Josh Allen

The NFL has become so big that the mere release of the schedule has become an event in and of itself. The full 2022 regular-season schedule won't be posted until 8 p.m. ET Thursday. However, the league has done an excellent job of dropping morsels of information to build excitement.

Individual game information has slowly been revealed, beginning with last month's announcement of the first Thursday Night Football matchup. The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs will do battle in an AFC West showdown to kick off the TNF series, which will be available for streaming on Amazon this year.

For those that may have missed it last night: the NFL announced its first game of the 2022 regular season schedule.

Week 2: Chargers at Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.

Mahomes, Herbert. Let's go.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 29, 2022

The NFL has also posted its international series for the coming season. In early May, the NFL announced three games slated to be played in London, one in Mexico and the first-ever game in Germany.

The Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals will all play international games in 2022.

The full slate for the 2022 International Series! 🏈🌍@NFLUK | @NFLDeutschland | @nflmx | @NFLEspanol pic.twitter.com/5wKFTpPEjQ

— NFL (@NFL) May 4, 2022

The game in Munich represents a big step in the league's efforts to expand into a global market, but some fans may remember that the NFL previously had a presence in Germany with NFL Europe, which ceased in 2007. The league's return should make for an entertaining affair.

While the matchup is less enticing now that Russell Wilson is no longer a member of the Seahawks, European fans will get an up-close look at Tom Brady.

The Los Angeles Rams are expected to open the season with a Thursday night game, as is customary for the defending champion. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, the Saints will also visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. According to Underhill, the Saints will also play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Detroit Lions in Week 1.

Earlier this week, the NFL announced a Monday Night Football doubleheader for Week 2. Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans will visit Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings will visit Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Week 2 slate also appears to feature the Packers in prime time. According to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, Green Bay will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

According to NBC, the Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off in Week 4 on Sunday Night Football.

We know that the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions will both play on Thanksgiving because that's tradition. According to Brittany Bowen of D210Sports Dallas, the Cowboys will host the Cincinnati Bengals:

According to sources the NFL Thanksgiving Matchup for the Cowboys will be against the Bengals at 4:30 PM EST on FOX

— Brittany Bowen (@__brittbrat_) May 11, 2022

According to NewOrleans.Football, the Saints will play the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Eve, which falls on a Saturday. Per McLane, the Eagles will play Dallas on Christmas Eve. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Rams and Denver Broncos will play on Christmas.

While not every matchup has been confirmed or officially announced, here's how everything we've covered looks in schedule format.

    

NFL 2022 Schedule, Leaks and Rumors

Week 1 

TBD at Los Angeles Rams (Thursday opener)

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions

   

Week 2

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (TNF)

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (SNF)

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (MNF)

Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (MNF)

    

Week 4

Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (London)

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (SNF)

    

Week 5

New York Giants at Green Bay Packers (London)

    

Week 6

Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints

    

Week 8

Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars (London)

     

Week 10

Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Munich)

     

Week 11

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (Mexico City)

     

Week 12

Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys (Thanksgiving)

TBD at Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving)

     

Week 16

New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams

Josh Allen had an incredible playoff run even though the Buffalo Bills were eliminated in the divisional round, but not everyone is convinced the quarterback will have consistent success in the NFL.

"You're going to have more ups and downs with Allen once his contract affects the talent around him," an offensive coach told Mike Sando of The Athletic.

In a ranking of Allen, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, the coach put the Bills star last.

One concern could be the potential loss of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who is reportedly the favorite to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. 

Allen in August signed a six-year, $258 million contract extension, which could lead to salary-cap issues for the Bills. Pass-catchers Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie will be free agents this offseason, while Cole Beasley and Dawson Knox have one more year under team control.

Buffalo might also struggle to keep together a defense that ranked No. 1 in the NFL in both points and yards allowed.

Allen produced a 149.0 quarterback rating across two playoff games, throwing nine touchdown passes with zero interceptions, but some expect him to decline when he has less help.

Kansas City Chiefs fans have donated over $173,000 to the Patricia Allen Fund at Buffalo's Oishei Children's Hospital since Sunday's memorable playoff victory over quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills.

WKBW's Tim Meehan and Pheben Kassahun reported the updated total Wednesday, with many of the donations coming in $13 increments—representing the time left on the clock in regulation before the Chiefs drove for a tying field goal to force overtime.

