3 toughest non-divisional games for Washington in 2022

The Washington Football Team had the luxury (not really) of playing a first-place schedule in 2021.

Speaking strictly in terms of QBs, Washington faced Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr. Excluding Carr, those are probably the top-six players at the position.

That’s flat-out ridiculous, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Football Outsiders DVOA metric had Washington with the toughest schedule in 2022. We honestly could’ve told you without that metric. By just reading that gauntlet of gunslingers, obviously they played the hardest schedule.

Nevertheless, things will ease up significantly in 2022. By finishing third in the division, they’ll play a third-place schedule, which will create a lot more winnable games than what we saw this past season.

At the same time, though, no NFL schedule is easy. While Washington won’t play nearly as difficult of a slate in 2022, there are some non-divisional contests in there that could give them some trouble.

3 tough non-NFC East games for the Washington Football Team

3. Away vs Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are likely in for seismic changes after their embarrassing Week 18 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had numerous fans dressed like clowns in the stands, that knocked them out of playoff contention.

Given how Carson Wentz performed in that game, and over the final month of the regular season as a whole, it’s plausible that the Colts look to move on from the former No. 2 overall pick, whom they traded for last offseason.

With improved quarterback play, the Colts are a legit contender in the AFC. With stars like Darius Leonard, Jonathan Taylor, DeForest Buckner, Quenton Nelson and Kenny Moore, this roster isn’t far off from competing for a championship.

Speaking of Taylor, the second-year running back is fresh off setting the franchise record for rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18) in a single season. The Colts were 9-1 this season when he rushed for more than 100 yards, so Washington won’t have to search far and wide for a winning recipe.

With that said, the Colts could reach contender status by Week 1 of next season if general manager Chris Ballard trades for/signs an upgrade at QB, signs a WR to complement Michael Pittman and adds a No. 1 cornerback to pair with Rock Ya-Sin and Isaiah Rodgers.

Throw in the fact that this game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium, whose crowd is always fired up, and you’ll come to terms with the fact that Washington’s matchup in Indianapolis is one of the toughest on the 2022 slate.