Regular season | |
---|---|
Duration | September 8, 2022 – January 8, 2023 |
Playoffs | |
Start date | January 14, 2023 |
AFC Champions | Kansas City Chiefs |
NFC Champions | Philadelphia Eagles |
Super Bowl LVII | |
Date | February 12, 2023 |
Site | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona |
Champions | Kansas City Chiefs |
Pro Bowl | |
Date | February 5, 2023 |
Site | Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada |
The 2022 NFL season was the 103rd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams falling to Buffalo in the NFL Kickoff Game, and ended on January 8, 2023. The playoffs started on January 14 and concluded with Super Bowl LVII, the league's championship game, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12, with Kansas City defeating Philadelphia. [1]
The former Washington Redskins, after two seasons of using the placeholder name Washington Football Team, were renamed the Washington Commanders prior to the start of the season. [2]
The week 17 game between Buffalo and Cincinnati was canceled after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered a nonfatal cardiac arrest on the field of play. It was the first regular season game to be canceled and not rescheduled since the 1987 NFLPA players' strike. [3]
The 2022 NFL league year and trading period began on March 16. On March 14, teams were allowed to exercise options for 2022 on players with option clauses in their contracts, submit qualifying offers to their pending restricted free agents, and submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2021 contracts and fewer than three accrued seasons of free agent credit. Teams were required to be under the salary cap using the "top 51" definition (in which the 51 highest paid-players on the team's payroll must have a combined salary cap). On March 16, clubs were allowed to contact and begin contract negotiations with players whose contracts had expired and thus became unrestricted free agents.
C | Center | CB | Cornerback | DB | Defensive back | DE | Defensive end [lower-alpha 1] | |||
DL | Defensive lineman | DT | Defensive tackle | FB | Fullback | FS | Free safety | |||
G | Guard [lower-alpha 2] | K | Kicker [lower-alpha 3] | KR | Kickoff returner | LB | Linebacker | |||
LS | Long snapper | MLB | Middle linebacker [lower-alpha 4] | OT | Offensive tackle | OL | Offensive lineman | |||
OLB | Outside linebacker [lower-alpha 1] | NT | Nose tackle | P | Punter | PR | Punt returner | |||
QB | Quarterback | RS | Return specialist | RB | Running back | S | Safety | |||
SS | Strong safety | TE | Tight end | WR | Wide receiver |
Free agency began on March 16. Notable players to change teams included:
The following notable trades were made during the 2022 league year:
Notable retirements
Other retirements
The 2022 NFL draft was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from April 28–30. [102] Jacksonville, by virtue of having the worst record in 2021, held the first overall selection and selected linebacker Travon Walker out of Georgia.
Among the officiating changes in 2022, referee Tony Corrente retired after 27 seasons in the NFL. Umpire Tra Blake was promoted the replace Corrente. Blake had been a referee in the Alliance of American Football in 2019 and in the 2020 version of the XFL before joining the NFL later in 2020. [103]
Side Judge Lo van Pham was hired from the Big 12 Conference, becoming the league's first Asian-American NFL official. [104]
Down Judge Robin DeLorenzo became the third female NFL official, joining Sarah Thomas and Maia Chaka. [105]
The NFL Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee announced the following policy changes on March 28: [106]
The following rule changes were approved at the NFL Owner's Meeting on March 28: [107]
The following changes to roster management were made on May 25: [108]
The following change to the concussion protocol was made on October 8, following Tua Tagovailoa's injury in week 3: [109]
The following enhancements and updates to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts was announced at the NFL Fall League Meeting on October 18: [110]
The majority of training camps began on July 27. The preseason began on August 4 with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, in which Las Vegas (represented in the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 by Richard Seymour and Cliff Branch) defeated Jacksonville (represented by Tony Boselli). [123]
In March, the league passed a resolution to require the use of "Guardian Caps", oversized outer layers of padding placed on the helmet, from the start of training camp through the second preseason game for offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, and tight ends. [124] A guardian cap is a soft-shell padding aimed to decrease forces sustained during head-to-head contact and limit head injuries that may come with such contact. [125]
The NFL released the 2022 regular season schedule on May 12, with select games announced in advance of the full schedule release. [126]
The season is planned to be played over an 18-week schedule beginning on September 8. Each of the league's 32 teams plays 17 games, with one bye week for each team. The regular season ended on January 8, 2023; all games during the final weekend will be intra-division games, as it has been since 2010.
Each team plays the other three teams in its own division twice, one game against each of the four teams from a division in its own conference, one game against each of the four teams from a division in the other conference, one game against each of the remaining two teams in its conference that finished in the same position in their respective divisions the previous season (e.g., the team that finished fourth in its division would play all three other teams in its conference that also finished fourth in their divisions), and one game against a team in another division in the other conference that also finished in the same position in their respective division the previous season.
