How much are the New England Patriots in the spotlight in 2022?
The New England Patriots are buried in most AFC rankings, but do they still get some national spotlight for the 2022 season?
The New England Patriots’ 2022 season could be a defining moment for the franchise going forward. Even though they are likely going to be buried in most NFL power rankings throughout the year, are they still going to get their time to shine with primetime games?
The Patriots have essentially become one of the most well-known brands and sports organizations in the entire world.
Their two decade run of dominance is likely over, but their historic success during that time has cemented them in the minds of NFL schedule makers.
So, how many times will the New England Patriots get to be in the spotlight for 2022?
The Patriots will play 10 games in 2022 in the 1:00PM timeslot. Many less than desirable games are buried in the early slot, but the Patriots will have some good opponents during these times.
They play the Dolphins and Jets four times in 2022, as usual, and each game is at 1:00OPM.
They also play the Steelers, Ravens, Lions, Browns, Colts, and Bengals at the 1:00PM timeslot.
All six teams could make a ton of noise in 2022.
They have just one game during the 4:00/4:25PM timeslot as of now, and that’s against the Packers, in Green Bay, in week four.
Their January 8th game with the Buffalo Bills has yet to be given a timeslot.
Their first game in the spotlight is October 24th at 8:15PM against the Chicago Bears. This is a Monday Night Football game. The Patriots should be able to come away with a victory there, as Bill Belichick tends to feast on young quarterbacks.
Their next primetime game is on Thursday night, November 24th, at 8:20PM against the Minnesota Vikings.
They’ll be in Minnesota for this game, and the Vikings have welcomed a new era in Minnesota, and I think the Vikes will be a tough out in 2022.
Their very next game is another Thursday game, on Prime Video, against the Buffalo Bills.
The next two games for the Patriots are also in primetime, playing the Cardinals on Monday night in week 14, and the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday night, in week 15.
So, from weeks 12-15, the Patriots play at either 8:15 or 8:20PM, with two Thursday night games, one Monday night game, and one Sunday night game.
They’ve also got a Christmas Eve game, week 16, against the Bengals.
Their Sunday game in week 18 against the Bills could also end up being a primetime game.
The Patriots’ 2022 schedule is definitely a weird one. They’ve got virtually nothing of note during their first nine games, but a ton of primetime slots during their final eight games.
Four of their final eight games are in primetime so far.
Even if the Patriots do stumble a bit in 2022, the NFL still wants to put the New England Patriots in the spotlight.