The 2023 Regular NFL Season Part 1 Quiz

The Ravens had the best record of all 32 NFL clubs with a 13-4 win-loss record. The only lost in overtime to the Colts, by two points to a divisional rival, the Browns, and an identical 17-10 scoreline in both games with another divisional rival, the Steelers.

This meant they had 10 wins over teams with winning records (an NFL record). The Ravens' defence also led the league in sacks, points per game, and takeaways. This was the first time in NFL history any team led at season end in all three categories.

The Ravens were seeded at one for the AFC playoffs.

The Cleveland Browns had a winning season finishing 11-6 and second in their division, their first winning season (2022: 7-10) and playoff spot since 2020. The eleven wins gave them the fifth seed in the playoffs.

They managed this with a franchise-high of five quarterbacks in 17 games. Star 2022 $250 million recruit DeShaun Watson departed early with a season-ending injury. Three other quarterbacks were used, and injured before Joe Flacco, inactive and unsigned by any club, was signed on a short-term contract. Flacco was a revelation as he won 4-1 in the last five games (Browns averaged 31 ppg) which ensured that they placed high on the playoff seedings.

The Steelers' 2023 season of 10-7 gave coach Mike Tomlin his 17th straight winningest season and allowed the Steelers to sneak into seventh seed for the playoffs despite coming third in their division (Arguably AFC North was the toughest division to play in as all four teams had winning seasons).

There were high expectations for this team especially as they had an undefeated pre-season but they travelled along in the middle of the pack, their first eight wins won by a margin of one score or less. A low point came late in the season when they lost to the Cardinals, Colts and Patriots, three teams that did not make the playoffs, but then won their last three regular-season matches comfortably (with Mason Rudolph, not first-string Pickett at QB). They also won their division 5-1..

Despite having a winning season, 9-8, the Cincinnati Bengals could not make the playoffs (9-8 was enough to qualify for the playoffs in the NFC). In fact, they came fourth in their conference despite a winning season. With their franchise QB Joe Burrow, they were struggling at 5-4 when Burrow had a season-ending wrist injury. Back up quarterback Jake Browning performed creditably (4-4).

In the end, they were one win short of making the playoffs.

After two seasons of on- and off-field controversy, the 2023 Texans were on a re-building program with a rookie coach, DeMeco Ryans (who was drafted as a player to the Texans in 2006) and a rookie QB, CJ Stroud picked at the second pick of round 1 of the 2023 draft. No one expected the Texans to do much better than 2022's 3-13-1 but the rookie QB was a revelation. He became only the fifth quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards in their rookie season. and also became the third player in NFL history to head the league in passing yards per game (273.9) and a touchdown/interception ratio (4.6) in the same season. Only Tom Brady in 2007 and Joe Montana in 1989 had achieved better than these results.

By the last game of the season, the Texans were 9-7 and drawn against divisional rivals the Colts, also on 9-7. Whoever won the match would qualify for the playoffs. Houston won 23-19 and did what no one expected - They had earned a place in the post-season.

The Jaguars were travelling well in AFC South, at one stage they were 8-3 but then faded badly and lost five of their last six games. They had led the division for the whole season up to week 18 and only had to beat the Titans (5-11) to win the division and move to 10-7.

However, they lost, sending the Texans to win the division. No team in the AFC qualified from 9-8 in 2023, so they were eliminated from the playoffs.

Indianapolis had struggled in AFC South for the past decade, never winning the division and their 4-12-1 finish in 2022 ensured they had an early pick in the 2023 draft. They chose QB Anthony Richardson in round 1 but he had a season-ending injury in week 5, thereby relying on backup QB Gardiner Minchew. Nevertheless, they achieved a 9-7 record with a game to play. If they won or tied their last game against the Texans they would qualify for the playoffs.

They lost and were eliminated, landing at third in the division.

From the mid-2010s to 2021, the Titans regularly won AFC South with 2021 being a match-high of 12-5. Their 2022 result of 7-10 was considered an underwhelming performance and there were high expectations, 2023 would return the team to the pre-2022 achievements level.

However, the 2023 season was actually worse with a 6-11 record. The only redeeming performance was their last match: With nothing to play for, the Titans would knock their divisional rivals, the Jaguars who had headed the AFC South all season, out of playoff contention.

The Titans won 28-20 but it wasn't enough to save coach Mike Vrabel who was fired on January 9 2024. The Titans finished an the last rung of AFC South.