The division pairings for 2022 are as follows: [127]
Four intra-conference games | Four interconference games | Interconference game by 2021 position |
Highlights of the 2022 season include:
Week 11:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 17:
Week 18:
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The 2022 playoffs began with the wild-card round, with three wild-card games played in each conference. Wild Card Weekend took place from January 14–16, 2023. The Divisional round was played from January 21–22, in which the top seed in each conference played the lowest remaining seed and the two remaining teams played each other. The winners of those games advanced to the Conference Championship games, which were played on January 29. The NFC (Philadelphia) and AFC champions (Kansas City) advanced to Super Bowl LVII, which was played on February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. [146]
Jan 15 – Paycor Stadium | Jan 22 – Highmark Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Baltimore | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Cincinnati | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Cincinnati | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 29 – Arrowhead Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 15 – Highmark Stadium | 2 | Buffalo | 10 | |||||||||||||||
AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
7 | Miami | 31 | 3 | Cincinnati | 20 | |||||||||||||
Jan 21 – Arrowhead Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | Buffalo | 34 | 1 | Kansas City | 23 | |||||||||||||
AFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 14 – TIAA Bank Field | 4 | Jacksonville | 20 | |||||||||||||||
1 | Kansas City | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | LA Chargers | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
Divisional playoffs | Feb 12 – State Farm Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Jacksonville | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
Wild Card playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
A1 | Kansas City | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 16 – Raymond James Stadium | Jan 22 – Levi's Stadium | N1 | Philadelphia | 35 | ||||||||||||||
Super Bowl LVII | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | Dallas | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
4 | Tampa Bay | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | Dallas | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 29 – Lincoln Financial Field | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 14 – Levi's Stadium | 2 | San Francisco | 19 | |||||||||||||||
NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
7 | Seattle | 23 | 2 | San Francisco | 7 | |||||||||||||
Jan 21 – Lincoln Financial Field | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | San Francisco | 41 | 1 | Philadelphia | 31 | |||||||||||||
NFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
Jan 15 – U.S. Bank Stadium | 6 | NY Giants | 7 | |||||||||||||||
1 | Philadelphia | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
6 | NY Giants | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
3 | Minnesota | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Wild Card Round
Divisional Round
Conference Championship Games
Super Bowl LVII
Individual [234] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Scoring leader | Jason Myers | Seattle | 143 |
Most field goals made | Justin Tucker | Baltimore | 37 |
Touchdowns | Austin Ekeler | Los Angeles Chargers | 18 |
Rushing yards | Josh Jacobs | Las Vegas | 1,653 |
Passing yards | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 5,250 |
Passing touchdowns | 41 | ||
Interceptions thrown | Davis Mills | Houston | 15 |
Dak Prescott | Dallas | ||
Passer rating | Tua Tagovailoa | Miami | 105.5 |
Pass receptions | Justin Jefferson | Minnesota | 128 |
Pass receiving yards | 1,809 | ||
Combined tackles | Foye Oluokun | Jacksonville | 184 |
Interceptions | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Pittsburgh | 6 |
C.J. Gardner-Johnson | Philadelphia | ||
Justin Simmons | Denver | ||
Tariq Woolen | Seattle | ||
Punting | Ryan Stonehouse | Tennessee | 4,779; avg 53.1 |
Sacks | Nick Bosa | San Francisco | 18.5 |
The 12th Annual NFL Honors, saluting the best players and plays from the 2022 season, was held on February 9, 2023, at the Phoenix Symphony Hall in Phoenix, Arizona.
