NFL Week 1: Preview

The 2022 NFL season starts where the last one left off - at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Buffalo Bills, current favorites to win this year’s Super Bowl, will travel to California to take on last years’ winners, the Los Angeles Rams to open up the NFL season on September 8.

A lot has happened since the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl last season. Tom Brady retired, then un-retired. Ben Roethlisberger retired and stayed retired, starting an unforeseen quarterback battle for the Steelers. Russell Wilson was traded to the Broncos, Davante Adams was traded to the Raiders, Amari Cooper was traded to the Browns, and Tyreek Hill was traded to the Dolphins. It’s indeed a new season, with new faces, familiar faces in new uniforms, and a new contender to win it all.

The preseason gave us a preview into some of the things we can expect and introduced us to some battles we didn’t see coming. Let’s preview each of Week 1′s NFL games.

Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams

Thursday, September 8 - 8:20 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium

The NFL couldn’t have picked a better matchup to start off the season. The Buffalo Bills are considered by many to be the favorites to win this year’s Super Bowl LVII. They finished last season 11-6, but an overtime loss to the Chiefs in the divisional playoffs sent them packing. The Rams beat the Bengals at the Super Bowl 23-20 in their home stadium - the same stadium where they’ll play the Bills.

The Rams no longer have Odell Beckham Jr. on the team as he’s out with an injury, but they do have Super Bowl MVP and triple crown king Cooper Kupp, who finished with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdown. They added Allen Robinson to the WR core in the offseason as well.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen was one of the best in the league last season and in his fifth year, he’s just getting better and better. They released WR Cole Beasley in the offseason and picked up Jamison Crowder. They picked up a cornerback, Kaiir Elam and running back James Cook in the 2022 draft.

Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at Ford Field

The Lions open up their season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. Detroit had a disaster of a season last year, finishing 3-13-1, and will be hoping for a better year. They picked up defensive end Aidan Hutchinson second overall in the draft, which was a good move, but probably not enough to make a significant difference right off the bat. The offense is led by quarterback Jared Goff and have Jameson Williams at receiver.

The Eagles, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, made some really nice offseason moves, including trading for wide receiver A.J. Brown. The Pro Bowler is a young player (24) who the Eagles needed to add to their roster. Now with DeVonta Smith at WR1, they have a much better looking core. They also added Haason REddick to add to the pass rush. Receivers on both teams should be fun to watch.

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at Mercedez Benz Stadium

The Saints and Falcons have been rivals since they both joined the NFL in the late 1960s. The rivalry continues on Sunday, September 11 in Atlanta. The Saints are starting this season with a new head coach, Dennis Allen, and a hopefully fully healthy QB Jameis Winston.

The Falcons traded away Matt Ryan and brought in Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder - perhaps not the best of moves. They’ve got TE Kyle Pitts and rookie WR Drake London, who should be fun to watch, but the rest of their roster leaves something to be desired.

Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium

Well, now that the drama with Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has come to a (not end, but) final decision, Cleveland will now be starting Jacoby Brissett Week 1 against the Panthers. Since he was drafted in the third round of the 2016 draft, Brissett has been a backup.

What makes this matchup more interesting is that the Panthers officially announced their starting quarterback as former Browns QB, Baker Mayfield, who has a negative history with the team.

“Obviously, this one has a little more history and personal meaning,” said Mayfield. “But for me, it’s about winning and setting the tone for the rest of the year, and however I can help this team do that, I’m going to do.”

San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is all but out of the picture, and Trey Lance is in. It’s looking like this will be a Justin Fields vs Trey Lance matchup, which makes it a bit more interesting. Both are young, first-rounders. Though the Bears have home-field advantage, odds-makers have the 49ers taking this one.

Last year, when these two teams met, Fields had his first 100-yard rushing game and a 22-yard touchdown but it was the Bears defense that crumbled against the 49ers offense.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at Paycor Stadium

Last year’s AFC champions and Super Bowl losers will play the Pittsburgh to open the season, which is admittedly not the most exciting opener. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired, leaving the team with Mitch Trubisky, but they drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round. Pickett has been making some competition for the starting position, though it’s still not known who will get the start against the Bengals.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is always worth watching, no matter who he’s up against. This being a home game also puts Cincinnati at an advantage, and they swept the Steelers last year.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium

The Houston Texans are still trying to revamp their team, but they still have a ways to go. They will rely on QB Davis Mills to lead the offense, which now consists of newly drafted WR John Metchie III. They added Derek Stingley at the no. 3 overall draft pick, but their defense remains questionable.

