Taking a look at Week 1 of the 2022 NFL schedule. Which matchups are we most looking forward to and which ones are the “duds” of Week 1?
The 2022 NFL Schedule has been released and the league is giving football fans some really intriguing matchups for Week 1 of the season.
With that being said, there are also some duds in Week 1 that will only be of interest to those that play fantasy football.
Which games will be the most compelling? Let’s rank every Week 1 matchup on the 2022 NFL schedule from worst to best.
No. 16 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Saints @ Falcons
Let’s just be real about this one — this is an ugly matchup.
The Atlanta Falcons might end up being one of the worst teams in the NFL this season after trading away Matt Ryan and bringing in Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder as the replacement options.
Although there are some entertaining players on Atlanta’s roster (notably Kyle Pitts and rookie Drake London), the Falcons just aren’t overly compelling this year.
The Saints might be a more interesting team in 2022 with a healthy Jameis Winston but does Winston make them must-see TV?
I don’t think so.
Although this is a divisional matchup that will feature plenty players of fantasy football interest, this is not an enticing Week 1 matchup on the NFL schedule.
No. 15 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: 49ers @ Bears
Based on how you may have ranked Trey Lance and Justin Fields heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, this game might be a lot more interesting to some than others.
There were a handful of 49ers fans that were dead set on their team drafting Justin Fields over any other potentially available quarterback before the team selected Trey Lance.
Interestingly enough, there’s really no clarity here about the 49ers’ current QB situation. I think we all assume Jimmy Garoppolo is being moved but that hasn’t happened yet and the longer it doesn’t happen, the more I wonder if Jimmy is staying with the 49ers.
Will this be Trey Lance vs. Justin Fields? Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Justin Fields?
Either way, I think this game is one of the least compelling matchups of the NFL schedule’s Week 1 slate.
No. 14 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Giants @ Titans
Do we love Giants vs. Titans?
Absolutely not.
But we like it just fine.
The Giants are a new-look organization this year and with a healthy complement of skill position players, how much improvement will we see from Daniel Jones?
It had better be a lot.
The Titans traded away one of their best players in AJ Brown but Derrick Henry is back to roll over defenders.
The most interesting thing to watch in this game might be the rookies on both teams. How well will Treylon Burks fill the shoes of AJ Brown?
Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal might have been exactly the pieces the Giants need to creep back into relevance in the NFC East.
No. 13 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Colts @ Texans
Matt Ryan will make his Indianapolis Colts debut on the road against the rebuilding Houston Texans, who are in year two of a total makeover.
Nick Caserio has been doing his best impression of Chip and Joanna Gaines rebuilding that Houston roster and he’s finally found some solid pieces to work with.
The Colts boast an NFL MVP candidate in running back Jonathan Taylor, who is the best back in the NFL as of the 2021 season.
The masses of NFL fans aren’t going to be tuning in to see Davis Mills vs. Matt Ryan but there’s some intrigue in this game for sure.
No. 12 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Browns @ Panthers
The Cleveland Browns have certainly been one of the more controversial teams of the 2022 offseason.
They traded a king’s ransom to the Houston Texans so they could bring in quarterback Deshaun Watson, who promptly received a mega-contract worth $230 million, the richest fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Considering all that Watson has been accused of off the field, will he even be available for this game?
As far as the Panthers are concerned, they are close to being the most uninteresting team at the quarterback position in the league. A trade for Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield would ramp up the intrigue of this matchup.
No. 11 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Steelers @ Bengals
The reigning AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals unfortunately got one of the most boring matchups for Week 1 of the NFL season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I’m sorry, but Mitchell Trubisky — or even Kenny Pickett — is a tough sell.
We’ll all tune in for a bit to check in on Joe Burow and the Bengals, as well as our fantasy football interests on the Steelers, but all this game is going to do is remind us of the changing of the guard in the AFC North.
Who knows, maybe Trubisky will shock us all.
No. 10 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Patriots @ Dolphins
The New England Patriots are not weekly must-see TV anymore, not without Tom Brady.
Mac Jones did a good job in his rookie season, and the Patriots play tough defense under Bill Belichick, but the most intriguing thing about the Patriots this year might be watching whoever is going to call their plays offensively.
As of right now, that’s not been determined.
The Dolphins are going to be interesting to watch in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season thanks to their massive spending spree (what’s new?) and acquisition, specifically of Tyreek Hill.
How is Tua Tagovailoa going to look in Mike McDaniel’s offense? How will Hill do separate from Patrick Mahomes?
No. 9 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Ravens @ Jets
I, for one, am fairly excited to see the new-look New York Jets.
If Zach Wilson can show progress, I think the Jets could be one of the most improved teams in the NFL this season.