The following players were named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press: [235]
|
Special teams | |||||
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K | Daniel Carlson (Las Vegas) | ||||
P | Tommy Townsend (Kansas City) | ||||
KR | Keisean Nixon (Green Bay) | ||||
PR | Marcus Jones (New England) | ||||
ST | Jeremy Reaves (Washington) | ||||
LS | Andrew DePaola (Minnesota) |
The following were named the top performers during the 2022 season:
Week/ Month | Offensive Player of the Week/Month | Defensive Player of the Week/Month | Special Teams Player of the Week/Month | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AFC | NFC | AFC | NFC | AFC | NFC | |
1 [236] | Patrick Mahomes QB (Kansas City) | Saquon Barkley RB (New York Giants) | Minkah Fitzpatrick S (Pittsburgh) | Uchenna Nwosu LB (Seattle) | Cade York K (Cleveland) | Zech McPhearson CB (Philadelphia) |
2 [237] | Tua Tagovailoa QB (Miami) | Amon-Ra St. Brown WR (Detroit) | Jaylen Watson CB (Kansas City) | Darius Slay CB (Philadelphia) | Braden Mann P (New York Jets) | Graham Gano K (New York Giants) |
3 [238] | Trevor Lawrence QB (Jacksonville) | Cordarrelle Patterson RB (Atlanta) | Trey Hendrickson DE (Cincinnati) | Brandon Graham DE (Philadelphia) | Corliss Waitman P (Denver) | Pat O'Donnell P (Green Bay) |
Sept. [239] | Lamar Jackson QB (Baltimore) | Jalen Hurts QB (Philadelphia) | Melvin Ingram LB (Miami) | Devin White LB (Tampa Bay) | Tommy Townsend P (Kansas City) | Mitch Wishnowsky P (San Francisco) |
4 [240] | Patrick Mahomes QB (Kansas City) | Geno Smith QB (Seattle) | Jordan Poyer S (Buffalo) | Haason Reddick LB (Philadelphia) | Evan McPherson K (Cincinnati) | Greg Joseph K (Minnesota) |
5 [241] | Josh Allen QB (Buffalo) | Taysom Hill TE (New Orleans) | Matthew Judon LB (New England) | Micah Parsons LB (Dallas) | Chase McLaughlin K (Indianapolis) | Cameron Dicker K (Philadelphia) |
6 [242] | Josh Allen QB (Buffalo) | Marcus Mariota QB (Atlanta) | Quinnen Williams DT (New York Jets) | Tariq Woolen CB (Seattle) | Dustin Hopkins K (Los Angeles Chargers) | Ryan Wright P (Minnesota) |
7 [243] | Joe Burrow QB (Cincinnati) | Daniel Jones QB (New York Giants) | Sauce Gardner CB (New York Jets) | Marco Wilson CB (Arizona) | Randy Bullock K (Tennessee) | Cairo Santos K (Chicago) |
8 [244] | Derrick Henry RB (Tennessee) | Christian McCaffrey RB (San Francisco) | Dre'Mont Jones DE (Denver) | Za'Darius Smith LB (Minnesota) | Nick Folk K (New England) | Will Dissly TE (Seattle) |
Oct. [245] | Derrick Henry RB (Tennessee) | Geno Smith QB (Seattle) | Quinnen Williams DT (New York Jets) | Za'Darius Smith LB (Minnesota) | Ryan Stonehouse P (Tennessee) | Tress Way P (Washington) |
9 [246] | Joe Mixon RB (Cincinnati) | Justin Fields QB (Chicago) | Justin Houston LB (Baltimore) | Kerby Joseph CB (Detroit) | Cameron Dicker K (Los Angeles Chargers) | Jake Camarda P (Tampa Bay) |
10 [247] | Jonathan Taylor RB (Indianapolis) | Justin Jefferson WR (Minnesota) | Alex Highsmith LB (Pittsburgh) | Devin White LB (Tampa Bay) | Ryan Stonehouse P (Tennessee) | Joey Slye K (Washington) |
11 [248] | Travis Kelce TE (Kansas City) | Tony Pollard RB (Dallas) | Matt Milano LB (Buffalo) | Aidan Hutchinson DE (Detroit) | Marcus Jones PR (New England) | Cordarrelle Patterson KR (Atlanta) |
12 [249] | Josh Jacobs RB (Las Vegas) | Jalen Hurts QB (Philadelphia) | Ed Oliver DT (Buffalo) | Brian Burns DE (Carolina) | J. K. Scott P (Los Angeles Chargers) | Kene Nwangwu RB (Minnesota) |
Nov. [250] | Patrick Mahomes QB (Kansas City) | Justin Jefferson WR (Minnesota) | Derwin James S (Los Angeles Chargers) | Nick Bosa DE (San Francisco) | Tyler Bass K (Buffalo) | Joey Slye K (Washington) |
13 [251] | Joe Burrow QB (Cincinnati) | Jalen Hurts QB (Philadelphia) | Chandler Jones DE (Las Vegas) | Nick Bosa DE (San Francisco) | Donovan Peoples-Jones WR (Cleveland) | Michael Badgley K (Detroit) |
14 [252] | Trevor Lawrence QB (Jacksonville) | Baker Mayfield QB (Los Angeles Rams) | Josh Uche LB (New England) | Brandon Graham DE (Philadelphia) | Calais Campbell DE (Baltimore) | Eddy Piñeiro K (Carolina) |
15 [253] | Josh Allen QB (Buffalo) | Kirk Cousins QB (Minnesota) | Rayshawn Jenkins S (Jacksonville) | Kayvon Thibodeaux LB (New York Giants) | Tommy Townsend P (Kansas City) | Kalif Raymond WR (Detroit) |
16 [254] | Joe Burrow QB (Cincinnati) | D'Onta Foreman RB (Carolina) | Cameron Heyward DT (Pittsburgh) | Nick Bosa DE (San Francisco) | Riley Patterson K (Jacksonville) | Greg Joseph K (Minnesota) |
17 [255] | Austin Ekeler RB (Los Angeles Chargers) | Mike Evans WR (Tampa Bay) | Kyle Dugger SS (New England) | Cameron Jordan DE (New Orleans) | Corey Bojorquez P (Cleveland) | Keisean Nixon CB (Green Bay) |
18 [256] | Jerry Jeudy WR (Denver) | Jamaal Williams RB (Detroit) | Josh Allen OLB (Jacksonville) | Quandre Diggs S (Seattle) | Nyheim Hines RB (Buffalo) | Jake Elliott K (Philadelphia) |
