2022 NFL Schedule Reaction

Like most things NFL-related, the schedule release has become ridiculously drawn out and overblown.  They had separate announcements for the international games, then the first Thursday night game, then one of the three Christmas games, then the first Monday night "doubleheader" (which isn't actually a doubleheader).  Then, once we finally got to the actual schedule announcement, they didn't even do that all at once!  We found out each team's home opener (which, by default, meant all of Week 1), but still had to wait for the entire thing.

They've also started doing the schedule later, although their explanation for that made perfect sense.  They wait until after the draft just in case interesting matchups emerge from that.  But they also had to go back to the drawing board after the Russell Wilson trade and Tom Brady's retirement, followed by Brady's un-retirement.  But, we've got a schedule at last.  And, as usual, there are some good matchups every week.

Week 1: I did not have the Bills pegged as the Rams' opponent to open the season.  I was sure it would be Dallas.  But the Cowboys will host Brady on Sunday night instead (in a game I thought would be on Thanksgiving).  Oh, and Russell Wilson's reunion with the Seahawks comes right off the bat in the Monday night opener.

Week 2: Chargers-Chiefs as the first Amazon exclusive.  Because it's not like people want to watch that game or anything!  Also, NFL, playing two Monday night games that are on different networks and overlap does not constitute a "doubleheader."  Bucs-Saints is also relegated to a 1:00 regional game.  Shows how little a draw New Orleans is now.

Week 3: In Week 3, Ravens-Patriots is cross-flexed to FOX.  Why?  I have no idea!  I still don't understand how the cross-flexing works and how they choose which games to flip networks.  We've also got what might be the last Rodgers vs. Brady matchup as the doubleheader game on FOX before San Francisco-Denver, which for some reason is the Sunday night game.  I'm also not sure why both Giants-Cowboys games are on national TV.

Week 4: NBC gets the first Kansas City-Tampa Bay game since the Super Bowl LV blowout.  They were so excited about it, they had Mike Tirico announce it on the Today Show.  The Monday night game, meanwhile, is an NFC Championship Game rematch between the West Coast rival Rams and 49ers.  We've also got the first of the London games in Week 4, Minnesota vs. New Orleans.

Week 5: Another four-game Sunday with Giants-Packers in London.  The best 1:00 game might be Chargers-Browns, while FOX has the doubleheader, and here's where we get Cowboys-Rams.  Meanwhile, they're going with division matchups on Sunday (Cincinnati-Baltimore) and Monday (Raiders-Chiefs) night.

Week 6: Green Bay plays back-to-back "home" games against the New York teams, but the matchup with the Jets is at Lambeau.  Neither they nor the Giants get the post-London bye that was once common.  CBS has the doubleheader, and they wisely made Bills-Chiefs their only late game, meaning the entire nation gets to see the rematch of that epic Divisional Playoff that led to a likely (and completely unnecessary) rule change.

Week 7: Kansas City will have rematches of both its recent Super Bowls in the first seven weeks of the season.  This time, it's a visit to San Francisco.  Week 7's primetime games, frankly, are duds.  Saints-Cardinals on Thursday night, Steelers-Dolphins on Sunday night, Bears-Patriots on Monday night.  But I guess that's what happens when the Bills, Rams, Vikings and Eagles all have the same bye week!

Week 8: Is it just me, or is it always either the Packers or Steelers playing in the Sunday night game opposite the World Series?  Meanwhile, there's not one, but two! games that are only available via subscription to a streaming service in Week 8!  Ravens-Bucs on Amazon is actually a decent game.  Broncos-Jaguars on ESPN+, though?  That should draw comparable ratings to some of the college games that are exclusive to ESPN+.

Week 9: We hit the midway point with six teams enjoying their bye week!  I hate the six-team byes for a number of reasons, one of them being the limited number of good matchups that week.  Yet they still managed to give us Rams-Bucs, which will be another nationally-exclusive doubleheader late game.  That's also the best game of the week, although Tennessee-Kansas City on Sunday night gives it a run for its money.  

Week 10: The NFL's first regular season game in Germany will have the same 9:30 am Eastern start time as the London games.  Which means Seahawks fans will have to get up awfully early for that 6:30 am local time kickoff!  There's also a New Orleans-Pittsburgh matchup that's pretty intriguing, as well as a pair of good late games on FOX--Cowboys at Packers and Cardinals at Rams.

Week 11: San Francisco-Arizona at Azteca is set for Monday night.  I actually like that one since that was also the first-ever NFL game in Mexico City.  The second Chiefs-Chargers game, meanwhile, is a CBS late game, and so is Cowboys-Vikings for some reason (while Raiders-Broncos is on FOX).  Cincinnati-Pittsburgh is the scheduled Sunday night game, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets flexed out if the Bengals don't follow up last year's run.

Week 12: Bills-Lions on Thanksgiving!  Nailed it!  As much as I love the Giants, though, why are they also playing on Thanksgiving?  (Especially when FOX will have the Brazil World Cup lead-in.)  And Patriots-Vikings on Thanksgiving night came completely out of left field!  Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, we've got the Rams-Chiefs matchup that we missed out on in February.

Week 13: Buffalo is playing on three Thursdays this season!  They get the Patriots in the first post-Thanksgiving Thursday night game not involving the Cowboys in quite a while (which probably explains why New England is also playing on Thanksgiving).  The Chiefs-Bengals AFC Championship Game rematch is, surprisingly, not in prime time.  I'd be willing to bet that's one CBS wanted to make sure they got on their schedule.

Week 14: Another six-bye week.  In December!  Which makes even less sense than the six-bye week in the middle of the season.  And it gives us a week that's not just soft, it's also light.  Baltimore-Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay-San Francisco and Raiders-Rams are the three best matchups.

Week 15: Since Week 16 is Christmas, Week 15 is when we get the TBA Saturday tripleheader.  Of the five choices, my early guesses for the three are Dolphins-Bills, Ravens-Browns and Colts-Vikings.  There's also perhaps the best game on the entire Monday night schedule--Rams-Packers at Lambeau!  The Sunday night game, meanwhile, pits a pair of AFC playoff teams--the Patriots and Raiders.

Week 16: This isn't your typical NFL Christmas week by any stretch.  Jets-Jaguars is on Thursday night because no one cares.  They've still got the bulk of the schedule on Christmas Eve, but there's a Christmas Eve night game (Las Vegas-Pittsburgh) and three games on Christmas (Packers-Dolphins, Broncos-Rams, Bucs-Cardinals in the Sunday night game).  And the week wraps up with Chargers-Colts, a game that could have massive playoff implications that late in the season.

Week 17: My initial thought about Week 17 was when are they gonna schedule the Monday night game?  As it turns out, Monday night after the Rose Bowl.  They moved the Sugar Bowl to noon on New Year's Eve to make room for Bills-Bengals.  I also found it funny that they were making a big deal about the Rams ending the season with two road games when they really aren't since one of them is against the Chargers.

Week 18: Every gametime for Week 18 is listed as "TBD," a change from past seasons when they put 1:00 for every game other than those in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.  Three games will once again be picked for national broadcasts, two on Saturday and the Sunday night game.  Early favorites for those?  New England-Buffalo, Baltimore-Cincinnati, Kansas City-Las Vegas.