NFL schedule release reflection

By: Sam Moores

Last Thursday (12th May) evening saw the 2022 NFL schedule released in its entirety to fans of all 32 franchises. This day on the calendar is always a special one as it gives you something football to look forward to in the space of time between the draft, and the start of training camp.

The NFL doing what the NFL does turned this year’s release into an 8-day event, releasing a select few games over that time period. It started with the announcement of the 2022 International Series matchups on May 4th, before television broadcasters revealed a selct few of their given games throughout the week leading up to the May 12th, 8PM ET, league-wide full schedule release. Today I’m going to take a look at two games from each week that you should definitely look out for.

Week 1 – Bills @ Rams (TNF season opener, 8:20PM ET, NBC), Broncos @ Seahawks (MNF, 8:15PM ET, ESPN)

The 2022 season is kicked off in style as two of last year’s most exciting teams meet in the reigning Super Bowl champion, Los Angeles Rams’ home opener. They welcome Sean McDermott’s Bills to So-Fi Stadium. This will be our first chance to see Von Miller suit up for Buffalo, it’s fitting how it’s against the team he won the Lombardi trophy with just 9 months previous.

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman’s Monday Night gig at ESPN gets off to an interesting start as it sees Russell Wilson return to Seattle to make his Denver Broncos debut. How brutal for those 12’s. Speaking of the Seahawks, they’re one of the most interesting teams heading into the new season. Will it really be Drew Lock at QB?

Week 2 – Chargers @ Chiefs (TNF, 8:15PM ET, Amazon Prime), Buccaneers @ Saints ( 1PM ET, FOX)

TNF in Week 2 is the first-ever game on its new home of Amazon Prime Video. A division game is a great choice to start with too, especially within the stacked AFC West. This is our first primetime showing of a Chiefs offense without Tyreek Hill, whilst the same can be said for the Chargers with their new defensive additions, JC Jackson and Khalil Mack.

FOX has got a great one in the early Sunday slot, as Tom Brady and the Bucs’ go to New Orleans for the first of their two games with the Saints. Brady is 0-4 against NO in the regular season over his two years in Tampa, but this is the first without Sean Payton and Bruce Arians on the sidelines. Both retired from coaching in the offseason, one more surprising than the other, with their former DCs Dennis Allen and Todd Bowles getting second chances at a head coaching job in better-run organizations. This will tell us a lot about the two teams.

Week 3 – Bills @ Dolphins (1PM ET, CBS), Packers @ Buccaneers ( 4:25PM ET, FOX)

CBS’ first mention in the list is a battle with two AFC East rivals. Miami has had back to back winning seasons for the first time since 2002-2003, but has sustained 4 losses to Buffalo in that time period, and seven straight.

The Dolphins haven’t been able to keep up with the Bills offensively, but that could change with the hiring of Mike McDaniel as head coach, and the multiple big splash moves they’ve made to help Tua Tagovailoa. Something they failed at in the Brian Flores era.

FOX has another cracker in Week 3 as we get what could be the last regular-season meeting between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The two future HOF quarterbacks face off at Raymond James Stadium. They met twice in the 2020 season, with the Bucs winning both the regular and postseason fixtures en route to the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Will the Packers improved defense be able to assist their QB in what will be an important game when it comes to playoff seeding.

Week 4 – Chiefs @ Buccaneers (SNF, 8:20PM ET, NBC), Rams @ 49ers ( MNF, 8:15PM ET, ESPN)

The Buccanneers became the first team to win a ‘home’ Super Bowl in 2021, beating Kansas City 31-9 and embarrassing their offensive line. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs return to Tampa to play the Bucs in a rematch of Super Bowl 55 in Week 4 on Sunday Night Football. This is the end of an incredibly difficult 4 game stretch to open the year for TB12 and co.

Monday night sees another awesome rematch, as the Rams and 49ers play for the first time since last season’s NFC Championship game. It’s always chaos when these sides meet, so expect nothing less. Will it be Trey Lance at QB for the Niners? Or will it be Jimmy G? Who knows. I also wonder if it will be a different guy when they meet again in Week 8.

Week 5 – Giants @ Packers (London Game, 9:30AM ET, NFL Network), Bengals @ Ravens ( SNF, 8:20PM ET, NBC)

Green Bay becomes the 32nd and last team to have played a game in London, a massive milestone for all at NFL UK. This one should sell out incredibly quickly as these two sides are two of the most popular in Europe. This game features four first-round picks from April’s draft.

Sunday night sees the new generation of superstar QB’s in the AFC North duel once more as Joe Burrow and the Bengals travel to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson’s Ravens. The result of this one will be crucial come the end of the season with how close the division is expected to be this year. Cinci scored 82 points in two victories over the Ravens last season.