Dec./Jan. [257] | Jerick McKinnon RB (Chiefs) | Christian McCaffrey RB (San Francisco) | Roquan Smith LB (Baltimore) | Haason Reddick LB (Eagles) | Cameron Dicker K (Los Angeles Chargers) | Younghoe Koo K (Atlanta) |
|
Month | Rookie of the Month | |
---|---|---|
Offensive | Defensive | |
Sept. [239] | Chris Olave WR (New Orleans) | Devin Lloyd LB (Jacksonville) |
Oct. [245] | Kenneth Walker III RB (Seattle) | Tariq Woolen CB (Seattle) |
Nov. [250] | Christian Watson WR (Green Bay) | Aidan Hutchinson DE (Detroit) |
Dec./Jan. [257] | Brock Purdy QB (San Francisco) | Aidan Hutchinson DE (Detroit) |
On February 1, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL, the Dolphins, the New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos, alleging racism, violations of federal employment law, and that his interviews were a sham meant solely to fulfill the Rooney Rule. [260] The lawsuit also alleges that during Flores' tenure with the Dolphins, team owner Stephen M. Ross pressured him to deliberately lose games, offering him $100,000 for each game he lost in order for the Dolphins to get better draft picks for the following season and that Ross fired Flores after he refused to comply with this pressure. [261] The lawsuit seeks damages and injunctive relief in the form of changes to hiring, retention, termination, and pay transparency practices for coaching and executive positions in the NFL. [262]
On April 6, former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks and former assistant coach Ray Horton joined the lawsuit with similar allegations against the league, the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans. [263]
In March and April 2021, then-Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was accused by 22 massage therapists of sexual misconduct. [264]
On March 11, 2022, a grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges related to "harassment and sexual misconduct". On that date he still faced 22 civil lawsuits, many alleging sexual misconduct and assault. [265] After being cleared of criminal charges, Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns and agreed to a new, fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns, the most guaranteed money in NFL history. [266]
After two more accusers joined the lawsuit in June 2022, Watson settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits in July and August. [267]
On August 1, as a result of these allegations, Watson was suspended for six regular season games to start the 2022 season by judge Sue Lewis Robinson. [268] Two days later, the NFL appealed the suspension, seeking to extend the suspension to at least a full season as well as seeking a fine and establishing a requirement for Watson to seek treatment for his conduct. [269] The appeal was reviewed by former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey. [270] [271]
On August 18, after the NFL and the NFLPA reached a settlement, Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the season and was fined $5 million. [272]
On August 2, it was announced that following a six-month independent investigation by Mary Jo White and a team of lawyers, the Miami Dolphins would forfeit their 2023 first-round draft pick and a 2024 third-round pick for violating the league's anti-tampering policy on three occasions from 2019 to 2022 by engaging in impermissible conversations with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton, both of whom were under contract with other teams. Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross was also fined $1.5 million and suspended through October 17, and was prohibited from being at the Dolphins' facility or representing the team at any event until then. He was also prohibited from attending any league meeting before the annual meeting in 2023 and was removed from all league committees indefinitely. [273] Vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal was fined $500,000 and was not permitted to attend any league meetings for the rest of the 2022 season. [274]
On August 9, the league owners unanimously approved the sale of the Denver Broncos from the trust of Pat Bowlen to a group consisting of Rob Walton, Carrie Walton Penner, Greg Penner, Mellody Hobson, Condoleezza Rice, and Lewis Hamilton for $4.65 billion. [275] [276]
During the week 17 Monday Night Football game on January 2 between Buffalo and Cincinnati, Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and remained motionless after making a tackle on Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins. Medical staff rushed to his side near midfield to perform CPR, and used a defibrillator on Hamlin before taking him by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. It was later revealed that he had suffered cardiac arrest and was in critical condition. The game was halted, and the two teams returned to their locker rooms. At the time, there was 5:58 remaining in the first quarter, with Cincinnati leading 7–3.