Brett Fitzgerald, who runs the "Chiefs Kingdom Memes" Facebook page and called for the donations, credited Bills fans for their past charitable endeavors sparking the idea.

"Bills Mafia was the catalyst in this, and we're just following their lead on it," Fitzgerald told WKBW.

In November, Oishei Children's Hospital unveiled the Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing in memory of the Bills quarterback's grandmother after $1.1 million in donations were made by Bills fans following her death in 2020.

"My family and I cannot even begin to express our gratitude for the support this community has shown us," Allen said. "The dedication and commitment that the staff at Oishei shows families and patients during their time in the hospital absolutely exemplifies what it means to live in the city of good neighbors here in Buffalo. Thank you all so much, and go Bills!"

It's one of several examples of charitable support by Bills Mafia in recent years.

The trend started on New Year's Eve 2017, when the Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Baltimore Ravens in the final seconds of a game during the last week of the regular season, which allowed the Bills to clinch their first playoff berth in 18 years.

Buffalo fans proceeded to donate over $415,000 to the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation to thank the longtime Bengals quarterback, who spent the 2021 season with the Chicago Bears.

More recently, Bills Mafia donated more than $108,000 to the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana after cornerback Tre'Davious White, a Louisiana native, suffered a season-ending torn ACL against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving Day.

Chiefs fans are returning the favor as their team gets prepared to face the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

A lot can happen in 13 seconds… Tom Brady has a shirtless outburst, and Mahomes goes full Grim Reaper on Josh Allen.

If anyone has the right to complain about the NFL's overtime rules after Sunday's memorable AFC playoff clash, it's Josh Allen. The Buffalo Bills quarterback put on a show in the fourth quarter of the 42-36 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs but didn't get to touch the ball in overtime because of a coin toss.

However, Allen wasn't in a complaining mood.

"The rules are what they are and I can't complain," he told reporters. "If it was the other way around, we'd be celebrating. We didn't make enough plays tonight."

The thing is, Allen did make enough plays. His defense didn't.

Buffalo got the ball with fewer than nine minutes remaining facing a 26-21 deficit and went 17 plays and 75 yards in more than seven minutes. The surgical drive ended with a Gabriel Davis touchdown and would have made Allen a Buffalo legend forever if the Bills defense could follow with a stop.

However, Tyreek Hill blew past Buffalo's secondary for a 64-yard touchdown that ended a 52-second drive with just more than one minute remaining to give the Chiefs a 33-29 lead.

Rather than fold, Allen responded with another touchdown pass to Davis on a drive that lasted 49 seconds and put the visitors ahead by three with 13 seconds remaining. It was the fourth touchdown connection from Allen to Davis and appeared to put the Bills in the AFC Championship Game.

But then Patrick Mahomes hit Hill and Travis Kelce on back-to-back passes to set up Harrison Butker's field goal that forced overtime. Kansas City won the coin toss and scored a touchdown on its first drive, ending one of the most memorable quarterback battles in NFL history without one of them even taking the field in the extra period.

While Allen might have the right to complain about the rules, Buffalo's defense doesn't.

It couldn't come away with a stop with 13 seconds remaining and the Chiefs starting the drive on their 25-yard line. That was the difference between victory and defeat and prevented an incredible victory on the road against the two-time defending AFC champions.

All that stands in the way of a third straight trip to the Super Bowl for the Chiefs is Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.              

The Kansas City Chiefs took down the Buffalo Bills in an overtime thriller in the AFC Divisional Round on Sunday. The game featured a back-and-forth duel between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

After getting the win, Mahomes had nothing but good things to say about Allen's performance.

"It was a heck of a game. Josh played his ass off," Mahomes told CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson. "It was a great game between two great football teams, and at the end of the day, guys like Tyreek [Hill] and Travis [Kelce] made the plays that won us the game."

Allen did everything he could to try to propel the Bills into the AFC championship game. He completed 27-of-37 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns and added a team-high 68 rushing yards.

He had a strong connection with receiver Gabriel Davis, who finished with eight catches for 201 yards and a historic four scores.

Allen's fourth touchdown pass to Davis gave Buffalo a three-point lead with 13 seconds left in the game, but Mahomes showed off his magic once again.

The Chiefs marched down the field to set up Harrison Butker to kick the game-tying field goal and force overtime. In the extra period, Mahomes and the Chiefs got possession first and scored a touchdown, denying Allen the chance to get back on the field.

