2022 NFL Schedule: Release Date, Team-by-Team Opponents and More (2024)

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The Los Angeles Rams went all-in lastseason, acquiring Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller,and the efforts paid off when they captured the Super Bowl LVI titlein February.

Now, amid an offseason of whirlwindplayer movement around the NFL as teams try to follow the Rams' aggressivemodel, the league will release the schedule for its 2022regular season Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET on the NFL Network.

It's the second year of each teamplaying a 17-game slate. This season it's the NFC teams that willbenefit from playing an extra home game after AFC squads held thatedge in 2021.

Each team's opponents are alreadyknown, so the schedule release simply puts the games in order andhighlights which matchups will be featured in prime time. A few matchups have already been announced, including this year's International Series schedule.

Below you'll find a list of the foes each team will face this season. That's followed by a closer look at some of thetop stories ahead of the 2022 campaign.

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Team-by-Team Opponents

Arizona Cardinals

Home: Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, Chiefs,Chargers, Patriots, Saints, Eagles, Buccaneers

Road: Rams, 49ers, Seahawks, Falcons,Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Vikings

Atlanta Falcons

Home: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers,Cardinals, Bears, Browns, Chargers, Steelers, 49ers

Road: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers,Ravens, Bengals, Rams, Seahawks, Commanders

Baltimore Ravens

Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers,Falcons, Bills, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins

Road: Bengals, Browns, Steelers,Jaguars, Patriots, Saints, Giants, Jets, Buccaneers

Buffalo Bills

Home: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Browns,Packers, Vikings, Steelers, Titans

Road: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Ravens,Bears, Bengals, Lions, Chiefs, Rams

Carolina Panthers

Home: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers,Cardinals, Browns, Broncos, Lions, Steelers, 49ers

Road: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers,Ravens, Bengals, Rams, Giants, Seahawks

Chicago Bears

Home: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Bills,Texans, Dolphins, Eagles, Commanders, 49ers

Road: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Falcons,Cowboys, Patriots, Giants, Jets

Cincinnati Bengals

Miami Dolphins

Home: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Browns,Packers, Texans, Vikings, Steelers

Road: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Ravens,Bears, Bengals, Lions, Chargers, 49ers

Minnesota Vikings

Home: Bears, Lions, Packers, Cardinals,Cowboys, Colts, Patriots, Giants, Jets

Road: Bears, Lions, Packers, Bills,Dolphins, Saints, Eagles, Commanders

New England Patriots

Home: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Ravens,Bears, Bengals, Lions, Colts

Road: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals,Browns, Packers, Vikings, Raiders, Steelers

New Orleans Saints

Home: Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers,Ravens, Bengals, Raiders, Rams, Vikings, Seahawks

Road: Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers,Cardinals, Browns, Eagles, Steelers, 49ers

New York Giants

Home: Cowboys, Eagles, Commanders,Ravens, Panthers, Bears, Lions, Texans, Colts

Road: Cowboys, Eagles, Commanders,Packers, Jaguars, Vikings, Seahawks, Titans

New York Jets

Home: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots,Ravens, Bears, Bengals, Lions, Jaguars

Road: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots,Browns, Broncos, Packers, Vikings, Steelers, Seahawks

Philadelphia Eagles

Home: Cowboys, Giants, Commanders,Packers, Jaguars, Vikings, Saints, Steelers, Titans

Road: Cowboys, Giants, Commanders,Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Texans, Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

Home: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Raiders,Patriots, Saints, Jets, Buccaneers

Road: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Falcons,Bills, Panthers, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Home: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks,Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, Saints, Buccaneers, Commanders

Road: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks,Falcons, Panthers, Bears, Broncos, Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Home: Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, Falcons,Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Giants, Jets

Road: Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, Lions,Chiefs, Chargers, Saints, Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Home: Falcons, Panthers, Saints,Ravens, Bengals, Packers, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks

Road: Falcons, Panthers, Saints,Cardinals, Browns, Cowboys, Steelers, 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Home: Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Bengals,Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders, Giants

Road: Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Bills,Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles, Commanders

Washington Commanders

Home: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Falcons,Browns, Packers, Jaguars, Vikings, Titans

Road: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Bears,Lions, Texans, Colts, 49ers

Top Storylines for the 2022 NFLSeason

Rams Try to Build Dynasty AfterSuper Bowl Win

No NFL franchise has won back-to-back titles since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005, andit's a feat accomplished by just six other teams in league history (the Steelers twice won two straight). Thatillustrates the uphill battle the Rams are facing ahead of the 2022season.