It was reported by both ESPN and Westwood One [277] that play would resume and teams would be given a warm-up period for five minutes. However, the game remained suspended, and the NFL later denied the reports it planned to compel the teams to finish the game that evening. [278] Shortly after 10 p.m., an hour after Hamlin's medical emergency, the game was postponed until further notice by the NFL. [279]
The following day, the NFL released a statement saying the game would not be resumed that week, but that it had not made a decision on when or whether it would be rescheduled. [280] [281] On January 5, the NFL announced that the game would be canceled entirely, saying, it was "difficult, but necessary" under the "extraordinary circumstances". It was the first time since the 1987 players' strike that a regular season game was canceled. [282] Addressing the implications for team standings and playoffs, it said "not playing the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to its conclusion will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason. No club would qualify for the postseason and no club will be eliminated based on the outcome of this game." [283] As a result, both teams finished the season with only 16 regular season games, making it the first time since 1935 in which some teams played more regular season games than the others. [142]
Team | Departing coach | Interim coach | Incoming coach | Reason for leaving | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago Bears | Matt Nagy | Matt Eberflus | Fired | Nagy was fired on January 10 after four seasons with the Bears. During his tenure, the Bears were 34–31 (.523) with one NFC North division title in two overall playoff appearances, both ending with first round losses. [284] Eberflus, who spent the previous four seasons as the Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator, was hired on January 27. This is his first head coaching position. [285] | |
Denver Broncos | Vic Fangio | Nathaniel Hackett | Fangio was fired on January 9 after three seasons with the Broncos. During his tenure, the Broncos were 19–30 (.388) with no playoff appearances. [286] Hackett, who spent the previous three seasons as the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator, was hired on January 27. This was his first head coaching position. [287] | ||
Houston Texans | David Culley | Lovie Smith | Culley was fired on January 13 after one season with the Texans, finishing with a 4–13 (.235) record and missing the playoffs. [288] Smith, who spent the previous season as Houston's defensive coordinator and associate head coach, was hired on February 7. This was his third head coaching position in the NFL. As the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2004 – 2012, the team's overall record was 81–63 (.563), with three playoff appearances, three NFC North division titles, an appearance in Super Bowl XLI, and a 3–3 (.500) playoff record. He also won AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2005. As the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014 – 2015, the team was 8–24 (.250), with no playoff appearances. [289] | ||
Jacksonville Jaguars | Urban Meyer | Darrell Bevell | Doug Pederson | Meyer was fired on December 16, 2021, due to a season full of on- and off-the-field issues. During Meyer's single partial season in Jacksonville, the Jaguars were 2–11 (.154). [290] [291] Bevell, the team's offensive coordinator since 2021, was promoted to interim head coach. This is his second head coaching position, after serving as interim head coach for the Detroit Lions in 2020, where he obtained a record of 1–4 (.200). He finished out the 2021 season with a 1–3 (.250) record. [290] Pederson was hired on February 3. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020 with a record of 42–37–1 (.531), three playoff appearances with a record of 4–2 (.667), two NFC East division titles, and the Super Bowl LII championship. [292] | |
Las Vegas Raiders | Jon Gruden | Rich Bisaccia | Josh McDaniels | Resigned | Gruden resigned on October 11, 2021, due to the publication of controversial emails prior to becoming the Raiders head coach. In Gruden's 3+ seasons during his second stint with Oakland/Las Vegas, the Raiders were 22–31 (.415) with no playoff appearances. [293] [294] Bisaccia, the team's special teams coordinator and assistant head coach since 2018, was promoted to interim head coach. This was his first head coaching position after 20 years as an assistant coach in the NFL. He finished out the 2021 regular season with a 7–5 (.583) record, leading the Raiders to a Wild Card playoff appearance. [295] McDaniels, who spent the previous 10 seasons as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (and a total of 18 seasons as an assistant coach with New England in two stints), was hired on January 31. He was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2009 – 2010 with a record of 11–17 (.393) and no playoff appearances. [296] |
Miami Dolphins | Brian Flores | Mike McDaniel | Fired | Flores was fired on January 10 after three seasons with the Dolphins. During his tenure, the Dolphins were 24–25 (.490) with no playoff appearances. [297] McDaniel, who spent the previous five seasons as the San Francisco 49ers offensive and run game coordinator, was hired on February 6. This is his first head coaching position. [298] | |
Minnesota Vikings | Mike Zimmer | Kevin O'Connell | Zimmer was fired on January 10 after eight seasons with the Vikings. During his tenure, the Vikings were 72–56–1 (.562) with two NFC North division titles in three overall playoff appearances, one NFC Championship Game appearance, and a playoff record of 2–3 (.400). [299] O'Connell, who spent the previous two seasons as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator, was hired on February 16. This is his first head coaching position. [300] | ||
New Orleans Saints | Sean Payton | Dennis Allen | Retired | Payton retired on January 25 after 15 seasons with the Saints. His overall record was 152–89 (.631), with nine playoff appearances including seven NFC South titles, the Super Bowl XLIV title, and a playoff record of 9–8 (.529). He also won AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2006. [301] [302] [303] Allen, who spent the previous seven seasons as the Saints defensive coordinator (and a total of 12 seasons as an assistant coach with New Orleans in two stints), was hired on February 8. This is his second head coaching position; he had previously served as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2012 – 2014, with a record of 8–28 (.222) and no playoff appearances. [304] | |
