Ranking the Patriots’ 5 primetime games on 2022 NFL schedule
1. Week 15 at Las Vegas Raiders on SNF
The moment we’ve all been waiting for. The second Josh McDaniels left the Patriots to take the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, fans immediately started doing research to see if these teams would face off in 2022. And what do you know! Their second-place finishes in their divisions have determined this fate.
In the winner-take-all no holds barred match … we mean, Week 15 Sunday Night Football showdown, the Pats will head to Sin City for the finale of their primetime slate. And man, it’d sure be nice to have Jackson for this one! Did we mention that already? Just checking.
The Raiders traded for Davante Adams this offseason, signed former Patriots Chandler Jones, Jakob Johnson and Brandon Bolden, and poached a number of other New England coaches and front office personnel. This team is far better off than they were last year, when they made the playoffs despite the Jon Gruden turmoil and various injuries across the roster.
Another sucky aspect of this one? It’s on a short week following the Monday night game in Arizona and will come before another shortened week against the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals (Christmas Eve Saturday!). Come on, man.
Let’s hope Belichick’s chess move of trading Jarrett Stidham to the Raiders on Thursday plays a role in the mind game department, because, personnel-wise, the Patriots might be out-matched here yet again. The entertainment value is as high as it gets, though, and Belichick typically comes out on top of those, which is why fans are likely viewing this as the top primetime matchup of New England’s 2022 season.
