10 most intriguing matchups of 2022
Week 1
Buffalo Bills at LA Rams: The NFL schedule-makers chose a pair of heavyweights to kick off the season. The Los Angeles Rams begin their title defense run with a home game against one of the early favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl: Buffalo. Big-name showdowns abound. Matthew Stafford is in a duel with Josh Allen. Cooper Kupp exchanging fireworks with Stefon Diggs. Two vaunted defenses ready to bring the pain. We’ll learn whether the Rams are able to pick up right where they left off. And this game will serve as a measuring stick for the Bills, who hope this is finally the year they get over the hump.
Week 2 LA Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs:
After an offseason devoted to upgrading the defense, the Chargers travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, who have revamped both on defense and at wide receiver as they try to maintain their command of the AFC West, which they have won for six consecutive seasons. Expect a shootout between Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Last season, Mahomes carved up the Chargers defense for 670 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in two meetings, which the teams split with each road team winning. Herbert, meanwhile, passed for 517 yards, six touchdowns and an interception while also rushing for another.
Week 4
Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: It’s a rematch of Super Bowl 55 as Mahomes and Co. return to the scene of their 31-9 loss to Tom Brady and the Bucs. The GOAT and quarterback occasionally described as the Baby GOAT will face off one more (final?) time. Could this serve as a preview for Super Bowl 57?
Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens:
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have ranked among the most impactful quarterbacks
in the league since they arrived on the scene in 2018 (Allen as the seventh overall pick, Jackson as the 32nd). The Bills and Ravens have been knocking on the door since turning the reins over to their young quarterbacks, but each squad is still waiting to get over the hump. This certainly looks like a budding rivalry. Jackson and the Ravens own a 2-0 regular-season record against Buffalo. However, Allen and Co. turned the tables during the 2020-21 postseason, eliminating the Ravens in the divisional round.
Week 5
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos: Management of each of these teams viewed themselves as championship contenders with one missing piece: difference-making quarterbacks. So this offseason, the Colts scrapped the Carson Wentz experiment and traded for Matt
Ryan. The Broncos swung a deal for Russell Wilson. Now, with veteran signalcallers surrounded by talented weapons on offense, and imposing defenses, the Broncos and Colts will find out if they’re as good as they believe they can be.
Week 8
Cincinnati Bengals at Browns: Could this represent the season debut for Deshaun Watson? It’s still unknown when Roger Goodell will rule whether the new Browns QB must serve a suspension for his off-field issues, but many within the league believe if so, this could be around the time that Watson gets back on the field. Whether it’s a few weeks earlier, or Week 8, a matchup between these longtime AFC North rivals, featuring two of the most dynamic young passers in Cincy’s Joe Burrow and Watson, certainly falls in the must-see TV category. It will also carry significant im-*
Cleveland
plications within the division.
Week 10
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers: Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy returns to the place he called home for 13 seasons and where he won a Super Bowl to cap the 2010 season. The post-McCarthy era in Green Bay is off to a strong start. Since Matt LaFleur replaced McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers has been rejuvenated, winning back-to-back MVP honors, and the Packers have gone 39-10 while reaching the NFC championship game twice before falling in the divisional round last season.
Week 11
San Francisco Cardinals: As the league reaches the heart of the season and teams begin jockeying for position, this should represent a pivotal NFC West meeting between a pair of rivals and 2021 wild-card teams. It’ll be interesting to see whether Trey Lance is able to pull a Mahomes and take the league by storm after a year on the bench. If so, a shootout between Lance and Kyler Murray should not disappoint.
Week 13 Week 16 49ers at Arizona
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans: As mentioned previously, uncertainty hangs over the Cleveland Browns and QB Deshaun Watson. However, at this point of the season, Watson has a good chance of being back on the field, which means he will return to Houston, where he spent the first five years of his career before his frustration with ownership and management led him to force his way out of town.
Denver Broncos at LA Rams: Another potential Super Bowl preview, Wilson leads the Broncos against an opponent he knows well, having faced the Rams twice a year for his entire career. The Sean McVay-led Rams have been a thorn in Wilson’s side. Since 2017, he and the Seahawks mustered a 3-8 record against their division rivals, including a playoff loss in 2020. Will a change of scenery and new supporting cast finally position Wilson for success against LA?