New York Giants | Joe Judge | Brian Daboll | Fired | Judge was fired on January 11 after two seasons with the Giants. During his tenure, the Giants were 10–23 (.303) with no playoff appearances. [305] Daboll, who spent the previous four seasons as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, was hired on January 28. This is his first head coaching position. [306] | |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bruce Arians | Todd Bowles | Retired | Arians announced his retirement on March 30 after three seasons with the Buccaneers. During his tenure, the Buccaneers were 31–18 (.633) with two playoff appearances including one NFC South title, the Super Bowl LV title, and a playoff record of 5–1 (.833). Arians had previously retired following the 2017 season after five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, spending one year as a commentator for CBS before returning to coaching. Bowles, who spent the previous three seasons as the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator, was promoted the same day. This is his third head coaching position; he had previously served as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins for the last three weeks of the 2011 season, and as head coach of the New York Jets from 2015 – 2018, with a combined record of 26–41 (.388) and no playoff appearances. [307] |
Team | Departing coach | Reason for leaving | Interim replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina Panthers | Matt Rhule | Fired | Steve Wilks | After a 1–4 start, Rhule was fired October 10 after 2+ seasons with the team. During his tenure, the Panthers were 11–27 (.289) with no playoff appearances. Wilks, the team's defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach, took over as interim coach. This is his second NFL head coaching position, having previously been the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, with a record of 3–13 (.188) and no playoff appearances. [308] |
Indianapolis Colts | Frank Reich | Jeff Saturday | Reich was fired on November 7 after starting the season 3–5–1 (.389). In 5+ seasons with the Colts, Reich was 40–33–1 (.547), with 2 playoff appearances and a playoff record of 1–2 (.333). [309] Saturday, a 6-time Pro Bowler who played 14 seasons as a center in the NFL (13 with the Colts), and current consultant for the team, was named interim head coach. His only previous coaching experience at any level was for Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Georgia. [310] He is the first coach hired with no prior coaching experience either in the NFL or college since Norm Van Brocklin in 1961. [311] | |
Denver Broncos | Nathaniel Hackett | Jerry Rosburg | Hackett was fired on December 26, after a 4–11 (.267) tenure, missing the playoffs in his only partial season with the team. [312] Rosburg, the team's senior assistant to the head coach, was named interim head coach. This is his first head coaching position; he previously served as the Baltimore Ravens special team coordinator for eleven seasons. [313] |
Team | Position | Departing office holder | Incoming office holder | Reason for leaving | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baltimore Ravens | President | Dick Cass | Sashi Brown | Retired | Cass retired on February 4 after 18 years with the team, during which the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII. Brown was hired the same day, effective April 1. He was previously the Cleveland Browns' GM from 2016 to 2017. [314] |
Denver Broncos | Joe Ellis | Damani Leech | Resigned | Ellis stepped down from his position as president and CEO on August 9 after the sale of the team. He had served with the Broncos for 27 years, the last eight as CEO. [315] Leech was hired on August 11. He was the COO of NFL International from 2019 until the hiring. [316] | |
Las Vegas Raiders | Dan Ventrelle | Sandra Douglass Morgan | Fired | After about 19 years with the Raiders including one season as president, Ventrelle was fired on May 6. Ventrelle alleged he was fired for reporting a hostile work environment. [317] Douglass Morgan was hired on July 7. She previously served as chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board from 2019 to 2020. She is the first black female president in NFL history. [318] | |
Chicago Bears | General manager | Ryan Pace | Ryan Poles | After seven years with the Bears, Pace was fired on January 10. [284] Poles was hired on January 25. He previously served for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009 to 2021 in various executive roles and in the final year as the executive director of player personnel. [319] | |
Las Vegas Raiders | Mike Mayock | Dave Ziegler | After three years with the Raiders, Mayock was fired on January 17. [320] Ziegler was hired on January 30. He previously served for the New England Patriots from 2013 to 2021 in various executive roles and in the final year as the director of player personnel. [321] | ||
Minnesota Vikings | Rick Spielman | Kwesi Adofo-Mensah | After sixteen years with the Vikings and ten years as the GM, Spielman was fired on January 10. [299] Adofo-Mensah was hired on January 26. He previously served as the vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns from 2020 to 2021 and also served for the San Francisco 49ers in football research and development. [322] | ||
New York Giants | Dave Gettleman | Joe Schoen | Retired | After four years as the Giants GM and fourteen years total over two tenures with the team, Gettleman announced his retirement on January 10. [323] Schoen was hired on January 21. He previously served as the assistant GM for the Buffalo Bills from 2017 to 2021 and also served for the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins in various executive roles. [324] | |
Pittsburgh Steelers | Kevin Colbert | Omar Khan | After eleven years as the Steelers GM, six years additionally as vice president, and 22 years total with the team in various executive roles, Colbert retired after the 2022 NFL draft. [325] Khan was hired on May 25. He has served in various roles with the Steelers for 21 years, most recently as the vice president of football and business administration since 2016. [326] |
Team | Position | 2022 office holder | Reason for leaving | Interim replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tennessee Titans | General manager | Jon Robinson | Fired | Ryan Cowden | Robinson was fired on December 6 after 6+ seasons as the Titans' GM, despite a relatively successful tenure with the Titans, including 2 AFC South titles, 4 playoff appearances, and an AFC Championship appearance in 2019. Cowden, the team's vice president of player personnel, will serve as interim GM for the rest of the season. [327] |
In June 2021, the NFL approved a rule that would allow teams to wear alternate helmets for the 2022 season, repealing a one-helmet rule put in place in 2013. Alternate helmets are required to be accompanied with alternate uniforms. [351]
During weeks 4 and 5, players, executives, and coaches wore patches and decals of international flags to represent their national heritage. Over 50 countries and territories were represented, with over 200 individuals participating. [372] [373] [374]
This was the ninth and final season under the current broadcast contracts with CBS, Fox, and NBC, before new 11-year contracts for all three networks begin in 2023. [375] This included "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season, regardless of the conference of the visiting team. Super Bowl LVII was televised by Fox in English and Fox Deportes in Spanish.
