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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

23 things to know about the Commanders' 2023 schedule

Stadium Panorama on gameday at home, FedExField, on September 11, 2022.(Courtland Sutton/Washington Commanders) FedExField Scenic
Stadium Panorama on gameday at home, FedExField, on September 11, 2022.(Courtland Sutton/Washington Commanders) FedExField Scenic

The NFL will reveal the schedule for the 2023 season on NFL Network at 8 p.m. today. Here are 23 things you should know about the Commanders' slate of games.

-- Washington's strength of schedule this year is .535 -- the eighth most difficult in the league but fourth among NFC East teams. That's a drastic shift from 2022, when the Commanders were tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the easiest strength of schedule in the league (.462).

-- The Commanders will travel 17,498 miles this season, which is 18th in the league.

-- The Commanders are playing the NFC West this season. The last time Washington played all four teams in the division was 2020, when the team had a combined record of 1-3 against them.

-- The Commanders will host the Arizona Cardinals for the first time since 2017. The last time the Cardinals were at FedExField, Washington held Arizona to five field goals in a 20-15 victory.

-- Washington has won a combined 398 games against its 14 opponents this year.

-- Washington's first win as a franchise was against the New York Giants in a 14-6 victory.

-- Washington will play seven 2022 playoff teams this season, including the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

-- Washington will play the Atlanta Falcons for the third consecutive year, the longest streak between the two teams since 1991-94.

-- Washington's most-recent win against Buffalo came on December 12, 2015, when Washington defeated Buffalo at FedExField, 35-25.

-- Washington has played Chicago more than any other team in the Midwest. The teams faced off last season on Thursday Night Football in Chicago. Benjamin St-Juste came up clutch with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter to ensure the Commanders walked out of Chicago with a 12-7 win.

-- The first time Washington and the Dolphins met was in Super Bowl VII. The Dolphins defeated Washington 14-7 to cap off their undefeated season. The teams last faced off on Oct. 13, 2019 at Hard Rock Stadium. Terry McLaurin scored twice in the 17-16 Washington win.

-- On Oct. 23, 2005, Washington recorded its biggest-ever win in their series against San Francisco. Running back Clinton Portis scored three touchdowns in the 52-17 thumping.

-- Washington's trip to play the Rams will be just the second road game it has played against the franchise since the move to Los Angeles. The last time came 2017, when Washington came away with a 27-20 victory.

-- Washington's game against Miami will be the first time the Commanders' first matchup against quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was taken three picks after Washington drafted Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick.

-- Of all the active teams in the NFL, Washington and the New York Jets are one of the rarest matchups with just 12 games in their history. From 1972-2007, Washington had an 8-1 record against the Jets.

-- Washington will play the Seahawks without Russell Wilson for the first time since 2011. Back then, the box office was dominated by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the virtual assistant Siri made its debut on iPhones and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" was Billboard's No. 1 song.

-- You'll have to go even further back to a time when Washington played the New England Patriots without Tom Brady as their quarterback in the regular season. Much more has changed in the nearly three decades since then; the Nintendo 64 made its debut and the Motorola StarTAC was the most popular cell phone with 60 million units sold.

-- Washington's offense and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will face some tough challenges this year. The unit will play six of the top 10 defenses in terms of yards allowed from a year ago. Three of the Commanders' opponents -- the 49ers, Eagles and Jets -- were all in the top five.

-- Conversely, Washington's defense will see four of the top 10 offenses from 2022. The Bills and Eagles were the second and third most productive unity in the league, respectively.

-- The Commanders have completely handled the Bears in recent history. Since 1989, Washington is 14-3 against Chicago, the most recent victory coming last year.

-- The sam could be said of the Cardinals, who are 3-10 against Washington since 2000. Many of the game have been close, though, with seven matchups being decided by eight points or fewer.

-- Washington's 2023 season will include all three teams the franchise defeated in their Super Bowl victories. Washington won its first Super Bowl against the Miami Dolphins 1983, followed by the Denver Broncos in 1988 and Buffalo Bills in 1992.

-- Washington has faced 11 of its 14 opponents this year in the postseason, Fifteen of the franchise's 23 playoff wins have come against these teams.

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