# 2023 NFL season
The 2023 NFL season was the 104th season of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), a 17-game regular season played by the league's 32 clubs from September 2023 to January 2024, followed by a single-elimination playoff tournament. The [Baltimore Ravens](https://www.edgepedia.org/baltimore-ravens) finished with the league's best record at 13 wins and 4 losses and clinched the AFC's top seed and home-field advantage, while the [Carolina Panthers](https://www.edgepedia.org/carolina-panthers) had the worst record at 2 and 15.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2023)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Best record | Baltimore Ravens, 13-4 (.765), 483 points scored and 280 allowed, AFC No. 1 seed[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2023) |
| Worst record | Carolina Panthers, 2-15 (.118), 0-9 on the road[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) |
| Other 12-5 teams | Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers (NFC); the Cowboys went 8-0 at home[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) |
| Highest-scoring game | Miami Dolphins 70, Denver Broncos 20, September 24, 2023, the most points by an NFL team in a game since 1966[3](https://apnews.com/article/7b63c4ac5c48e0f4156a8a4574de5c72) |
| Viewership | Regular-season games averaged 17.9 million viewers, up 7% from 2022 and tied for the second highest since tracking began in 1995[4](https://apnews.com/article/2fdce7e47184c3dacc46068929f3c83a) |
| Kickoff returns | Fell to a record-low 21.8% of kickoffs (NFL.com cited 22.1%), prompting the kickoff redesign adopted for 2024[5](https://apnews.com/article/23514547df9b0c16b9348ae54c62a9e5) • [6](https://amp.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-season-explaining-rules-for-new-dynamic-kickoff) |
## Standings and playoff picture
The Ravens led the league in both point differential (203) and fewest points allowed (280) and entered the playoffs as the AFC's top seed at 13-4.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2023) In the NFC, the Cowboys, Lions, and 49ers all finished 12-5, with the 49ers clinching their division and home-field advantage.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) Six teams finished 11-6, including the [Buffalo Bills](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-bills), who won their last five games after a mid-December win at Kansas City left them at 8-6 and quieted talk about coach [Sean McDermott](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-mcdermott)'s job security.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/3f23230868988792c11d468fdf5b4bc8)
The season also produced turnaround stories at the bottom of the standings. The [Houston Texans](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-texans), at 10-7, and the [Los Angeles Rams](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-rams) and [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-steelers), at 10-7 each, reached the playoffs, while the Washington Commanders closed the year on an eight-game losing streak and the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Commanders all finished 4-13.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg)
## Notable games
**Dolphins 70, Broncos 20.** On September 24, 2023, Miami scored the most points in a game by an NFL team since 1966, behind rookie running back De'Von Achane's 203 rushing yards and a no-look shovel-pass touchdown from [Tua Tagovailoa](https://www.edgepedia.org/tua-tagovailoa). The Dolphins set a franchise scoring record and finished two points shy of the NFL regular-season record of 72, set by Washington in 1966. Coach [Mike McDaniel](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-mcdaniel) declined a late field goal that would have broken the single-game record, taking a knee inside the Broncos' 30 to run out the clock.[3](https://apnews.com/article/7b63c4ac5c48e0f4156a8a4574de5c72)
## Rules in effect for 2023
The 2023 season carried relatively few playing-rule changes. Owners rejected a proposal to make roughing the passer penalties reviewable by replay, leaving the standard as it was, while the most notable approved change allowed certain players to wear zero as a jersey numeral.[8](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/nfl-owners-reject-proposal-to-make-roughing-the-passer-penalties-reviewable) On the health-and-safety side, clubs made permanent the kickoff rule changes first implemented in the 2018 season and expanded the list of "defenseless players" to include a kicker or punter during the kick or return, a quarterback at any time after a change of possession, and a receiver of a "blindside" block approached from behind or the side.[9](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/nfl-health-and-safety-related-rules-changes-since-2002) ESPN's preseason review described the league's kickoff adjustment as possibly its last option for reducing concussions within the existing kickoff structure, and noted that 2023 added a Friday night game to the weekly schedule alongside the usual Sunday, Monday, and Thursday windows.[10](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38333868/nfl-rule-tweaks-know-2023-season-kicks-off)
## The kickoff problem
The 2023 season marked a low point for the kickoff play. Return rates fell to a record low, with the league later citing 21.8% of kickoffs returned and NFL.com's explainer citing 22.1%, and the play carried an injury rate twice as high as other plays and as many as four times the concussions.[5](https://apnews.com/article/23514547df9b0c16b9348ae54c62a9e5) • [6](https://amp.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-season-explaining-rules-for-new-dynamic-kickoff) • [11](https://operations.nfl.com/media/2c1hiep0/2024-kickoff-guide.pdf) This outcome drove the "dynamic kickoff" adopted for the 2024 season, which aligned the coverage team and blockers close together to resemble a scrimmage play, and which raised the return rate to 32.8% in 2024 while reducing injuries on the play.[5](https://apnews.com/article/23514547df9b0c16b9348ae54c62a9e5)
## Viewership and competitive balance
Regular-season games averaged 17.9 million viewers in the first year of the league's new television contracts, a 7% increase over 2022 and tied for the second highest average since tracking began in 1995; the record average is 18.1 million from 2015.[4](https://apnews.com/article/2fdce7e47184c3dacc46068929f3c83a) Of the 272 games, 113 were decided by six or fewer points, the second most in league history, and over the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined 55.8% of games were within one score (eight points).[4](https://apnews.com/article/2fdce7e47184c3dacc46068929f3c83a)
## References
1. [2023 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/reg)
2. [2023 Playoff Bracket, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/playoffs/bracket/2023)
3. [Dolphins rout Broncos 70-20, scoring the most points by an NFL team in a game since 1966, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7b63c4ac5c48e0f4156a8a4574de5c72)
4. [NFL regular-season games see 7% increase in viewers. 17.9M average is second highest since 2015, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/2fdce7e47184c3dacc46068929f3c83a)
5. [New NFL season kicks off with permanent kickoff changes and more, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/23514547df9b0c16b9348ae54c62a9e5)
6. [2024 NFL Season: Explaining rules for new dynamic kickoff, NFL.com](https://amp.nfl.com/news/2024-nfl-season-explaining-rules-for-new-dynamic-kickoff)
7. [Analysis: Josh Allen and the Bills show how quickly things can turn around in the NFL, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/3f23230868988792c11d468fdf5b4bc8)
8. [NFL owners reject proposal to make roughing the passer penalties reviewable, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/nfl-owners-reject-proposal-to-make-roughing-the-passer-penalties-reviewable)
9. [NFL Health and Safety Related Rules Changes Since 2002, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/_amp/nfl-health-and-safety-related-rules-changes-since-2002)
10. [NFL rule changes you should know as the 2023 season kicks off, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38333868/nfl-rule-tweaks-know-2023-season-kicks-off)
11. [2024 Kickoff Guide, NFL Football Operations](https://operations.nfl.com/media/2c1hiep0/2024-kickoff-guide.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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