After the excitement of the Draft, the NFL cycle rolls on to the release of the schedule for the following season and the 2022 road map to the Super Bowl is full of fascinating clashes.
Analysts, players and coaches have been studying the schedule carefully, as well as NFL betting fans who will already be looking for the best NFL games odds. Much of the interest in these games centers on players returning to their former teams, and given the dramatic offseason moves we have already seen, there are plenty such matchups lined up when the NFL kicks off again in the fall, along with a number of firsts and innovations worth noting.
Buffalo Bills vs LA Rams – Week 1
To kick off the 2022 season in Los Angeles, the defending Super Bowl winners face quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills. Von Miller signed a six-year contract with Buffalo after helping the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2021, so it will be fascinating to see him go up against his former team, while Allen Robinson, a three-year, $46.5m wide receiver will make his Los Angeles debut.
Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks – Week 1
Russell Wilson returns to Seattle in his first game as a Broncos quarterback to face the team he helped to eight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship. There will also be new personalities hosting Monday Night Football as Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who departed Fox in the winter, make their ESPN debuts having signed five-year deals with the sports broadcaster.
LA Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs – Week 2
This AFC West matchup will break new ground as it is set to be the first Thursday Night Football game exclusively streamed by Amazon Prime after the broadcaster inked a 10-year deal in March 2021 to obtain the exclusive rights. The Chargers will be hoping to set star linebacker Khalil Mack after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, having acquired the player in an offseason trade from Chicago.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Week 4
For the fifth time, the most successful quarterback in NFL history meets his prospective successor. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have split their first four meetings, and this will be their first meeting since the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV.
Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs – Week 6
The Bills will travel to Kansas City in the middle of October for a rematch of one of the most exciting clashes of last season. That clash in the AFC divisional playoffs ended in a 42-36 victory for the Chiefs. If this game comes close to that one for entertainment, fans are in for a treat. Either way, this late-afternoon showdown is likely to be one of the most important games of the season
Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans – Week 7
The Titans were shocked by the Bengals in the AFC divisional round last season after entering the playoffs as the top seed in the AFC. Tennessee signed Rams wide receiver Robert Woods before surprising everyone by sending star wide receiver AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles on the opening day of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Colts acquired former Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan in a deal to try to lead them to the top of the AFC South after missing the playoffs last season. Both teams will have serious playoff ambitions in 2022-23 and this could be a fascinating clash.
Washington Commanders vs Philadelphia Eagles – Week 10
The Eagles selected Carson Wentz with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and he was once considered the focal point of the franchise. After being traded in March, he is now on his third team in two years, but Philly’s fans have long memories and Wentz could be in for a tough game.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Cincinnati Bengals – Week 13
If Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wants to revenge his team’s loss in the AFC championship game last season, he’ll have to do so on the road in Cincinnati. This is one of 10 playoff rematches on the calendar this year. This game gives the Chiefs the chance to gain a measure of redemption while offering an opportunity for the Bengals to show their playoff triumph was not a one-off.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Arizona Cardinals – Week 16
The best of three Christmas Day matchups will include Brady, 45, taking on Kyler Murray, a rising star of the quarterback ranks but 20 years his junior. The Cardinals will also hope that they will be ending the regular season in better shape than last year, when they slipped from a 10-2 record to end up in the Wild Card game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams.