to be one of the biggest storylines to begin the upcoming season. 

It might be exciting for its storylines, but it could make for a lackluster game. Denver (5-12) was dreadful last season, and the last time Payton went on the road for a Thursday night season opener, the Saints were blown out by the Colts in 2007, 41-10.

Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill returning to Kansas City in Week 1 would be the headliner, but the Dolphins' bigger headline would be a healthy Tua Tagovailoa and the firepower he has to go toe-to-toe with the Chiefs. In 2022, the Dolphins averaged 26.4 points in the 12 games Tagovailoa started and finished.

Hill was a force for the Chiefs but was even better in his first season in Miami. In Kansas City, he had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons and made the Pro Bowl in each of his six seasons. He had a career-high 1,710 receiving yards in 2022 with the Dolphins and finished ninth in MVP voting. 

Detroit Lions

The Lions (9-8) finished with a winning record for the first time since 2017 and are trending in the right direction.

Pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston IV could be strong foils to Mahomes. On offense, Detroit boasts offensive playmakers D'Andre Swift, Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

It would also be the first meeting between Mahomes and Jared Goff since their classic 2018 duel when Goff was a member of the Rams. Los Angeles and Kansas City combined for 105 points in a 54-51 Rams win. 

King suggests the Lions-Chiefs game could be in play for a Kansas City home game set for Frankfurt, Germany in November. It certainly has the potential to be a great game for an international audience, but it would be an even better way to kick off the season.