Start It Up!: When we last saw the Los Angeles Rams, they were celebrating their Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and they just became the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in their own home stadium. On September 8th, they will look back at the accomplishments of last season once more and kickoff the 2022 NFL season in a game against the Buffalo Bills. I love the storylines entering this matchup. Matthew Stafford. Josh Allen. Cooper Kupp. Stefon Diggs. Aaron Donald and Von Miller. Von will return to face the team he just helped win a Super Bowl last season.
Western Debuts: The AFC West was the talk of the off-season with all the moves that happened in the division. Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers ended the regular season in one of the more memorable games of the 2021 campaign. These two will open up the year against one another to start off the 2022 season! This will mark the debut of Davante Adams in a Raiders’ uniform and on the other side, Khalil Mack will make his Chargers debut facing the team who drafted him back in 2014.
Deja Vu?: The opening game in 2021 was the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was the return of Dak Prescott from a gruesome ankle injury the year before and the Bucs were hanging a banner after the Super Bowl victory. Over a year later, we get this matchup again, this time at JerryWorld. They gave us a thriller that came down to the very end. What’s in store for this one? Two high-powered offensive teams that can push the ball down the field. Dak and Brady put on a show last year and I’m expecting the same again this time around.
Right Away!: One of the bigger moves in the off-season that took place was Russell Wilson getting traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. This was something many were expecting and that was the veteran quarterback playing elsewhere in 2022. He will make his Broncos debut in the city where he started his career. For the first time ever, Russell will be playing in Seattle as a visitor. That will be quite the scene. It’s also a Super Bowl rematch (these two played in Super Bowl 48) back in 2014. What a way to kickoff Monday Night Football!
Finale?: 11 Super Bowl appearances, Eight MVP awards and two of the best quarterbacks ever to step on a football field. Whenever we get the legendary quarterback battles, we appreciate them more because we don’t know if we’ll see them again. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have faced each other a total of four times with Tom winning three of those matchups. For the fifth time ever, these legendary quarterbacks will square off once again for potentially the final time. There’s so much respect between these two future Hall of Famers. Seeing them square off once more will be all worth it.
Classmates: Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen came into the league together in 2018. Both have seen much success since becoming NFL quarterbacks. Lamar has won a league MVP and Josh has become one of the five best quarterbacks in the league today. For just the third time, these draft classmates will face one another. The last time we saw the Bills and Ravens face each other, it was in the 2020 playoffs with the Bills advancing to the AFC title game with the win over the Ravens. Stefon Diggs lining up with Marcus Peters defending him will be something to watch for sure.
Another Again: I’ve been so honored to preview every matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. I remember their first. It was a Sunday nighter in Foxboro. They’ve met four times since that first battle. We’re getting a fifth battle between the greatest to play quarterback against the face of the league now. When the Chiefs and Bucs last met, it was in the Super Bowl. The Tampa defense shut down that Chiefs offense and Tom capped off another season winning a ring. The Madden cover game as some could call this. Could this be the final meeting between these two quarterbacks?
Thriller!: The divisional round of the NFL playoffs last season was one of the best weekends of football I’ve personally watched. Each game was decided by single-digits. I was excited to preview each of those games. That weekend of football ended with an overtime game with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. I think we’re beginning to see the next quarterback rivalry between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. For the first time since that thrilling game, these two will meet in a playoff rematch. The Chiefs have sent the Bills home in the playoffs the last two seasons. Buffalo will enter with a chip on their shoulder. I would too if my season were ended by the same team two years in a row.
Second Take: Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady met for the first time in 2019. It was a Sunday night back in November and the Ravens handed those Patriots their first loss of the season that year. I also said that was the game that enhanced Lamar’s chances to win league MVP. The two MVP quarterbacks will battle each other for just the second time. Brady knows the Ravens very well from his New England days. They’ve always played him tough and have that defense to affect his play.
History Time: Whenever I think of two legendary teams in the league, I always think of the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Some of the greatest players ever have played for either of these teams. There have also been some memorable moments over the years between these two. The Dez Bryant catch, the wild divisional playoff game in 2017 and so much more. These teams will do battle at Lambeau this year. Mike McCarthy will make his return to Lambeau for the first time as a visiting head coach.
Winners Circle: The Rams and Chiefs are two of the last four teams to win the Super Bowl. They also have two of the best quarterbacks in the league right now in Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes. These two teams will do battle at Arrowhead. This will be the Rams first time playing in Missouri since leaving for Los Angeles. Remember when these two met back in 2018? It was the highest-scoring game in NFL history! What’s in store for this one?
Homecoming: Deshaun Watson spent the first five years of his career playing for the Houston Texans. After the speculation of him leaving, the Texans traded him to the Cleveland Browns in a loaded March this off-season. This year, he will be playing his former team for the first time as a visitor when Cleveland travels to Houston to play those Texans.
Triple Play: One of the best games I had the chance to preview last season was Kansas City and Cincinnati. The first meeting was a thrilling showdown with the Bengals snapping the Chiefs winning streak at the time. Then, I said they were bound to meet again in the playoffs. They met for the AFC title game. The Chiefs blew the lead and Cincinnati stunned everyone and advanced to the Super Bowl. They will meet once again in 2022 for the third time. Burrow has beat Mahomes twice already. This should be another fun game to watch.
Same Mindset: Before the playoffs started, I received a question about Joe Burrow and who’s his mindset similar too. I said Joe Montana because he’s never phased in any moment. I also mentioned that he has some Brady in him. Well, we will get to see the two quarterbacks face off this season. A guy who’s done it all and continues to play at the highest level and on the other side, you have a guy who could be the best quarterback in a few years if he continues to trend up.
Teacher vs Student: Many have come from the Bill Belichick coaching tree. Eric Mangini, Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Brian Flores and Josh McDaniels. I thought Josh would be the heir apparent to Bill once he stepped down. Josh finally got a coaching job with the Raiders and he will welcome his old boss to town for a primetime showdown in Vegas.
