Nashville, TN – The NFL has released the 2022 regular-season schedule, and the Tennessee Titans will be featured in four primetime contests, which marks the most at the release of the initial schedule since 2009.
The Titans host the defending NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, a Monday Night Football contest at the Buffalo Bills, a Sunday Night game at Kansas City Chiefs, and a Thursday Night Football matchup at the Green Bay Packers.
The Titans will open the season at home against the New York Giants on September 11th.
Tennessee face nine road games in 2022, as they travel to the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts.
This season, “flexible scheduling” for Sunday night may be used twice between Weeks 5-10, and during Weeks 11-15 and Week 17. In weeks of the season eligible for “flexible scheduling,” the games listed for the Sunday night window are tentative and subject to change. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to a Sunday afternoon.
Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.
In Week 18, two games will be played on Saturday (4:30pm ET and 8:15pm ET) with the remainder to be played on Sunday afternoon (1:00pm ET and 4:25pm ET) and one matchup to be played on Sunday night (8:20pm ET). Specific dates, start times, and networks for Week 18 matchups will be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17.
This year, Amazon Prime becomes the exclusive home of the Thursday Night games. For the Titan’s two Thursday night games, the game will be available on Amazon Prime and additionally, those games will be available on an over-the-air station in the Nashville market.
Additionally, the Titans preseason opponents were set with home games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals and a road contest at the Baltimore Ravens to open the preseason.
With the release of the schedule, single-game tickets for all Titans home games in 2022, along with season tickets and multi-game packages, are now available at www.tennesseetitans.com/tickets.
Tennessee Titans 2022 Schedule Notes
Playoff Opponents
The Titans have seven total games against playoff teams from last season. They play five division champions from 2021, including home games against Cincinnati (November 27th) and Dallas (December 29th), while they go on the road to play Buffalo (September 19th), Kansas City (November 6th), and Green Bay (November 17th).
The two contests against wild card qualifiers are a home date with Las Vegas (September 25th) and a road showdown at Philadelphia (December 4th). The seven games against playoff clubs is down from the total of eight such matchups the Titans had entering 2021.
Tennessee Titans Primetime Appearances
The Tennessee Titans are scheduled for four primetime appearances, the most on their initial schedule since 2009 (not including flexed or rescheduled primetime games).
Three of their primetime games are on the road: at Buffalo on Monday Night Football (September 19th), at Kansas City on Sunday Night Football (November 6th) and at Green Bay on Thursday Night Football (November 17th). They host Dallas on Thursday Night Football (December 29th).
Primetime Record
The Tennessee Titans have won five of their last seven primetime games, including all three of their primetime contests in 2021.
Two Games On Thursday Night
The Titans will play two Thursday night games for the first time in franchise history: Nov. 17 at Green Bay and Dec. 29 against Dallas. The only other season in franchise history that included two Thursday games was 1997, when one of their Thursday games was a Thanksgiving afternoon contest at Dallas.
Varying Kickoff Days And Times
Only eight of the Titans’ games are currently scheduled for Sunday noon CT kickoffs. There are four primetime games, three late Sunday afternoon kickoffs, one Saturday contest and the Week 18 matchup at Jacksonville, which will receive a day (January 7th or 8th) and kickoff time later in the season.
First-Place Schedule
Every NFL team has two intraconference games and one interconference matchup based on the previous season’s standings. The Tennessee Titans host the AFC North champion Bengals (November 27th), while they visit the AFC East champion Bills (September 19th) and NFC North champion Packers (November 17th) as a result of each team’s first-place finish in 2020.
Overall, the Titans’ strength of schedule is .471 (136-153) based upon their opponents’ combined 2021 record, which is tied for the 24th most difficult in the NFL.
Facing Top Offenses And Defenses
The Titans face four of the NFL’s top five offenses from last season:
Dallas (December 29th, first-overall offense), Kansas City (November 6th, third), the Los Angeles Chargers (December 19th, fourth) and Buffalo (September 19th, fifth). They also will see the top overall defense from 2021 in the Bills.
Tennessee Titans On Long Rest
With a pair of Thursday night games in addition to their bye, the Titans will have three games in which they enjoy a long rest period between games. They host the Indianapolis Colts (October 23rd) following their bye and the Cincinnati Bengals (November 27th) following a Thursday night game at Green Bay. In Week 18, they have a long week to prepare for their game at Jacksonville (January 7th/8th) following a Thursday meeting with Dallas.