Following the expiration of their eight-year contract, ESPN and ABC agreed to a one-year bridge contract for the 2022 season, before their new 11-year contract takes effect in 2023 to coincide with those of the other three broadcasters. As with the previous season, ESPN held the rights to a Saturday doubleheader during the final week of the season, simulcast with ABC, along with more simulcasts of select Monday Night Football games on ABC. Also this year, ABC aired its first exclusive game since 2005 on September 19, as part of a split-network doubleheader with ESPN. [376]
Under separate deals, this was the second postseason in NBC and ABC/ESPN's seven- and five-year deals to air the Sunday and Monday night Wild Card games, respectively. [377] [378] Fox replaced CBS in televising two Wild Card games during this postseason. [379]
The 2022 season was the first time that three games aired on Christmas Day, consisting of an afternoon doubleheader on CBS and Fox. with the traditional Sunday Night football game on NBC.
NFL Network continued to televise select regular season games, including three International Series games. [380] [376]
Fox Deportes aired Spanish-language coverage of Fox games. ESPN Deportes did the same for ESPN/ABC games, CBS games was available on SAP, and Universo/ Telemundo Deportes (select games) did the same for NBC games.
ESPN2's Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli was renewed for an additional season, taking it through the 2024 NFL season. [381] CBS will continue to produce alternative, youth-oriented telecasts of selected games on sister channel Nickelodeon; in lieu of a Wild Card playoff game, like in previous years, Nickelodeon simulcast CBS's Christmas Day game, marking its first regular-season broadcast. [133]
This was the final season under DirecTV's deal for exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market sports package. DirecTV has held exclusive rights since the package's launch in 1994. DirecTV executives have questioned the current value of NFL Sunday Ticket after losing money over the past few years. In September 2021, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that NFL Sunday Ticket could be more attractive on a digital platform. [382] On December 22, 2022, it was announced that Google had acquired the rights to Sunday Ticket and that it would be streamed on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels starting in 2023. [383]
This was the first year of a 12-year deal in which Thursday Night Football exclusively streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch (outside of the home markets which those games will still air on local over the air broadcast stations). [384] Fox and NFL Network opted out of their final season of the previous five year (2018–2022) TNF deal, allowing Amazon to take over one season before its original eleven year (2023–2033) TNF agreement was to go into effect. [385] Amazon then signed a multi-year deal with DirecTV to distribute TNF to business customers, ensuring availability to entertainment venues such as bars, restaurants, and casinos that were not readily equipped to accommodate a streaming-only platform. [386]
This was also the first year of a 12-year deal in which ESPN+ exclusively streamed one game per year. [387] The game was also available to business establishments on the ESPN+ for Business package on DirecTV.
Paramount+ continues to simulcast all CBS games and Peacock simulcasts all NBC games.
The NFL's mobile streaming contract with Verizon expired following the 2021 season (which included mobile streaming of live local and nationally televised games along with cellular streaming of NFL Network); it was reported that the league was preparing to move these rights behind a paywall of an in-house subscription service. [388] [389] In July, the NFL announced that NFL Game Pass would be replaced in the United States by NFL+, which will stream in-market games and the NFL Network on mobile devices only, radio broadcasts for all games, and most out-of-market preseason games. The on-demand full, condensed, and "All 22" bird's-eye view game replays offered by NFL Game Pass will now be under a premium tier of NFL+. [390] [391] [392]
In March, the NFL renewed its national radio contract with Westwood One, maintaining its package of radio rights to all primetime, marquee, and playoff games, while adding audio coverage of other events such as the NFL draft and NFL Honors. It also greatly expands the ability for its broadcasts to be distributed for free via digital platforms, including via local affiliates' "primary digital platforms", and via the NFL app. [393] Compass Media, ESPN Radio and Sports USA will continue to broadcast select Sunday afternoon games nationally on radio.
