With the 2023 fantasy season coming to a close, as well as another calendar year, we wanted to look back at the viral moments that helped us through the stressful lineup decisions this season. 

Here are the 10 best NFL memes of 2023.

#10: When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell

Our countdown starts where our year began.

On January 9th, Zach Wilson playfully threatened his future QB competition, claiming he’d “make that dude’s life hell in practice every day.”

While Aaron Rodgers (pre-injury) did see the quote, I don’t think Zach saw himself being benched in Week 12 for Tim Boyle… only to be told to start again in Week 14.


 #9: Mommies & Tommies

Just when we thought all NFL/Mom discussions had been exhausted on Zach Wilson, in came a new QB to save the day and rejuvenate the topic in, well… a more wholesome sort of way.

Tommy DeVito’s time may have ended as NY’s starting QB after being replaced by Tyrod Taylor in Week 16, but we sure did enjoy it while it lasted.


#8: Have a nice trip!

The validity of the Intentional Grounding call aside, Lamar Jackson tripping over a referee in Week 16 makes the cut based purely on the face the official made as he fell down and the resulting memes that surfaced.

While many have speculated what was going through the ref’s mind as Lamar’s feet tangled with his, I like to imagine it was “Uh oh spaghettio.”


#7: 100% snaps shared

With the 127th pick of the 2023 NFL draft, the Saints took a certified model with their 4th-round pick.

While the rookie QB, Jake Haener, hasn’t played a single snap this year, his snapshots gave him time to shine in the offseason.

In May, Haener caught Twitter’s eye with his array of… emotional(?) poses. While I don’t have any favorite snapshots from the entire catalog, I am partial to the sultry ones. 


#6: Arizona Fire Guts

The Cardinals missed the bus this year. I think?

I can’t tell if taking the bus is good or bad, but the answer to HC Jonathan Gannon’s viral question during a clip from Cards Flight Plan was a resounding “No.”

Arizona, currently sitting 4-12 and 4th in the NFC West, did not, in fact, have “a fire in their gut” this season (at least, not until Week 17 against the Eagles).


#5: Drama in Denver

It’s hard to highlight only one of Denver’s storylines from this year.

Do we talk about Sean Payton signing four- no five- no no, wait… six? former Saints players to the Broncos in 2023? Or the viral image of Russell Wilson taking a peek at Payton’s phone courtside at a Nuggets game? Nah.

Recency bias be damned, my favorite storyline comes from Week 17 when Payton passive-aggressively thanked the media for… nothing. 


#4: That one emotionally charged fan

Even if you missed the DAL at LAC game in Week 6, you likely witnessed the flurry of memes that spurred from the emotionally charged(pun intended?) fan in the crowd during the game.

There were ups. There were downs. But I’ll be damned if this wasn’t the most entertaining live fan reaction. We’ve all been there. We’ve all been #ChargersFan.


#3: What The F*#&?!

If you thought I’d go an entire article without mentioning Taylor Swift, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Look, I don’t want to hear your opinions on her screen time. I just want to soak in the beauty of the comradic rage that fuels all football fans when they don’t get the pass interference call they think they deserve (whodat).

Regardless of how many cats they own. And let’s be honest… If you’ve rostered Travis Kelce this season, you reacted the same way. Just for a different reason. 


#2: The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.

Winning isn’t everything. 

Lol jk. Remember when the Raiders not only won, but they scored 42 points against the Chargers in the first half of Week 15.

Sure, they ended the game with 63 total points, but FORTY TWO in the FIRST THIRTY MINUTES of gameplay. That’s record-breaking numbers. But like I said earlier, winning isn’t everything.

Lol jk.


#1: Head coach gets the halftime zoomies

While Raheem Mostert torched defenders when he ran for 18-121-2 against the Patriots in Week 2, it wasn’t his spectacular running that made headlines.

Nope. Instead, everyone was talking about HC Mike McDaniel’s quirky sprint away from cameras after his halftime interview. While Mike has given us plenty of memes this year, we’re just glad this one happened before Halloween.

2023's Best NFL Memes
CooterDoodle
CooterDoodle
Cooterdoodle won the very first fantasy football league she ever played in. Rumor has it she reminds people of this fact to this day. Above winning, she takes pride in trash talking her fantasy football opponents. You can find her running the Fantasy Life social media accounts, creating Petite Pods, contributing articles to the Smack Zone for Trophy Smack, and generally being an advocate for serious issues on Twitter. #milkfirst