Since Mike Vrabel was hired in 2018, the Titans are 4-0 following their bye and 4-0 following Thursday night games for a combined 8-0 record during the regular season. The Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL’s only undefeated teams during that period with nine or more rest days between games.
Consecutive Winning Seasons
The Tennessee Titans have had a winning record each season since general manager Jon Robinson arrived in 2016. After going 9-7 each year from 2016 to 2019, 11-5 in 2020, and 12-5 in 2021, a seventh consecutive season above .500 would set a franchise record. The only stretch in which the club achieved six straight winning records was 1987 to 1993.
Vrabel Could Achieve Franchise First
With a winning record in 2022, Mike Vrabel would become the only head coach in franchise history to begin his tenure with at least five consecutive winning campaigns. Vrabel, who arrived in 2018, tied Jack Pardee (1990–1993) as the only head coaches in team annals with four consecutive seasons over .500 to begin their careers.
Head Coaching Experience
There are 10 NFL head coaches who were hired by their teams this offseason, and the Titans will face half of them: the New York Giants’ Brian Daboll (September 11th), Las Vegas’ Josh McDaniels (September 25th), Houston’s Lovie Smith (October 30th and December 24th), Denver’s Nathaniel Hackett (November 13th) and Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson (December 11th and January 7th/8th). Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who was hired in 2018, is tied for the ninth-longest tenure among current head coaches.
AFC South Coaches And QBs
Within the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans are the only club without a new head coach and/or a projected new starting quarterback. The Jaguars are led by first-year head coach Doug Pederson, while Texans head coach Lovie Smith is in his first year at the helm. In Indianapolis, veteran quarterback Matt Ryan was acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Falcons.
Winning In The Division
The Tennessee Titans, who won the AFC South in 2020 and 2021, earned a 10-2 record within their division over the last two seasons (.833). They tied the New Orleans Saints (10-2 in the NFC South) for the second-best divisional winning percentage in the NFL behind the 11-1 Buffalo Bills (11-1 in the AFC East). The Titans went 5-1 in the division in 2020 and in 2021.
11-Win Seasons
With 11 or more wins in 2022, the Titans will secure their third consecutive season with at least 11 wins. It would be the first time in franchise history the team accomplished the feat. The Titans went 11-5 in 2020 and then 12-5 in 2021.
Week By Week Notes
Preseason Week 1-3
The Titans open the preseason at Baltimore, facing the Ravens during the preseason for the first time in franchise history. The only other organizations the Titans have never faced in a preseason game are the division rival Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Titans then play their second and third preseason contests at Nissan Stadium, first against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will mark the second consecutive preseason in which the clubs have met in August after practicing together and playing in Tampa Bay in 2021. The final preseason matchup will be against the Arizona Cardinals. None of the Titans’ three preseason opponents are on their regular season schedule.
Week 1 Tennessee Titans vs. New York Giants
The Titans open the regular season at home for the second consecutive season, welcoming the Giants to Nissan Stadium for the fourth time and for the first time since 2014. It will be the first game as Giants head coach for Brian Daboll, who was hired during the offseason after spending the previous four seasons as the offensive coordinator in Buffalo.
Week 2 Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills
The Titans and Bills square off for the fifth consecutive season and for the third consecutive year in primetime. However, it is the first meeting in Buffalo since 2018. The Titans have won each of the last two matchups—a Tuesday night game in 2020 and a Monday night contest in 2021. The Titans-Bills matchup (6:15pm CT, ESPN) is one of two featured contests in an ABC/ESPN side-by-side doubleheader, along with Eagles-Vikings (7:30pm CT, ABC).
In the franchise’s “Titans era” (since 1999), the Titans are 14-7 on Monday night, including wins on eight of the last 10 occasions. Bills quarterback Josh Allen finished the 2021 campaign with 4,407 passing yards and 763 rushing yards, becoming the first player in NFL history with over 4,000 passing yards and 750 rushing yards in a season.
Week 3 Tennessee Titans vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders travel to Nashville for the first time since 2017 and for the first time with former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was hired by Las Vegas as the club’s head coach in 2022. McDaniels, who previously served as a head coach with the Broncos from 2009 to 2010, was an assistant in New England during the time Mike Vrabel played for the Patriots.