The Buffalo Bills came back from a playoff drought to qualify for their first playoffs since the 1990-93 Super Bowl losses in 2017. In 2018 Josh Allen was signed as their starting quarterback and apart from his initial season (6-10), he led his team to four consecutive seasons' playoffs before 2023. By 2023 they had still not won a Super Bowl - it was unfortunate they were in the same division as Brady's Patriots and their rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs probably stopped them from reaching the Super Bowl in these times as the Patriots and the Chiefs dominated the Super Bowl wins with five collectively 2015-2022. In 2022 the Bills went 12-3 and expectations were that they would match that in 2023. However, when they reached the bye after week 12 they were 6-6 and placed 11th in the race for playoffs. They then won their next five to win AFC East in the last match of the regular season.

As they had won their division 11-6, the same as the Chiefs, The Bills were seeded 2, Chiefs 3. Not bad considering that a loss in the Bills' last game would quite possibly have eliminated them from the playoffs..

In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the Dolphins had returned to form winning 9-8 both seasons and making the playoffs in 2022. They hoped to improve on that in 2023. They had led the division for the first 16 weeks of the 2023 season and were 9-3 with five left to play with the second-place Bills three games behind.

However, they lost three of their last five, due in part to a massive injury list. Their last game against the Bills determined who would win the division and be seeded 3 and who would be seeded 6.

The Bills won (both teams 11-6) but the Bills had beaten the Dolphins twice in 2023 (and the Chiefs once) seeding them at 2 and the Dolphins at 6.

The Jets were touted as Super Bowl contenders in 2023 because of the coup of signing Aaron Rodgers as quarterback. However, Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon after four snaps in game 1 ending his season. The Jets tried four other QBs but no one was able to call the position their own.

The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention at week 13 and they landed at 7-10, exactly the same position as last season.

Season 2023: the 24th season Bill Belichick was the coach and the fifth season since Tom Brady left. The heady days of six Patriots' Super Bowls were long gone. By week 12, it was apparent that after their loss to the New York Giants, the Patriots had scored their second consecutive losing season, their third in four years, and they could do no better than their 8-9 record from 2022.

In fact, they went on to 4-13 for the year, the worst record for a Belichick-trained Patriots team, and even then the four wins were only margins of between 3-5 points. Bill Belichick left the club four days after their last game.

In the Mahomes-led-Chiefs era, it was expected that the Chiefs would do well every week. So their 2023 season of 11-6, was less than expected. Losses to the Broncos, Packers and Raiders were unexpected. They lost the season opener to Detroit, which in hindsight was not a surprise given the season Detroit had. Apart from the 41-10 win over the Bears, the Chiefs were never able to score big like they did in 2022 when they went 13-3.

A crucial loss was against Josh Allen's Bills, fast becoming a major rivalry, where the three-point loss decided which of the two was seeded higher in the playoffs as both attained 11-6. Chiefs ended up seeded at three.

Expectations were high in the Las Vegas Raiders' house in 2023. Regular quarterback since 2013, Derek Car moved to the New Orleans Saints as a free agent and James Garoppolo, a free agent QB from the 49ers, moved into the position. Hoping to do much better than their 6-11 in 2011, it did not work out that way.

Their head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were fired after week 8 when they were 3-5. Despite their first win in three years against bitter divisional rivals the Chiefs in week 16 (20-14), it wasn't enough to help them qualify for the playoffs and they finished two wins short at 8-9.

This was Russell Wilson's second season with the Broncos after Denver struck a blockbuster deal to lure him away from Seattle in 2022. It did not translate into on-field success and the Broncos finished with 5-12. Sean Payton was hired as head coach for 2023 and it was expected the Payton/Wilson combination would return the Broncos to the playoffs at least.

This did not turn out as planned: By week 6 they were 1-5 with 70 points conceded in one match in week 3 when the Dolphins defeated them 70-20, the second-highest winning score in NFL history. Denver clawed back to 6-5 by week 12 but lost 4 of the last six finishing 8-9 with Wilson benched by Payton for the last two games.

After 2022's heartbreaker where the Chargers reached 10-7 to earn a wild card playoff spot, they hope to improve on that year when in their last match of 2022, they led 27-0 before losing to the Jaguars 31-30. However, the Chargers struggled in 2023, reaching 5-7 before losing their franchise quarterback Justin Herbert for the season with an injury.

They then lost five straight including a loss of 63-21 to the Raiders to finish in fourth place in their division and 15th in the conference.