CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is a segment from the Thursday, May 12, 2022, episode of The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
The 2022 NFL regular-season schedule won't officially be unveiled until 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. But already, games from the league's upcoming slate have already shed a light on what portions of the schedule will look like.
The NFL has confirmed that the Browns will open the 2022 season at the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 11. One week later on September 18, the Browns will play the New York Jets in their home opener at FirstEnergy Stadium at 1 p.m.
Cleveland's 2022 opener marks the third straight season that the Browns will begin on the road, after they began the 2020 campaign with a loss at the Baltimore Ravens and last season with a defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. Cleveland hasn't won a regular-season opener since 2004, when it beat the Ravens, although the Browns did tie the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the 2018 season.
But while Cleveland currently possesses a higher projected win total and better Super Bowl odds than the Panthers, it remains unclear whether quarterback Deshaun Watson will be available to play for the Browns in Week 1. The NFL is currently investigating Watson, who Cleveland acquired from the Houston Texans in a blockbuster trade earlier this offseason, for claims of sexual misconduct from 22 women, and could ultimately suspend the 3-time Pro Bowl signal-caller, who has not been criminally charged as a result of the allegations.
As for the rest of the Browns' 2022 schedule, Cleveland already knows that it will face the following opponents during its upcoming 17-game slate:
Home
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Baltimore Ravens
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Los Angeles Chargers
Away
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Baltimore Ravens
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Houston Texans
- Washington Commanders