My 2022-23 Schedule Prediction

[corta765]

For those of you who follow my schedule news you know I do a prediction every year before it drops. As we are a week away I wanted to do my prediction prior to any leaks to see how close I can get. Last year I got three weeks correct (Bye week, at Saints, & at Jets) along with getting Bills at Chiefs on SNF (wrong week though), bills opening and ending the season at home (Just wrong opponents), and I had TEN as a flex night game which ended up being a MNF game. Not too bad all things considered. This prediction is not what I want to happen, it is what I think will happen based off the research I do on prior matchups, historical placement of games vs NFC opponents, when division games occur, and rumors/noise nationally. With that said here is my schedule:

 

Week 1: at Baltimore   1pm

Week 2: Tennessee    1pm

Week 3: at Miami    Monday Night Football

Week 4: Cleveland    1pm

Week 5: New York Jets    1pm

Week 6: at Detroit    1pm

Week 7:at Kansas City    Sunday Night Football

Week 8: Bye

Week 9: Pittsburgh    1pm

Week 10: at Chicago    1pm

Week 11: Green Bay   Thanksgiving night 8:15 pm

Week 12: at New England    4:25pm

Week 13: at Los Angeles    Sunday Night Football

Week 14: Miami    1pm/possible Saturday flex game

Week 15: Minnesota   1pm

Week 16: at Cincy   4:25 pm Xmas Eve national window

Week 17: New England   Monday Night Football Jan 2nd

Week 18: at New York Jets    1:00pm

 

As I said my predictions are not what I want it is based off what I think will happen. As much as there has been substantial talk of Bills Rams opening, I just can't see the NFL sacrificing that game on an already high ratings night when you could put it late in the season when both teams are peaking. A Bills Ravens opener is an easy 1pm national draw with Allen vs Jackson. The Titans I think are a solid home opener that moves the needle for fans and viewers. I think the NFL will want to maximize the Dolphins early in the season in case they flame out late and Buffalo with Allen on MNF feels like an easy game plus Mike North hinted any division game for Buffalo could be primetime. I do think the NFL has the Bills Phins home game late so it is flexible if they want. My schedule has 5 primetime games and 2 4pm games so almost half the season is not 1pm which goes along with where the Bills have been trending. With that said 6 of the 8 home games are 1pm something the team and fans prefer. I have the Bills finishing the season traveling to NY as I think its expected the division isn't as close this year for the Bills to win and every team closes with a division game. Week 18 honestly was really hard to figure out, but I think the league will maximize the NE/MIA games throughout the season rather then waiting until week 18 when the division is probably already decided, whereas a week 17 NE game still may have more at stake.

[BillsFanThru-N-Thru]

Still think Buffalo with play at LA for the Thursday Night opener IMO

[corta765]

6 minutes ago, BillsFanThru-N-Thru said:

Still think Buffalo with play at LA for the Thursday Night opener IMO

 

I expect that game to leak by Monday. I am down with TNF to open that would be fun, I am also open to just a normal 1pm game. I do think if Buffalo is primetime week 1 its TNF or bust. Typically week 1 they put lower profile teams especially MNF but sometimes SNF to get them exposure.

[GunnerBill]

I can see them leaving the KC game to later. Been early the last two years. Can imagine them liking the idea of that post Thanksgiving. 

[corta765]

5 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I can see them leaving the KC game to later. Been early the last two years. Can imagine them liking the idea of that post Thanksgiving. 

 

Agreed and I almost flipped LAR with KC for those weeks. The only thing is it is expected KC's division is hyper competitive this year and I could see them prioritizing the back half of the year for those games.

[Greg S]

My week 1 guess is Bills at Pats on SNF.

[BillsFanThru-N-Thru]

So using some of your schedule this is my guess ....

 

Week 1:  at Los Angeles    Thursday Night Football
Week 2:  Tennessee    1pm
Week 3:  at Miami    1pm
Week 4:  Cleveland    1pm
Week 5:  Green Bay   Monday Night Football
Week 6:  at Chicago    1pm
Week 7:  at New England    1pm
Week 8:  Bye
Week 9:  at Baltimore   1pm
Week 10: Minnesota   1pm 
Week 11: at Detroit   Thanksgiving night 12:30 pm
Week 12: at Kansas City    Sunday Night Football
Week 13: New York Jets    1pm
Week 14: Miami    1pm/possible Saturday flex game
Week 15: Pittsburgh    1pm
Week 16: at Cincy   4:25 pm Xmas Eve national window
Week 17: New England    1pm
Week 18: at New York Jets    1pm

[corta765]

8 minutes ago, Greg S said:

My week 1 guess is Bills at Pats on SNF.