On March 16, ESPN signed Joe Buck and Troy Aikman — who were Fox's lead commentary team for 20 seasons — to a multi-year deal to become the new lead commentators of Monday Night Football. [394] [395] ESPN's previous MNF broadcasters Steve Levy and Louis Riddick continued as ESPN's secondary NFL broadcast team, with Dan Orlovsky replacing Brian Griese who left ESPN for a coaching job with San Francisco. [396] [397] [398]
On March 23, Amazon announced that longtime NBC play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit would serve as its lead broadcast team for Thursday Night Football. [399] [400] Amazon later added ABC News reporter Kaylee Hartung as its sideline reporter. Mike Tirico—who had been NBC's secondary play-by-play announcer and Michaels' designated fill-in since joining the network in 2016 [401] [402] —succeeded Michaels as the lead commentator for Sunday Night Football, with Maria Taylor succeeding him as lead studio host [403] and Jason Garrett replacing Drew Brees on the Football Night in America panel. [404] Melissa Stark replaced Michele Tafoya as sideline reporter. [405] Amazon's studio panel will be led by Fox's Charissa Thompson, with analysts Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, and Andrew Whitworth. Bleacher Report and Turner Sports' Taylor Rooks and NBC's Michael Smith also made contributions. [406]
With Buck and Aikman's departure, Fox's number-2 commentary team of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen were promoted to the network's top pairing. [407] Replacing Burkhardt and Olsen were Joe Davis and Daryl Johnston, starting his third stint as Fox's number 2 analyst. Kristina Pink, who was one of Fox's two TNF reporters from 2018 to 2021, returned to Sunday reporting duties to join the team of Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth. Robert Smith also moved from Fox's college football coverage to join Chris Myers.
Rank | Date | Matchup | Network(s) | Viewers (millions) | TV rating [408] | Window | Significance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | November 24, 4:30 ET | New York Giants | 20–28 | Dallas Cowboys | Fox/Fox Deportes | 42.1 | 12.7 | Thanksgiving | Cowboys–Giants rivalry, most watched regular-season game in NFL history [409] |
2 | November 24, 12:30 ET | Buffalo Bills | 28–25 | Detroit Lions | CBS/Paramount+ | 31.8 | 11.8 | ||
3 | November 13, 4:25 ET | Dallas Cowboys | 28–31 | Green Bay Packers | Fox | 29.2 | 14.9 | Late DH [a] | Cowboys–Packers rivalry, Mike McCarthy's return to Green Bay |
4 | December 24, 4:25 ET | Philadelphia Eagles | 34–40 | Dallas Cowboys | 27.8 | 12.0 | Late DH [e] | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry | |
5 | November 20, 4:25 ET | Dallas Cowboys | 40–3 | Minnesota Vikings | CBS/Paramount+ | 27.5 | 13.7 | Late DH [b] | Cowboys–Vikings rivalry |
6 | September 18, 4:25 ET | Cincinnati Bengals | 17–20 | Dallas Cowboys | 27.4 | 14.1 | Late DH [c] | ||
7 | September 25, 4:25 ET | Green Bay Packers | 14–12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Fox | 26.4 | 13.4 | Late DH [d] | 2020 NFC Championship rematch |
8 | December 25, 1:00 ET | Green Bay Packers | 26–20 | Miami Dolphins | 25.9 | 10.7 | Christmas | ||
9 | October 16, 4:25 ET | Buffalo Bills | 24–20 | Kansas City Chiefs | CBS/Paramount+ | 25.4 | 13.2 | Late DH [e] | 2021 AFC Divisional Round rematch |
10 | November 24, 8:20 ET | New England Patriots | 26–33 | Minnesota Vikings | NBC/Peacock/Telemundo | 25.3 | 9.7 | Thanksgiving |
*Note – All single and DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were viewed to the largest percentage of the market.
In addition, the January 2, Buffalo–Cincinnati game averaged 23.8 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 from approximately 8:30 pm to 10:09 pm, making it the most-watched Monday Night Football broadcast since the series was moved to ESPN in 2006. [410]
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.
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Game-Winning Drive (GWD) must involve these: – team must win game... the offensive scoring drive must conclude in the fourth quarter or [overtime]. It can begin in the third quarter so long as scrimmage plays that are part of the drive are run in the fourth quarter. This means you can't kick a [field goal] on first play of fourth quarter to take lead and have it count as GWD. – the scoring play to put the winning points on the board must be the result of an offensive drive.
When the NFL approved the use of alternate helmets beginning in the 2022 season, the revised policy allowed teams to pair a new helmet with their alternate, classic or Color Rush uniforms. The Bengals chose to bring back the fan-favorite Color Rush look.