Week 6 – Bills @ Chiefs (4:25PM ET, CBS), Broncos @ Chargers (MNF, 8:15PM ET, ESPN)

Possibly the most anticipated game of the 2022 season falls on Week 6 as the Buffalo Bills return to Arrowhead, the home of the Chiefs and the host of the greatest 2 minutes of playoff football you’ll ever see. Buffalo will be out for revenge with the world watching. They were incredibly unfortunate to lose out in that divisional-round game in January, which encouraged the playoff overtime rule change.

The other game to look out for sees two of the most aggressive teams in the offseason meet for their first of two division games, this one being on Monday Night Football. Russell Wilson vs Justin Herbert, two great defenses, stacked receiving cores, and decent offensive lines. This is football. 

Week 7 – Browns @ Ravens (1PM ET, CBS), Chiefs @ 49ers (4:25PM ET, FOX )

Another inter-AFC North affair is the highlight of Week 7. Will Deshaun Watson be playing by then? Who knows, but if he is then this is 100% a must-watch. If it’s a six-game suspension, then this could be his first game as a Brown. Kyle Hamilton should be embedded in the Ravens’ defense by this point, he was one of my favourite prospects in this year’s draft.

The late window on that Sunday sees a rematch of Super Bowl 54, the first time the two teams have met since. Two similar west coast offenses with different philosophies collide here as run-heavy Kyle Shanahan faces off against Andy Reid’s pass focused offense. I’m interested to see what the two defenses do to stop them.

Week 8 – Broncos @ Jaguars (London Game, 9:30AM ET, ESPN+), Packers @ Bills (SNF, 8:20PM ET, NBC)

Jacksonville returns to their London home of Wembley Stadium for the first time since 2019. They will play Denver in the first-ever game to be exclusively streamed on ESPN+. By then we’ll start to have an idea of how good Trevor Lawrence is. Russell Wilson put on a show at Wembley in 2018, will he do the same again? We’ll also see the Number 1 overall pick, Travon Walker, on a ‘primetime’ game for the first time.

Sunday night sees Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers do their thing at Orchard Park. These two were the best two quarterbacks in football last season, whilst both of their teams were in the last 8 of the playoffs, winning 24 games in the regular season between them. This is going to be one hell of a football game with a load of superstars on show.

Week 9 – Rams @ Buccaneers (4:25PM ET, CBS), Titans @ Chiefs (SNF, 8:20PM ET, NBC)

The past two Super Bowl champions meet in Tampa in a rare NFC game on CBS. The last time the sides met was in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs where LA almost blew a 27”“3 lead by fumbling four times. They managed to get it together right in the last seconds of the game though, marching down the field to allow Matt Gay to hit a last-second field goal from 30 yards to win 30-27.

Later that Sunday we see the 2021 top two seeds in the AFC meet on SNF. When these two met in Week 7 last year it was in the midst of Mahomes’ and the offense’s run of poor games last season, scoring only 3 points in a 27-3 defeat at Nissan Stadium. This time it’s at Arrowhead. I wonder how good the Chiefs will be by Week 9. They certainly face a lot more competition in the AFC West, and appear to have slightly less talent on the roster.

Week 10 – Seahawks @ Buccaneers (Munich Game, 9:30AM ET, NFL Network), Cowboys @ Packers (4:25PM ET, FOX)

Germany becomes the third country to host a regular-season NFL game in Week 10, as Allianz Arena in Munich hosts Seattle @ Tampa Bay. Tickets for this one will sell out in minutes, as not only is it a chance for so many German fans to watch one of the fastest-growing sports in Europe live for the first time, but it’s also a chance to see Tom Brady play before his retirement.

FOX has the best game in Week 10, one that will probably go down as the most viewed in the regular season as well, except Thanksgiving, as two of the most popular teams in America face off. Mike McCarthy and his Dallas Cowboys travel to Lambeau Field to play the Packers. This will be Green Bay’s Super Bowl winning coach’s first time back to the iconic stadium since he was fired in 2019.

Week 11 – Browns @ Bills (1PM ET, CBS), 49ers @ Cardinals (Mexico Game, 8:15PM ET, ESPN)

What looks like Week 11’s best game comes in the early window on Sunday as we see the Bills host the Browns. This will be the first time the franchises have met since the 2019 season. Cleveland romped away 19-16 winners. It’ll probably be a Deshaun Watson vs Josh Allen QB battle, which could have been an AFC East matchup had Brian Flores remained as Dolphins HC.

ESPN broadcast their second international game of the season in Week 11, this one from Mexico City. It’s an NFC West matchup between two teams expected to be challenging for spots in the postseason. This is the first time the sides meet this season, if the 49ers win this one on a neutral site then things could be looking good for them by the time they play at Levi’s Stadium in Week 18. Arizona swept them last year. 