 

With everything that has transpired I have wondered if NE has much star power outside of their past history and BB and if they get the primetime schedule they have in the past.

[Greg S]

2 minutes ago, corta765 said:

 

With everything that has transpired I have wondered if NE has much star power outside of their past history and BB and if they get the primetime schedule they have in the past.

 

They are definitely getting some primetime games. Won 10 games and made the playoffs. This would be a rematch of the WC game. It may not be the opener but I definitely think one of the Bills vs Pats games is getting on primetime.

[Greg S]

When schedule comes out, Brandon Beane will look first at Week One

In six days, the NFL will release the full 2022 schedule. During this week’s series of G.M. interviews, we posed a common question to the various executives with whom we spoke.

When you see your team’s schedule, what will you look at first?

Bills G.M. Brandon Beane didn’t hesitate

“Week One,” he said. “Where does it start? Are you home or are you away? Is it Sunday at one? Is it a primetime start? Is it a division team? Those are always – our division’s gotten very competitive from the offseason moves those three teams have made. I always look at Week One. Where are our division games? And then the finish. Are we finishing with two on the road, two at home? What does it look like? What are our weather games potentially going to be? That’s kind of how I break it down. We’ll kind of see where it goes. We’re excited for what’s in store.”

Does he prefer home or away to start the year?

“I don’t really care too much,” Beane said. “You got to play them all. I’m fine to be honest with you. I’m fine either way. I just want to make sure we play well.”

Last year, the Bills got started at home. And they lost to the Steelers.

This year, all AFC teams have eight home games and nine road games. For the Bills, the more games that are played in Buffalo later in the year, the better.

[LEBills]

At Baltimore just feels like a MNF game to me. 

 

Bills/GB will probably be a 4:25 Fox game if I had to guess and Bills/Chiefs an early season CBS 4:25 game

 

At LAR for the season opener and at Cinci for another Sunday night game

 

The Amazon game I’d guess would be with Browns or Miami

[CCC Bills Fan]

At Baltimore week 1 is not likely because the Orioles have a home game just a parking lot away at the same time. From history the Ravens and Orioles try not to be at home the same time, such as the 2013 opener that couldn’t be accommodated because the Orioles night game couldn’t move to the day. 

[Djdonny]

My prediction - 6 prime time games, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Feeling strong about Buffalo at KC, primetime Christmas as the NFLs #1 game of the regular season

 

Monday Sept 12 - early MNF,  Cleveland 7PM

Sunday Sept 18 - at Chicago 1 PM

Sunday Sept 25 - Minnesota 1 PM

Sunday October 2nd - SNF at Cincinnatti  8:15

Sunday October 9th - at NE 1 PM

Monday October 17th - MNF Tennessee 8:15

Sunday October 23rd - at NYJets 1 PM

Sunday October 30th - at LA Rams 4:25

Sunday Nov 7th - bye

Sunday Nov 14th - Miami 1 PM

Sunday Nov 21 - Green Bay 4:25

Thursday Nov 25th(Thanksgiving) - at Detroit 12:30

Thursday Dec 1 - TNF at Baltimore 8:15

Sunday Dec 11th - Pittsburgh 1 PM

Sunday Dec 18th - at Miami 1 PM

Sunday Dec 25th(Christmas Day) - SNF at KC 8:15

Sunday Jan 1 - NY Jets 1 PM

Sunday Jan 8 - NE

 

[purple haze]

3 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

They are definitely getting some primetime games. Won 10 games and made the playoffs. This would be a rematch of the WC game. It may not be the opener but I definitely think one of the Bills vs Pats games is getting on primetime.

The Bills beat the brakes off the Patriots the last two times they played them and the Pats don’t appear to have gotten better.  I think the Dolphins take the Pats place with the Bills in prime time.  They have talent on both sides of the rock.

[FilthyBeast]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I can see them leaving the KC game to later. Been early the last two years. Can imagine them liking the idea of that post Thanksgiving. 

 

I agree with this and hopes it's the case. Because as I said many times leading up to the playoff rematch last year, the early season win in KC last year was a red herring and meant nothing in the grand scheme of things if anything because of the Chiefs doing their best impression of the Patriots struggling early and figuring things out before being near invincible in the 2nd half of the season every year. And the Chiefs were pretty much that type of team starting 3-4 and finishing 9-1 in their last 10 games.