The Colts, on the other hand, will see QB Matt Ryan make his debut for the team, plus the young guys they added to the WR corps and offensive line. Not only that, but they added Yannick Ngakoue and Stephon Gilmore on defense. They also still have RB Jonathan Taylor, the league’s best running back in 2021.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium

The Patriots have been struggling on offense for a while now. Quarterback Mac Jones is coming into his second year under Bill Belichick and has been frustrated with his playing throughout the preseason.

The Dolphins became a more interesting team to watch when they added former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill to their offense. It will be interesting to see how he plays with WB Tua Tagovailoa and under Mike McDaniel.

Baltimore Ravens at New YorkJets

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium

Known for being consistently bad at drafts, the Jets actually did some good things this year! Among others, they added CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, WR Garrett Wilson, DE Jermaine Johnson, and RB Breece Hall. If Zach Wilson can improve with a few good players on his side, the Jets should see an improvement from seasons past.

The Ravens’ draft wasn’t too shabby either, but who’s most interesting to watch on their side is quarterback Lamar Jackson. He is coming off of his worst NFL season (granted, he was hurt, but still). Coming into his fifth season in the NFL, Jackson opted not to sign an extension, believing he is good enough to not need it. Can he really improve on last year?

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders

Sunday, September 11 - 1 p.m. ET at FedEx Field

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is heading into his second season in the NFL under a new head coach in Doug Pederson. After a chaotic year under Urban Meyer in 2021, the improvements were already showing in training camp and preseason. Now it’s time to see how they’ll do together in their first regular season game.

The Commanders traded for quarterback Carson Wentz in the offseason - an underwhelming acquisition. They also took wide receiver Jahan Dotson in the draft and added guards Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner to their offense. Their defense was good last year and should still be good this year, especially up against the Jags’ unstable offense.

New York Giants at Tennessee Titans

Sunday, September 11 - 4:25 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium

What makes this game interesting is the rookies. The Titans traded away WR A.J. Brown and now look to Treylon Burks to fill in where he left off. Unfortunately, Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered a torn MCL in the preseason, and won’t play in the opener. Their other draft pick, OT Evan Neal, however, should get to play.

The Titans running back Derrick Henry is always exciting to watch, too. In the last matchup between the Giants and Titans, in December 2018, Henry rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns and the Titans shut out the Giants, 17-0.

Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals

Sunday, September 11 - 4:25 p.m. ET at State Far, Stadium

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is never not exciting to watch, and now that he’s without his favorite target Tyreek Hill, it will be interesting to see how he plays with the rest of the offense (which is still really good).

The Cardinals likewise will be without their top receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, though temporarily. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is also an exciting player to watch, having rushed for at least 400 yards in each of his three NFL seasons plus 20 rushing touchdowns since 2019 (the second-most by any QB in that timespan).

Both of these teams have Super Bowl potential and top tier players, so it should make for an exciting matchup.

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers

Sunday, September 11 - 4:25 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium

Last season’s game between these two was one of the most exciting of the season. Now, the Raiders have acquired WR Davante Adams from the Packers, to add to the excitement. This division rivalry will also feature Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who has become a legitimate MVP contender. If Raiders QB Derek Carr can utilize Adams well, he could be in the mix as well. He’s no Aaron Rodgers, but having weapons around you certainly helps. This game is a must-watch.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, September 11 - 4:25 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Stadium

This is one of the most exciting Week 1 matchups, as the Vikings host their division rivals, the Packers. There will be no more Davante Adams for Aaron Rodgers to throw to, so we will see how he plays without him. On defense, they added Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt, adding another threat.

The Vikings will be under a new general manager and head coach, so it will be interesting to see if they make any improvements. New coach Kevin O’Connell is known for his offensive expertise, which could be a great thing for QB Kirk Cousins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, September 11 - 8 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium

This game will be a rematch of last years’ season opener, which the Cowboys just barely lost on a last-minute score by Tom Brady. They thought they dodged a bullet when Brady retired at the end of last season, but alas. He was just kidding.

Brady is back and the Cowboys are having some serious issues with depth. The Bucs, too, though, are suffering from injury plagues. The good news for the Cowboys is that they have a fully healthy Dak Prescott at quarterback, unlike last year.

Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks

Monday, September 12 - 8:15 p.m. ET at Lumen Field

Russell Wilson’s first game as a Denver Bronco will be against his former team, the Seattle Seahawks. That alone makes this a game worth watching.

Seattle had an ongoing QB battle without Wilson, between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. They finally announced Smith as the starter for Week 1, Wilson’s former backup. This will be the first game since 2011 that a quarterback other than Wilson starts under center for the Seahawks in a Week 1 game.