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When Does the NFL Schedule Come Out?
The full 2022 NFL schedule was released on May 12, 2022, on NFL Network, NFL.com and the NFL app.
A selection of games were announced ahead of the schedule release, including the five international games that will take place in 2022:
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints (October 2, London)
New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers (October 9, London)
Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars (October 30, London)
Seattle Seahawks vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (November 13, Munich)
San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals (November 21, Mexico City)
When Does the NFL Regular Season Start?
The NFL’s 103rd season gets underway on September 8, 2022 as the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams host the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (8:20 PM ET).
The regular season comes to a close on January 8, 2023, with the playoffs starting six days later on January 14, 2023.
Image courtesy of - USA TODAY sports
How Does the NFL Schedule Work?
The NFL’s team of schedule makers have to consider numerous factors when creating a season plan, including travel mileage, bye weeks, international games and more. They then draft thousands of possible schedules before picking the final version.
How is the NFL Schedule Made?
The NFL is comprised of 32 teams, split into two 16-team conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The 16 teams of each conference are then split into four divisions of four teams each: the East, North, South and West.
Each team will play 17 games in the regular season in 2022, with the schedule makers having to consider numerous factors (including travel, bye weeks, international games and more) and drafting thousands of possible schedules before picking the final version.
Here is how each team’s opponents are set, per NFL.com:
Six games against divisional opponents — two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road.
Four games against teams from a division in the other conference — two games at home and two on the road.
Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.
One game against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season. This is a newer addition to the schedule after NFL owners approved a 17-game schedule ahead of the 2021 season.
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What are the NFL Division-by-Division Matchups in 2022?
The division-by-division matchups for this season are as follows:
AFC East teams will face the AFC North, the NFC North and one team from the NFC West.
AFC North teams will face the AFC East, NFC South and one team from the NFC East.
AFC South teams will meet the AFC West, NFC East and one team from the NFC North.
AFC West teams will play the AFC South, NFC West and one team from the NFC South.
NFC East teams are matched up with the NFC North, AFC South and a team from the AFC North.
NFC North teams meet the AFC East, NFC East and a team from the AFC South.
NFC South teams will face the NFC West, AFC North and a team from the AFC West.
NFC West teams will play the NFC South and AFC West teams in addition to an opponent from the AFC East.
Explore the best bets for each division on our NFL odds page.
How Many NFL Games are in a Season?
The NFL’s regular season consists of 272 games; each team plays 17 games during an 18-week period with one "bye" week off.
With so many games in a season, bettors have plenty of opportunities to make smart NFL picks on a weekly basis.
When are the NFL Bye Weeks?
Each team has one bye week between Weeks 6 (October 14 - 16) and 14 (December 9 - 13).
How Does NFL Overtime Work?
NFL Preseason Schedule
The 2022 NFL preseason schedule was released on June 7, and will open with the Hall of Fame game on Thursday, August 4.
The NFL preseason will run for three weeks, from August 4 to Sunday, August 28.
NFL Key Dates 2022
When is the First Game of the NFL Season?
The defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams host the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on Thursday, September 8 (8:20 PM ET, NBC) to kick off the NFL season.
When is the NFL Trade Deadline
The 2022 trade deadline is set for November 1st — the Tuesday following week 8 of the 2022 season.
When Does the NFL Season End?
The 2022 regular season comes to a close on Sunday, January 8, 2023.
When is the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LVII will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, 2023.
Our Top NFL Betting Guides
Your destination for all things NFL betting. Find all our guides from this page, including how to bet on NFL.
Want the latest NFL betting lines and odds from the leading sportsbooks? Head to our NFL odds guide for point spreads, totals, and moneylines.
Turn your 2022 NFL predictions into profits with our NFL futures guide and live odds table.
FAQs
How Long do NFL Games Last?
An NFL game usually lasts 60 minutes, broken into four 15-minute quarters. If both teams are tied at the end of regulation, they then go into overtime (the rules for which are provided above).
How Long is Halftime in the NFL?
The halftime break in NFL games usually lasts around 12 minutes, though for major events like the Super Bowl halftime is extended to allow for more activities like musical performances.
How to Watch NFL Games?
NFL games are typically played on Thursday nights, Sunday afternoons, Sunday nights, and Monday nights. There may also be games played on a Saturday due to holidays. Different channels and stream services have rights to air games during a particular time slot:
Monday Night Football: ESPN, ESPN+ (streaming)
Thursday Night Football: NFL Network, FOX, Amazon Prime (streaming)
Sunday afternoon games: FOX/CBS, Tubi/Paramount+ (streaming)
Sunday Night Football: NBC, Peacock (streaming)
