Commanders 2022 schedule: A breakdown within the NFC East

Dan Snyder purchased the Washington Commanders in 1999. At the time, the franchise was a well respected team year in and year out. In fact, up to that point in time they were among the top 10 teams in terms of win percentage (.529) and they had won three Super Bowls in the last 15 years.

Since 1999, the script has completely flipped. From 1999 onwards, Washington owns the fifth-worst record in the NFL with a win percentage of 42.4%. That percentage looks even worse against NFC East opponents whom they are an abysmal 49-89 against over this span. That 36% win percentage is a sign of the inability to win consistently within the division over the last 23 years. The Commanders schedule is one of the easiest on paper, but that doesn’t mean that it will be a cakewalk week in and week out for the team during the 2022 season.

Here is a look at the Commanders’ 2022 schedule, and how the Commanders have fared against those opponents since Dan Snyder became the teams owner in 1999. Game against the division opponents are categorized by home/away splits and are denoted in italics.

A breakdown of the Commanders’ NFC East schedule

The Commanders will look to change the general trend that has formed throughout the schedule graphic from above: division losses. In the last 15 years, Washington has only finished with a winning record in the division three times. Unsurprisingly, those three times occurred in 2012, 2015, and 2020, the three years they won the NFC East over that span. It may not come as a shock, but, if you win division games you’ll set yourself up for success. What a concept, right?

If the Commanders are going to find themselves with a winning record in the division in 2022 it will start with a Week 3 matchup at home against the Eagles. As if the first division game of the season, against a team that swept you last year, is not exciting enough, it is also the first stop on the Carson Wentz revenge tour.

Wentz started 68 games from 2016-2020 for the Eagles, and he will now get his first crack against them. Presumably, he will be facing the QB the Eagles selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, Jalen Hurts. Hurts was the nail in the coffin on Wentz’s tenure with the Eagles. They now are slated to play twice this year. Wentz will most likely play this off, but it is not possible that he doesn’t have the Week 3 game against Philly circled on his calendar.

The Commanders and Wentz will then have to turnaround, after what will undoubtedly be an emotional week, and travel to Dallas for a Week 4 matchup against the reigning division champion Dallas Cowboys. Washington has not won in Dallas against Dak Prescott in his entire career, and are a lousy 1-9 overall against Dak’s Cowboys. The Cowboys will also matchup with Washington in Landover, MD in Week 18, the last game of the season. Hopefully this will be a game with serious playoff implications for the Commanders.

The Commanders have been a dreadful 3-13 in their last 16 games on Monday Night Football. Wentz comes to Washington having led his teams to a 4-3 record on MNF. Wentz will have his first taste of Monday Night Football in Week 10 as he returns to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since he left the Eagles (I’m sure the Philly fans will go easy on him in his return to their city, as they are known as a kind and respectful fanbase). It will be fascinating to see how Wentz deals with the surefire adversity he will face during this primetime matchup.

A downright odd schedule quirk dictates the Commanders season series with the New York Giants. Week 14 is the latest possible week a team could have a bye week in 2022, and the Commanders are among the group to draw that unlucky straw. Prior to their bye week, Washington will travel to the Meadowlands for their first matchup against the Giants and new head coach Brian Daboll. It’s always a tough task to win a division game on the road, but Week 13 against New York will no doubt be the Commanders’ best chance.

After the Commanders road trip up the New Jersey turnpike, they will have a much needed bye week after 13 straight weeks of NFL games. Afterwards the Commanders will face the Giants for the second consecutive game. A season sweep of the Giants for a second consecutive year would go a long way towards a successful 2022 campaign for the Commanders.

The bottom line

With the nature of the NFL schedule, divisional opponents have very similar schedules throughout the season. This makes it so the two games a year against each divisional opponent are much more important than any others. Winning at least three games against NFC East opponents will be critical to the Commanders success. If Washington is able to have success within the division, the postseason will be a distinct possibility for a team with a very favorable schedule outside of division play.