From an NFL Draft perspective, the Jets had one of the best all-around classes in the league and might have gotten four players with top 25 overall grades when all is said and done.
The Ravens also killed the 2022 NFL Draft, but the intrigue from their end is squarely on Lamar Jackson.
The former MVP is coming off of the worst season of his NFL career, regardless of whether or not he was hurt. His touchdown percentage as a passer is way down, his interception percentage was way up, and he wasn’t the same game-changer we’ve come to know.
No. 8 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Jaguars @ Commanders
The Jacksonville Jaguars hit the road to start the season and things aren’t going to be easy for Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson in their debut together.
The Washington Commanders may not have made the most impactful quarterback acquisition in 2022 by trading for Carson Wentz, but their defense is really good and I don’t know how the Jaguars’ offensive line is going to hold up against Chase Young and that front seven.
Not only that, but Washington greatly improved on both sides of the ball, especially on the offensive side where they picked up Jahan Dotson in the 2022 NFL Draft and added Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner at the guard positions.
Washington’s got a big opportunity to get off to a good start.
No. 7 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Eagles @ Lions
I’ve been saying this all offseason, but I’m higher on the Lions than most.
Especially if Jameson Williams is healthy, the Lions are going to be must-see TV every single week.
I think they have one of the most improved groups of skill players in the league, they have a solid offensive line, and the defense just added a star in Aidan Hutchinson.
On the other side, the Eagles have had a heck of an offseason as well.
Not only did they add to their pass rush by bringing in Haason Reddick, but they went out in the 2022 NFL Draft and swung a trade for AJ Brown.
Watching the receivers on both teams in this game will be an absolute treat.
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No. 6 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Packers @ Vikings
One of the top matchups in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season will involve two historic division rivals — the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Green Bay Packers.
This will be the first game where Davante Adams is no longer a member of the Green Bay Packers, and how much will that affect Aaron Rodgers’ overall game?
How can the new-look Vikings hold up in their first game with a completely new regime under GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell?
The Packers have built one of the NFL’s best defenses and it got even better in the 2022 NFL Draft with the additions of Georgia teammates Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt.
Green Bay’s defense could prove to be the difference over the course of this season, even without Adams.
No. 5 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Chiefs @ Cardinals
There will be no DeAndre Hopkins for this game, which bumps it down a couple of slots.
The Chiefs and the Cardinals were two of the best teams in the NFL for a lot of the 2021 regular season but these teams look way different despite having similar expectations and aspirations.
The expectation for both? Super Bowl contention.
The Chiefs no longer have Tyreek Hill. The Cardinals won’t have Hopkins.
Still, these two teams have made moves in the 2022 offseason to improve their rosters.
How could you say no to Patrick Mahomes vs. Kyler Murray, regardless of who is playing wide receiver?
No. 4 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Broncos @ Seahawks
Russell Wilson’s first game as a member of the Denver Broncos will be right back in Seattle, where he has become a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
The final chapter of closure for Wilson as he goes back to the city where he began his legacy as an NFL superstar, now playing for the team he once beat in Super Bowl 48.
The Seahawks may not be quite as good without Wilson under center, but this is still going to be compelling TV.
It will also be the first game for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman as they make their move together into the Monday Night Football booth.
No. 3 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Buccaneers @ Cowboys
This game wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting had Tom Brady decided to stay retired.
Remember that one?
Good times.
Brady is back and therefore, the Bucs are back. This time around, though, Brady has a new safety net. As soon as he’s done with the Bucs and his playing career, he has a 10-year, $375 million deal with FOX waiting for him.
Not bad.
The Dallas Cowboys should be one of the NFC’s best teams once again this season with Dak Prescott even further removed from his dreadful leg injury in 2020.
No. 2 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Raiders @ Chargers
If this game is anything like the one we saw at the very end of the 2021 regular season, we’re all in for a treat.
One of the most exciting matchups in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL Schedule will now feature Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders going up against their division rival Los Angeles Chargers.
Justin Herbert has become a legitimate MVP candidate.
Can Derek Carr do the same with his old pal from Fresno State catching passes?
These two teams are some of the most loaded in the NFL when it comes to the skill positions. What could be better for a Week 1 matchup than this?
No. 1 best game on Week 1 of 2022 NFL Schedule: Bills @ Rams
Oh, that’s right. This could be better.
The reigning Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams will play host to the Buffalo Bills to kick off the NFL season.
This matchup features two absolute offensive juggernauts going head to head as the Rams begin their title defense and the Buffalo Bills attempt to go scorched earth after their extremely disappointing defeat in Kansas City in the playoffs.
This game simply involves the best of the best the NFL has to offer.
Not only is this a potential Super Bowl preview, I think you could argue these as the two most talented rosters in their respective conferences.
This matchup will be a ton of fun to kick off the season.