L.A. pushed its championship windowwide open when it traded for Stafford last offseason, and the frontoffice continued to swing for the fences with the in-season additionsof Beckham and Miller.

The Rams sacrificed future assets tomaximize their chances, but nobody tends to care about draft pickswhen you're carrying the Lombardi Trophy around. General manager LesSnead even received a shoutout from Lakers superstar LeBron James forwearing a shirt that read: "F--k them picks."

LeBron James @KingJames
LEGEND! My type of guy!! <a href="https://t.co/QaHTlBAbJn">https://t.co/QaHTlBAbJn</a>

As the old cliche goes, however, theNFL is a copycat league, and a lot of front offices around the leaguetook note of the Rams' roster-building philosophy and spent the earlyportion of the offseason willing to move picks for upgrades,especially at quarterback.

So not only is repeating as Super Bowlchampions difficult, but L.A. has inspired the other NFL contendersto make a serious run at their crown this season.

The Rams certainly have the talent tomake another deep playoff run, led by Stafford and Aaron Donald, butthere are no shortage of title hopefuls with a chance to steal thespotlight.

Tom Brady Returns After Short-LivedRetirement

Brady announced Feb. 1 he was retiringfrom the NFL after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl rings. Six weekslater, he decided retirement life wasn't all it was cracked up to beand returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster.

Tom Brady @TomBrady
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG <a href="https://t.co/U0yhRKVKVm">pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm</a>

The decision didn't come as a majorsurprise. The legendary quarterback refused to say he was officiallyretired during the short hiatus and was coming off another terrificseason in 2021.

Brady led the NFL in both passing yards(5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) while leading the Bucs to a 14-5record last season. Those aren't the numbers of a player who'snearing the end of his effectiveness. He's still an MVP-caliber QB.

So the 44-year-old is back looking to add on to aresume that's already made him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and aneighth Super Bowl title as a player to extend the record he alreadyowns is within reach.

If Brady struggles, there will beobvious questions about why he didn't stay retired and would likelylead to his departure for good next offseason. It's hard to imaginethat happening, though. The Bucs are once again loaded withplaymaking talent, and he's shown no signs of physical decline. Expect another monster year from one ofthe NFL's GOATs.

Whenever he does decide to hand up his cleats, Fox Sports already announced he'll take over as its lead NFL analyst.

How Much Will AFC-NFC DisparityImpact Title Race?

It's hard to remember a time in theNFL's recent history when there was a bigger difference between itstwo conferences on paper.

The AFC is absolutely loaded withtalent at the quarterback position, with the Denver Broncos' RussellWilson and Indianapolis Colts' Matt Ryan headlining the longtime NFCsignal-callers who changed conferences during the offseason.

Wilson and Ryan join a group that alsoincludes Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson,Deshaun Watson, Justin Herbert, Ryan Tannehill and Derek Carr. It'salso possible the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and TuaTagovailoa take a step forward this year.

Meanwhile, the NFC has Brady, Stafford,Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray alongside a lot of question marks.

So, the path to earn a playoff berthappears far tougher in the AFC than the NFC, and there will likely bea team or two from the AFC that entered the year with legitimatechampionship aspirations that won't even qualify for the postseason.

The conference disparity becomes lessof an issue once it reaches the latter stages of the playoffs sinceall the teams left standing will be top-tier clubs, but getting tothat stage is tough in its own right.

And, at least for this year, it'll be a lot tougher in the AFC.