 

So for me I would like to see the Bills/Chiefs somewhere in the week 10 - 17 range when we have a pretty good idea exactly who both teams are in 2022.

[Greg S]

5 minutes ago, purple haze said:

The Bills beat the brakes off the Patriots the last two times they played them and the Pats don’t appear to have gotten better.  I think the Dolphins take the Pats place with the Bills in prime time.  They have talent on both sides of the rock.

 

I can't argue this as its a good point. We will find out in 6 days. Miami vs Buffalo would be another good bet. I wouldn't even be surprised if one of the Jets - Bills games gets on primetime. Even though they are coming off a 4-13 season they have made some nice moves to improve the team. Plus they are a NYC area big market team. There are a lot of possibilities on who the Bills will play in primetime.

[eball]

First of all, @corta765, thanks for all of the effort you put into this!  For some reason I like schedule predictions a heluva lot more than mock drafts.

 

I think the lustre is off the Pats*** after they were blown out in the playoffs and made no significant moves in FA -- plus they had a bizarre draft.  They get two primetime games and that's it.  Maybe the Bills are one of them, but I tend to believe the NFL doesn't want to put another potential blowout in that spot so my guess is that it's NE/Miami for one of their night games.

 

The Bills are opening in LA on TNF.  There are so many reasons to put this game there, and few not to.  It's the Super Bowl everyone "wanted" to see, and could even be a preview of the next one.

 

Aside from that, I have no clue.

 

[Ned Flanders]

1 hour ago, CCC Bills Fan said:

At Baltimore week 1 is not likely because the Orioles have a home game just a parking lot away at the same time. From history the Ravens and Orioles try not to be at home the same time, such as the 2013 opener that couldn’t be accommodated because the Orioles night game couldn’t move to the day. 

Good call

[Greg S]

30 minutes ago, eball said:

First of all, @corta765, thanks for all of the effort you put into this!  For some reason I like schedule predictions a heluva lot more than mock drafts.

 

I think the lustre is off the Pats*** after they were blown out in the playoffs and made no significant moves in FA -- plus they had a bizarre draft.  They get two primetime games and that's it.  Maybe the Bills are one of them, but I tend to believe the NFL doesn't want to put another potential blowout in that spot so my guess is that it's NE/Miami for one of their night games.

 

The Bills are opening in LA on TNF.  There are so many reasons to put this game there, and few not to.  It's the Super Bowl everyone "wanted" to see, and could even be a preview of the next one.

 

Aside from that, I have no clue.

 

 

One of the reasons I don't see the Bills opening at the Rams is because the NFL doesn't need a great game in this spot to draw ratings. Its the first game of the year after a long offseason. The ratings will be strong no matter what. I could see the league saving this game for later in the season on primetime. Also CBS is probably trying to convince the league to let them have this game as their national game of the week at 4:25. All of the networks would love to have this game. I always wondered who decides which network gets which games as far as primetime games and the national game on Sunday afternoons.

[Beast]

2 hours ago, Djdonny said:

My prediction - 6 prime time games, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Feeling strong about Buffalo at KC, primetime Christmas as the NFLs #1 game of the regular season

 

Monday Sept 12 - early MNF,  Cleveland 7PM

Sunday Sept 18 - at Chicago 1 PM

Sunday Sept 25 - Minnesota 1 PM

Sunday October 2nd - SNF at Cincinnatti  8:15

Sunday October 9th - at NE 1 PM

Monday October 17th - MNF Tennessee 8:15

Sunday October 23rd - at NYJets 1 PM

Sunday October 30th - at LA Rams 4:25

Sunday Nov 7th - bye

Sunday Nov 14th - Miami 1 PM

Sunday Nov 21 - Green Bay 4:25

Thursday Nov 25th(Thanksgiving) - at Detroit 12:30

Thursday Dec 1 - TNF at Baltimore 8:15

Sunday Dec 11th - Pittsburgh 1 PM

Sunday Dec 18th - at Miami 1 PM

Sunday Dec 25th(Christmas Day) - SNF at KC 8:15

Sunday Jan 1 - NY Jets 1 PM

Sunday Jan 8 - NE

 

 

JMO, but the NFL isn't going to make the Bills go on the road for two major holidays.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Beast