AFC West schedule highlights: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady to meet
Ready for a Super Bowl 55 rematch?
The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet in Week 4 in Tampa Bay on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” marking the sixth meeting between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. Brady leads the series 3-2, including a 31-9 victory in Super Bowl 55 in 2021.
The matchup was announced Thursday morning by the NFL, which unveiled the entire 2022 schedule later in the day.
The AFC West is perhaps the NFL’s marquee division, featuring four Pro Bowl quarterbacks and a slew of other All-Pro caliber players. As such, several games involving AFC West teams will be featured in prime time, including the first “Monday Night Football” game of the season between the Denver Broncos and their new quarterback, Russell Wilson, against his former team, the Seattle Seahawks.
Let’s examine other scheduling highlights within the division.
Broncos
■ Opponents’ 2021 winning percentage: .509 (15th toughest).
Wilson makes his “Sunday Night Football” debut for the Broncos in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers, one week before his first trip to Allegiant Stadium. A “Thursday Night Football” game versus the Indianapolis Colts follows in Week 5, and precedes a key divisional matchup in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Broncos go across the pond in Week 8 to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium, and Wilson concludes the tour of his former division in Weeks 15 and 16 with games against the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
Denver’s season ends two weeks later against the Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High.
Chargers
■ Opponents’ 2021 winning percentage: .519 (10th toughest).
The Chargers begin their season against the Raiders at SoFi Stadium and open Week 2 with a “Thursday Night Football” game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Another prime-time game awaits in Week 6 when they travel to Denver for “Monday Night Football.”
A Week 9 trip to San Francisco will be featured on “Sunday Night Football,” and Week 16 and 17 matchups against the Colts and Rams will be featured on “Monday Night Football” and “Sunday Night Football.”
In Week 13, the Chargers play the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, where they lost 35-32 in overtime in the final game of the 2021 regular season, denying them a postseason berth.
Chiefs
■ Opponents’ 2021 winning percentage: .533 (sixth toughest).
A Week 6 home game against the Buffalo Bills is among the highlights for the six-time defending division champions. The teams played an epic playoff game last season, won by the Chiefs in overtime. Another highlight is a Week 9 home game on “Sunday Night Football” against the Tennessee Titans, whom the Chiefs beat in the AFC championship game en route to their Super Bowl 54 championship.
Remember the epic “Monday Night Football” game in 2018 against the Rams that concluded with 105 points? The Chiefs and Rams will meet in Week 12 in Los Angeles. The following week takes the Chiefs to Cincinnati for a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game against the Bengals.
They end their season against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
