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Any doubt about the importance of a
franchise quarterback in the modern NFL was further erased last
season when the Los Angeles Rams acquired Matthew Stafford from the
Detroit Lions and proceeded to capture the Super Bowl LVI title.
The Rams already featured a roster
ready to contend for a championship, and the upgrade from Jared Goff
to Stafford was enough to put them over the top.
Other teams clearly took notice as an
offseason of whirlwind QB movement was headlined by Russell Wilson to
the Denver Broncos, Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, Matt Ryan
to the Indianapolis Colts and Carson Wentz to the Washington
Commanders.
It set the stage for another year of
high-profile quarterback matchups, and now fans know when each game
will take place following Thursday night’s 2022 NFL schedule release.
So let’s check out a week-by-week look
at some of the top QB battles on the horizon this season.
Week 1
- Josh Allen (Bills) vs. Matthew Stafford (Rams)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
- Derek Carr (Raiders) vs. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
- Tom Brady (Buccaneers) vs. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
The 2022 season gets started on a high
note as Stafford and the Rams open their title defense by welcoming
Allen and the Bills to L.A. It’s a golden opportunity for Buffalo,
which has been on the cusp of title contention the last few years, to
make a major statement.
Week 2
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
- Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
- Kyler Murray (Cardinals) vs. Derek Carr (Raiders)
The AFC West may be the best division
in NFL history with four teams that all enter the season with hopes of making a deep playoff run. The head-to-head
battles will be crucial in terms of making it to the postseason, so
the pressure begins early for Herbert and Mahomes.
Week 3
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Matt Ryan (Colts)
- Matthew Stafford (Rams) vs. Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
- Aaron Rodgers (Packers) vs. Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
Any meeting between Brady, 44, and
Rodgers, 38, could end up being the last between two of the best
quarterbacks ever. That said, it also wouldn’t
be a shock if they end up facing each other in this season’s NFC
Championship Game.
Week 4
- Carson Wentz (Commanders) vs. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
- Josh Allen (Bills) vs. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Russell Wilson (Broncos) vs. Derek Carr (Raiders)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
Seeing Mahomes on the list every week
in the season’s first month showcases how difficult Kansas City’s
schedule is out of the gate. Their first eight games are all against
opponents who finished 2021 with a record above .500, including Brady and the Bucs.
Week 5
- Matt Ryan (Colts) vs. Russell Wilson (Broncos)
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Deshaun Watson (Browns)
- Dak Prescott (Cowboys) vs. Matthew Stafford (Rams)
- Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Derek Carr (Raiders) vs. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
Burrow and the Bengals surprised a lot
of people by making it all the way to last season’s Super Bowl before
falling just short against the Rams. Now they’ll try to establish
themselves as perennial contenders by dominating the Ravens and the rest of the AFC North.
Week 6
- Josh Allen (Bills) vs. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
- Russell Wilson (Broncos) vs. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
A light week for marquee QB matchups is
offset by fans getting to see another clash between Allen and
Mahomes, who put on one of the best quarterbacking displays in
playoff history earlier this year, with the Chiefs ultimately scoring
a 42-36 overtime win.
Week 7
- Aaron Rodgers (Packers) vs. Carson Wentz (Commanders)
- Deshaun Watson (Browns) vs. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
A wide gap has emerged between Wentz’s strong numbers (140 TD, 57 INT) and his reputation after he wore out his
welcome after just one season in Indianapolis. He’ll look to secure a
longer stay in Washington, which otherwise has a roster ready to
contend.
Week 8
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens) vs. Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
- Russell Wilson (Broncos) vs. Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)
- Aaron Rodgers (Packers) vs. Josh Allen (Bills)
- Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Deshaun Watson (Browns)
Lawrence struggled as a rookie
after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2021. It was
hardly an ideal situation given Urban Meyer’s disastrous tenure as
head coach, however, so he’ll look to showcase his high-end talent
more consistently in his second season.