Weeks 4 & 7 Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan arrives in Indianapolis after spending his first 14 NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He passed for 59,735 yards and led the Falcons to six playoff appearances during his time in Atlanta. Mike Vrabel and Colts head coach Frank Reich are the two remaining head coaches among the seven that were hired by their respective clubs in 2018.
Week 5 at Washington Commanders
The Titans visit FedEx Field for the fourth time and for the first time since 2014. The Commanders changed their team name during the 2022 offseason and also acquired veteran signal caller Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts. Ron Rivera enters his third season as Washington’s head coach.
Week 6 (Bye)
The Week 6 bye comes seven weeks earlier than the Week 13 bye the Titans had in 2021. Since Mike Vrabel became the team’s head coach, the Titans are 4-0 in games following their bye week.
Weeks 8 & 16 Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans
Lovie Smith enters his first season as Texans head coach after previous head coaching stints with Chicago (2004-12) and Tampa Bay (2014-15). The Texans handed the Titans their only divisional loss in 2021, ending a three-game winning streak by the Titans in the series.
When the Titans and Texans play at Nissan Stadium on Christmas Eve, the Titans will play on Saturday for the first time since they defeated Washington at home on December 22nd, 2018.
Week 9 Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
The Titans travel to Kansas City for the first time since the 2019 AFC Championship game. It is their first primetime game at Arrowhead Stadium since 1995. In 2021, the Titans hosted the Chiefs and won by a final score of 27-3 to improve to 5-1 against Kansas City since the start of the 2014 season.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has more passing yards (18,707) and passing touchdowns (151) than any other NFL quarterback since 2018.
Week 10 Tennessee Titans vs. Denver Broncos
The Broncos visit Nissan Stadium for the first time since 2016. Denver launched a new era during the offseason, first naming former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett their new head coach. Then the Broncos acquired nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
During his 10 years in Seattle, Wilson led the Seahawks to eight playoff appearances, two Super Bowl berths and a Super Bowl XLVIII win to conclude the 2013 season.
Week 11 Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers
The Titans play their first of two Thursday night games in a seven-week span, traveling to Lambeau Field, where they last fell to the Packers on a snowy Sunday night in 2020.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the 2021 Associated Press Most Valuable Player award, securing the league’s top honor for the fourth time in his career and for the second consecutive year. Only Peyton Manning (five) has more league MVP awards in NFL history than Rodgers.
The Packers are led by head coach Matt LaFleur, who was hired to his current post after spending the 2018 season as Titans offensive coordinator.
Week 12 Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals
In a rematch of the 2021 divisional playoffs, the Bengals visit Nissan Stadium, where they defeated the Titans on Jan. 22. The Bengals went on to win the AFC championship game and advance to Super Bowl LVI before falling to the Los Angeles Rams.
In the 63-year history of the Titans/Oilers, they have played the Bengals 77 times. Only one other NFL team—the Pittsburgh Steelers (80 games)—has faced the organization more frequently than the Bengals.
Week 13 Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles
The Titans visit Lincoln Financial Field for the third time in the regular season and for the first time since 2014. During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Titans and Eagles executed a trade that sent Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Eagles in exchange for first- and third-round draft choices.
Weeks 14 & 18 Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars begin a new era in 2022 under new head coach Doug Pederson. Pederson most recently spent five seasons as the head coach (2016-20) of the Philadelphia Eagles, leading the Eagles to the postseason in three consecutive seasons (2017-19) and a Super Bowl LII title to conclude the 2017 campaign.
Jaguars second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence was the first-overall draft pick in 2021 and is joined by 2022 first-overall pick, former Georgia outside linebacker Travon Walker.
Week 15 Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers
The Titans visit SoFi Stadium for the second consecutive season but for the first time to face the Chargers. In 2021, they defeated the L.A. Rams in a Sunday night game at the venue, which opened in 2020. The Titans have never faced Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, the sixth-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Week 17 Tennessee Titans vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys make their fourth appearance at Nissan Stadium and their first since 2014. The Titans won the last meeting in Dallas in 2018 by a final score of 28-14. Since Titans running back Derrick Henry (6,797 career rushing yards) entered the NFL in 2016, the only player with more rushing yards than him is Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (7,386).
The Titans have won six of their past eight primetime games at Nissan Stadium.
