The NFC North in Prime Time

The 2023 schedule dropped last night, and there were some new rules regarding which network could grab which games. The usual NFC and AFC affiliation with FOX and CBS is a lot looser now, as all games are essentially free agents. There is no longer a rule that each team must appear in prime time, and teams can play on Thursday Night Football twice this season. Flex scheduling starts on week 5 for Sunday games and is also available for Monday Night Football from weeks 13-17 this season.

The league’s prime-time partners (ESPN, NBC, and Amazon) pay a lot of money to get favorable matchups as those drive huge ratings, so it’s a good indication of how the NFL feels about the teams they choose and the markets they covet.

Here’s how the four NFC North teams will be represented in prime time before flex scheduling kicks in.

The Minnesota Vikings are the reigning division champs, and they received five night games, as did the Green Bay Packers, who missed the playoffs last year and will be starting a new era at quarterback with Jordan Love. There’s a lot of curiosity surrounding Love, and Green Bay has historically been a ratings draw.

The Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears each have four prime-time contests on their current schedule, but the Lions are getting the primest of the prime-time games with the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, September 7.

“...we get Kansas City, the heavyweight champ. So we’re excited,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said via NFL.com. “I can’t [even] tell you. The staff’s excited. I know our players are excited. I think everybody wants an opportunity to play the champ and see where you stack up. I know what (Chiefs coach) Andy Reid’s about. We know what that team’s about. Highly competitive, they’re a champ. Year in and year out, they’re gonna be in the running. We’re looking forward to it. It’s gonna be great.”

The Lions are coming off a season that fell short of the playoffs, but they won eight of their last ten games to create some 2023 buzz. They were also featured on last year’s Hard Knocks, which raised the franchise’s profile.

The Bears are coming off the worst record in the NFL, but we’re still talking about the Chicago market. Bears fans are ravenous for their football. The league also had to consider marketing stars, and the brightest in Chicago right now is quarterback Justin Fields, who is one of the most exciting players in the game. The schedule makers and networks are aware of this, which is why a three-win team has four night games, but also the late afternoon spotlight from FOX as America’s Game of the Week for their week one game hosting the Packers and week three against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The NFL is so ready for the Bears to be relevant again.

Thursday Night Football Schedule

Start time: 7:20 p.m. CT
Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
Announce team: Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit

• Week 2 - Sept. 14 - Vikings at Eagles
• Week 3 - Sept. 21 - Giants at 49ers
• Week 4 - Sept. 28 - Lions at Packers
• Week 5 - Oct. 5 - Bears at Commanders
• Week 6 - Oct. 12 - Broncos at Chiefs
• Week 7 - Oct. 19 - Jaguars at Saints
• Week 8 - Oct. 26 - Buccaneers at Bills
• Week 9 - Nov. 2 - Titans at Steelers
• Week 10 - Nov. 9 - Panthers at Bears
• Week 11 - Nov. 16 - Bengals at Ravens
• Week 12 - Nov. 24 (Friday) - Dolphins at Jets
• Week 13 - Nov. 30 - Seahawks at Cowboys
• Week 14 - Dec. 7 - Patriots at Steelers
• Week 15 - Dec. 14 - Chargers at Raiders
• Week 16 - Dec. 21 - Saints at Rams
• Week 17 - Dec. 28 - Jets at Browns

Sunday Night Football Schedule

Start time: 7:20 p.m. CT
TV channel: NBC
Live stream: NBCSports.com, Peacock
Announce team: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth

• Week 1 - Sept. 7 (Thurs.) - Lions at Chiefs
• Week 1 - Sept. 10 - Cowboys at Giants
• Week 2 - Sept. 17 - Dolphins at Patriots
• Week 3 - Sept. 24 - Steelers at Raiders
• Week 4 - Oct. 1 - Chiefs at Jets
• Week 5 - Oct. 8 - Cowboys at 49ers
• Week 6 - Oct. 15 - Giants at Bills
• Week 7 - Oct. 22 - Dolphins at Eagles
• Week 8 - Oct. 29 - Bears at Chargers
• Week 9 - Nov. 5 - Bills at Bengals
• Week 10 - Nov. 12 - Jets at Raiders
• Week 11 - Nov. 19 - Vikings at Broncos
• Week 12 - Nov. 23 (Thanksgiving) - 49ers at Seahawks
• Week 12 - Nov. 26 - Ravens at Chargers
• Week 13 - Dec. 3 - Chiefs at Packers
• Week 14 - Dec. 10 - Eagles at Cowboys
• Week 15 - Dec. 17 - Ravens at Jaguars
• Week 16 - Dec. 23 (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.) - Bengals at Steelers
• Week 16 - Dec. 23 (Saturday, 7 p.m.) - Bills at Chargers (Peacock only)
• Week 17 - Dec. 31 - Packers at Vikings
• Week 18 - Jan. 7 - TBD

Monday Night Football Schedule

Start time: 7:15 p.m. CT
TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: ESPN app, ESPN+, Fubo
Announce team: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Week 1 - Sept. 11 - Bills at Jets

Week 2 - Sept. 18 (6:15 p.m., ESPN) - Saints at Panthers

Week 2 - Sept. 18 (7:15 p.m., ABC) - Browns at Steelers

Week 3 - Sept. 25 (6:15 p.m., ABC) - Rams at Bengals

Week 3 - Sept. 25 (7:15 p.m., ESPN) - Eagles at Buccaneers

Week 4 - Oct. 2 - Seahawks at Giants

Week 5 - Oct. 9 - Packers at Raiders

Week 6 - Oct. 16 - Cowboys at Chargers

Week 7 - Oct. 23 - 49ers at Vikings

Week 8 - Oct. 30 - Raiders at Lions

Week 9 - Nov. 6 - Chargers at Jets

Week 10 - Nov. 13 - Broncos at Bills

Week 11 - Nov. 20 - Eagles at Chiefs

Week 12 - Nov. 27 - Bears at Vikings

Week 13 - Dec. 4 - Bengals at Jaguars

Week 14 - Dec. 11 (7:15 p.m., ABC) - Packers at Giants

Week 14 - Dec. 11 (7:15 p.m., ESPN) - Titans at Dolphins

Week 15 - Dec. 18 - Chiefs at Patriots

Week 16 - Dec. 25 - Ravens at 49ers

Week 17 - Dec. 30 - Lions at Cowboys

Week 18 - Jan. 6 (3:30 p.m., ESPN/ABC) - TBD

Week 18 - Jan. 6 (7:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC) - TBD