Week 9
- Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) vs. Justin Fields (Bears)
- Matthew Stafford (Rams) vs. Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
It could be a make-or-break year for
both Tagovailoa and Fields, who’ve flashed upside early in their
NFL careers but still have work to do before they reach the upper
echelon of signal-callers. If clear progress isn’t made in 2022,
their teams could look elsewhere next offseason.
Week 10
- Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) vs. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
- Matt Ryan (Colts) vs. Derek Carr (Raiders)
- Dak Prescott (Cowboys) vs. Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
- Kyler Murray (Cardinals) vs. Matthew Stafford (Rams)
All of the quarterback
movement combined with the drama surrounding the brief retirement of
Brady has led Rodgers, who’s won NFL MVP each of the last
two seasons, to fly below the radar entering 2022. How will he
perform without Davante Adams as his top target?
Week 11
- Deshaun Watson (Browns) vs. Josh Allen (Bills)
- Derek Carr (Raiders) vs. Russell Wilson (Broncos)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
Watson’s status for 2022 remains unsettled as he faces 22 civil lawsuits from women who
allege sexual assault and misconduct after he hired them for massage
sessions. The Browns gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million
contract to fill their longtime QB void.
Week 12
- Tom Brady (Buccaneers) vs. Deshaun Watson (Browns)
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
- Matthew Stafford (Rams) vs. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
Murray was an MVP candidate after the
Cards raced out to a 7-0 start last season. They collapsed after
that, going 4-6 down the stretch and losing their playoff opener,
which puts the spotlight on the dual-threat playmaker to put together
a more complete 2022 campaign.
Week 13
- Russell Wilson (Broncos) vs. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Derek Carr (Raiders)
Jackson’s play has trended in the wrong
direction since winning the 2019 MVP, including 16 turnovers in 12
appearances last year. He’s still among the league’s most dynamic
players and is a strong bet to bounce back this fall.
Week 14
- Derek Carr (Raiders) vs. Matthew Stafford (Rams)
- Deshaun Watson (Browns) vs. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Russell Wilson (Broncos)
Does Carr belong among the top tier of
NFL QBs? His 92.4 career passer rating ranks 10th among active
quarterbacks and the Raiders showed faith by giving him a three-year,
$121.5 million extension, but he still has a lot to prove entering
2022.
Week 15
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens) vs. Deshaun Watson (Browns)
- Kyler Murray (Cardinals) vs. Russell Wilson (Broncos)
- Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
- Matthew Stafford (Rams) vs. Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
The NFC doesn’t feature nearly as much
quarterback depth as the AFC, so meetings between the conference’s
top signal-callers occur less frequently. The matchup between
Stafford and Rodgers at this stage of the season could be crucial in
the race for the top seed.
Week 16
- Russell Wilson (Broncos) vs. Matthew Stafford (Rams)
- Tom Brady (Buccaneers) vs. Kyler Murray (Cardinals)
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Matt Ryan (Colts)
The NFL is holding a tripleheader on
Christmas Day for the first time, and it delivered a few presents for
fans with Wilson vs. Stafford and Brady vs. Murray. At least one, and
possibility a few, of those quarterbacks figure to remain in the MVP
race at that late stage.
Week 17
- Russell Wilson (Broncos) vs. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
- Matthew Stafford (Rams) vs. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
- Josh Allen (Bills) vs. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
With the AFC West teams likely to beat
up on each other, there’s a strong possibility the Bills and
Bengals could be fighting atop the conference standings. That could
add a lot of drama to a Monday Night Football meeting between Allen
and Burrow in the penultimate week.
Week 18
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens) vs. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
- Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Russell Wilson (Broncos)
- Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) vs. Derek Carr (Raiders)
- Dak Prescott (Cowboys) vs. Carson Wentz (Commanders)
No quarterback faces a more daunting
schedule than Mahomes. He’s facing off with a star quarterback most weeks and he’ll be expected to carry the Chiefs to the playoffs
despite the offseason trade of his top receiver, Tyreek Hill, to the
Dolphins.
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