Week 12 – Giants @ Cowboys (Thanksgiving, 4:30PM ET, FOX), Rams @ Chiefs (4:25PM ET, ESPN)

Thanksgiving Thursday sees the Cowboys’ NFC East rival New York Giants become their opponents for this year’s middle game. The G-Men have only beaten Dallas once in their last 10 meetings. Hopefully, the Schoen, Daboll era goes better than the last couple regimes  have.

The last time the Rams and Chiefs met they were one point short of a record for the most points in a game ever and became the first two teams to score 50+ in the same game, at the Colosseum in 2018. Things are a little different now, but both teams have won a Lombardi since then and the last time either of them had a losing season was the Rams in 2016. They’ve been must-watch TV for ages and will remain to be in 2022.

Week 13 – Bills @ Patriots (TNF, 8:20PM ET, Amazon Prime), Chiefs @ Bengals (4:25PM ET, CBS)

The last time the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots met, Sean McDermott’s Bills embarrassed Belichick’s Pats in the postseason. Week 13 sees them meet for the first time since then, on TNF. Buffalo appears to have got stronger, whilst New England has lost the majority of their offensive staff and looks weaker. Will the same thing happen again?

CBS has got one hell of a game in the late window that week, a rematch of the AFC Championship Game they showed back in January. Kansas City got out to a hot start at home but offensively were absent in the second half, allowing the Bengals to get back into, and then go on to win the game in OT. This time it is in Cincinnati, meaning they’ll probably be the favourites. Will Kansas City pull off the upset?

Week 14 – Dolphins @ Chargers (4:05PM ET, CBS), Chiefs @ Broncos (4:25PM ET, CBS)

Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa face off again for the first time since their rookie year. The latter’s Dolphins team came out on top in that game, but neither looked great. The better defense won a sloppy game with two rookie QBs. This time both have absolutely stacked rosters, if Tua makes the jump many hope he will, then we could have a shootout on our hands.

I feel like this list is full of matchups with at least one AFC West team, and spoiler alert there’s more. Week 14 sees Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes meet for just the second time ever. A QB matchup that we’ll see a lot of over the next few years, but one I’m certain we’ll never get tired of. A win could put Denver closer to their first division title since 2015.

Week 15 – Bengals @ Buccaneers (4:25PM ET, CBS), Patriots @ Raiders (SNF, 8:20PM ET, NBC)

You’d expect Nantz and Romo to get the assignment for the Bengals, Bucs game, providing both teams live up to the expectation many have of them. If they do then I just know the ex-Cowboys QB is going to love calling this one. Joe Burrow and Tom Brady face off for the first time, what’s not to like?

Sunday night in Week 15 sees Bill Belichick face off against his former offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels’ Las Vegas Raiders team. McDaniels and new Raiders GM Dave Ziegler have brought a fair few members of staff over from their former place of work, putting together an interesting primetime matchup. We’ve got two coaching staffs that know each other very well, and two teams who could be challenging for the postseason come Week 15.

Week 16 – Packers @ Dolphins (Christmas Day, 1PM ET, FOX), Broncos @ Rams (Christmas Day, 4:25PM ET, CBS)

2022 sees the NFL play 3 games on Christmas Day for the first time ever. Both of these games are to be nationally televised on the 25th of December. The rest of the games, bar TNF and MNF, will be played on Saturday, the 24th. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers take their talents to South Beach in the early window, whilst the Broncos make the trip west to LA to play the Rams at 4:25.

As games to be played on Christmas go, these two have to be up there. Not only are they AFC-NFC Matchups, but they also include four offenses that we expect to rack up a tonne of points in 2022. On top of that, these four teams also have some of the most talented defensive units out there, especially at the cornerback position.

Week 17 – Rams @ Chargers (SNF, 8:20PM ET, NBC), Bills @ Bengals (MNF, 8:15PM ET, ESPN)

Providing that nothing is flexed into this spot, SNF sees the two Los Angeles teams face off for only the second time since both relocated. This could be a Super Bowl matchup within the next few years. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised by that. Imagine how awesome that would be. I wonder which team will have the most fans in the stadium, which is essentially a tenth Rams home game.

Week 17 comes to a close with a bang as the Bills and the Bengals clash on Monday Night Football. This game could have huge playoff-seeding implications by the time it comes around, it could maybe even decide the one seed in the AFC. Burrow v Allen in primetime? Yes, please.

Week 18 – Chargers @ Broncos (TBD), Raiders @ Chiefs (TBD)

Predicting which games will be the best ones for Week 18 is virtually impossible. That’s not only because it’s a full slate of division games, but also because we have no idea how good these teams will be, which ones will be in what window, or what each team is playing for.

My best guess is that the AFC West will be the division that is the closest, so I believe these games will be the ones that you should look out for. Imagine if one was for the division title and the other the final wildcard spot, that would be epic!