Mahomes threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 69 yards and another score.

This is the second consecutive season that Kansas City has eliminated Buffalo from the postseason. The Chiefs topped the Bills in last year's AFC title game. Mahomes said he believes this won't be the last time the two teams face each other in the postseason.

"We're gonna play this team a lot of times in games like this," Mahomes said of the Bills. "With that quarterback, with that coaching staff and the players they have, there's gonna be a lot of battles. I'm glad we got this one."

The Kansas City Chiefs won one of the most electrifying games in NFL history on Sunday as the two-time defending AFC champions beat the Buffalo Bills 42-36 in overtime in the divisional round.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tossed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce for the game-winner.

MAHOMES TO KELCE.

THE @CHIEFS WIN THE GAME OF THE YEAR! #NFLPlayoffs #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/9eM2Ur15O0

— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022

The two teams combined for 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation.

MOVIN' ON! The Kansas City Chiefs outlast the Buffalo Bills in a back-and-forth contest that featured three lead changes in the final two minutes of regulation. The Chiefs advance to their fourth straight AFC Championship. pic.twitter.com/ia8BgAfz9Y

— KY3 News (@kytv) January 24, 2022

Down 26-21, the Bills orchestrated a 17-play, 75-yard drive that included two fourth-down conversions.

The second one, on 4th-and-13, led to quarterback Josh Allen finding wide receiver Gabriel Davis for a 27-yard score with 1:54 left after cornerback Mike Hughes slipped in coverage:

THE @BUFFALOBILLS HAVE THE LEAD. #NFLPlayoffs

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/NrxNk9jSHq

— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022

Allen then found wideout Stefon Diggs for a two-point conversion to give Buffalo a 29-26 lead.

Undeterred, Mahomes threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who sprinted his way past the Bills defense for six.

MAHOMES. TYREEK.

CHIEFS RETAKE THE LEAD. #NFLPlayoffs

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/QCPXcRYAT7

— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022

Following the point-after attempt, the Chiefs went up with 1:13 remaining.

Then it was Allen's turn as the Bills got the ball back with 1:02 left and all three timeouts on tap. Once again, Davis was the star, catching three passes for 59 yards. The last catch resulted in a 19-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left.

JOSH ALLEN AND GABRIEL DAVIS' 4TH TD GIVES THE BILLS THE LEAD WITH 17 SECONDS.

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/DgdL4Pwvnd

— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022

With 0:13 left and up 36-33, the Bills had a 91% chance to win according to ESPN's win probability.

You know the rest. pic.twitter.com/v29uxYdpPS

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 24, 2022

Mahomes got the ball back on the Chiefs' 25-yard line with 13 seconds on the clock and three timeouts, and that was more than enough time for him to set up Harrison Butker for the game-tying 49-yard field goal.

BUTKER. GOOD FROM 49. TIE GAME. #NFLPlayoffs

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/bCIjXIlFWh pic.twitter.com/BHVNy9Rkek

— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022

The Chiefs' signal-caller hit Hill for 19 yards and Kelce for 25 more, calling timeouts after each completion to set up the kick with two seconds left.

MAHOMES HAD 13 SECONDS! #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/68g4cJ0sqW

— NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2022

The Chiefs won the overtime coin toss and marched down the field in eight plays for 75 yards, capped by Kelce's sideline grab.

Sunday featured a rematch of the 2020 AFC Championship Game, when the Chiefs beat the Bills 38-24.

The game was far closer this time around and featured standout performances from both sides.

Notably, Davis had an NFL playoff record of four touchdowns alongside eight catches and 201 yards. Allen had 397 total yards (329 passing, 68 rushing) and four passing touchdowns.

Mahomes threw for 378 passing yards and three scores, with Hill catching 11 passes for 150 yards. Mahomes also led the Chiefs in rushing with 69 yards and one score, finishing with 447 total yards.

In the end, an instant classic went to the Chiefs in a game that featured two Super Bowl-worthy teams.

Kansas City will be moving on, though, as it searches for its third straight AFC. title.

---

Notable Performances

Bills QB Josh Allen: 27-of-37, 329 passing yards, 4 TD; 11 carries, 68 rushing yards

Bills WR Gabriel Davis: 8 catches, 201 receiving yards, 4 TD

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: 33-of-44, 378 passing yards, 3 TD; 7 carries, 69 rushing yards, 1 TD

Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill: 11 catches, 150 receiving yards, 1 TD

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: 8 catches, 96 receiving yards, 1 TD

---

Football Doesn't Get Better Than This Generational Mahomes-Allen Duel

Three hundred former players reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All of those men can list off incredible accomplishments that landed them in Canton, Ohio, but only a select and special few were true game-changers that shaped the future of the sport.

Seems like we're already witnessing some revolutionary quarterbacks in Mahomes and Allen.

On Sunday, the pair dueled in a game that felt as if it carried more weight than a typical divisional-round matchup.

Sure, all games this late in the season are important, but Allen and Mahomes showed off quarterback play far above their peers. They dodged defenders all night to find receivers, as neither defense had any answers for them.

The two were simply electric, to the point where 25 points were scored in the final 114 seconds.

Sure, there were some defensive breakdowns, but the fact that the quarterbacks were still playing at peak levels late in the fourth quarter despite an exhausting and emotionally draining game can't be understated.

That's not something you see every day. It was special.

Everyone knows both quarterbacks are already excellent, but it feels like these two are going to lead the NFL into its next generation in the 2020s and 2030s.

For starters, they threw the pigskin like former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway tossed Vortex footballs in the 1990s.

Allen's 75-yard laser to Davis to cut the Chiefs' lead to 23-20 in the third quarter stood out the most:

THIS THROW BY JOSH ALLEN 🤯

Gabriel Davis gets his 2nd TD of the night on a 75-yard BOMB

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/x0Fj0fhfl2

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 24, 2022

Quarterbacks don't regularly throw frozen ropes 57 yards down the field on the fly, but Allen is built different.

Josh Allen's 75-yard TD pass to Gabriel Davis traveled 57.1 yards in the air, Allen's longest touchdown pass of his career.

🔹 Completion Probability: 31.7%#StatThat | Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/X0XfDYyGJZ

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 24, 2022

Meanwhile, Mahomes continued to defy logic with his dazzling array of throw, tossing one sidearmed to Hill:

MAHOMES WITH A CHEAT CODE THROW 😮

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/ht3Dx2mnmq

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 24, 2022

When he wasn't dropping dimes, Mahomes proved to be too slippery for Buffalo's front seven. At times, it appears a Bills defender would sack Mahomes only to see the quarterback evade a grasp and complete a pass or run for a few yards.

This was most evident when Mahomes ran backward 13 yards in the midst of incoming Bills traffic to somehow find Byron Pringle in the end zone for six after the first half's two-minute warning:

Mahomes hits Byron Pringle on a WILD TD throw 🔥

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/AcjaxLY7Mn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 24, 2022

These highlights happened before the two players combined to lead their teams to 31 total points in 1:54 of regulation plus 4:15 of overtime.

That six-plus minute stretch featured the pinnacle of offensive football, with neither attack slowing down. It was as good as football can get, with two legendary quarterbacks executing their team's plans to perfection.

One of the talking points postgame was the Bills not squibbing the ball to run some precious seconds off the clock before Mahomes got the ball in regulation one last time with 13 ticks left.

But think about that for a moment: It's thirteen seconds, or maybe the time it took to read these last two paragraphs.

Mahomes may be a superhuman quarterback, but leading his team down in time to get into field goal range seemed like a stretch.

With a touchback, the Bills could at least prevent a good return that could have led to a better field position.

It turns out that Mahomes found a different gear, though. He didn't even need all 13 seconds, with the Chiefs calling a timeout with three to go.

Once overtime hit, it felt as though the team that won the coin toss was taking this game. Both quarterbacks were on fire, and both defenses were gassed.

In the end, the coin not rolling one more half-rotation may have led to the Bills going home early.

That begs the question of whether both teams should get offensive chances regardless of whether one scores a TD first. Nonetheless, Mahomes and Allen put on an absolute show.

Teams will (and already have) been trying to copy the Bills' and Chiefs' successes, and attempting to find the next Mahomes or Allen will (and has) been commonplace already.

These two appear to stand out from the rest, though, and that's a big win for pro football as the game continues to evolve thanks to the generational talents.

     

What's Next?

The Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

The winner will face the NFC champion in the Super Bowl, which will occur Feb. 13 from Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.

The San Francisco 49ers will visit the Los Angeles Rams to determine the NFC's representative. That matchup will occur at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.