NFL schedule release: Ranking the best of the league's videos
Some people love NFL schedule release day and some think it's an overhyped, convoluted mess to grab offseason headlines, but no one takes it more seriously than every team's social media department.
The annual releasing of the schedules has become an annual game of one-upping between teams, and 2022 more than delivered. Sure, some teams basically took the easy road (i.e. not producing an extended, stylish video going through their upcoming schedule), but the majority of the league stepped up.
Even a few uninspired misses (generic hype videos and Andy Reid reading games off a list) couldn't ruin a bumper crop of content. Here are our 10 favorites from around the NFL from the avant garde to anime.
10. Buffalo Bills
This is admittedly a weird, weird way to start this list, but this video hits different when your brain is already used to searching for the signal in the usual nonsense of schedule release videos. Dawson Knox's buffalo sauce hand massage of Josh Allen may have been a tad much, though.
Hereโs our 2022 schedule.
Go Bills.
๐บ: 2022 NFL Schedule Release | 8PM on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/y2Z6OvpMDOโ Primetime Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 13, 2022
9. Green Bay Packers
Nothing is more tried and true with schedule release videos than the retro video game style. The Packers don't do much to break the mold, but it's visually fun enough to earn a spot here.
๐ท๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ together the ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฌ 2022 #Packers schedule! โณ
โก๏ธ https://t.co/11LbDm9kMY #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/EsvMnWZDKmโ Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 13, 2022
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There's nothing wrong with throwing a funny player in front of the camera and letting it rip, and All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs more than delivers. Pause the Week 4 part of the video at just the right time for some delightful Super Bowl LV shade.
What do you think about our 2022 schedule, @TristanWirfs78?#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/JptOB8rt1A
โ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 13, 2022
7. New York Jets
Some of these are a little forced, but the mark of a good schedule release is wondering how they'll pull off the next game, and this at least accomplishes it.
Our 2022 schedule...
...out of context ๐ pic.twitter.com/v2mRemAYXwโ New York Jets (@nyjets) May 13, 2022
6. Washington Commanders
This is just plain fun. Smashing stuff in slow motion is an idea that will never get old (a YouTube channel with 14.4 million subscribers can attest to that) and the Commanders fully leverage that.
Ready to ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ก the competition #HTTC | @BIG100Radio pic.twitter.com/LKoWDMfIbH
โ Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 13, 2022
5. Atlanta Falcons
This video would be a lot higher if the Falcons managed to include their entire schedule in their Rube Goldberg machine (this is a very pro-Rube Goldberg machine platform), but alas, they had to resort to throwing some teams in via background photos. Unfortunately, the thumbnail does it make it look like the Falcons lost 22-20 to schedule.
Rolling out our 2022 schedule...
Full schedule: https://t.co/I81JAqNrse pic.twitter.com/yVVS2l85m1โ Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 13, 2022
4. Carolina Panthers
Pick a theme, throw in names and numbers, then ride the nostalgia. Only 90s kids will get this video, but plenty more should appreciate the effort.
Itโs Thursday night, and we feel alright ๐ pic.twitter.com/2eIiNvK1tU
โ Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 13, 2022
3. Dallas Cowboys
We have no idea why Stephen A. Smith agreed to this, but good on him for churning out some truly good sports content for once (too mean?). Yes, somehow a video focused almost entirely on Stephen A. Smith and Jerry Jones is in our top 3. We are just as surprised as you are.
We couldnโt think of any one better to give his first take on our 2022 season schedule. Enjoyโฆ๐๐๐
Get your ๐s here โก๏ธ https://t.co/1BD9uuQhew@seatgeek | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HJSCsoWA20โ Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 13, 2022
2. Detroit Lions
Now this is how you take full advantage of recent viral status, for both the Lions and Detroit Urban Survival Training sensation Dale Brown. You should still never use Brown's advise if another human is threatening you, but this is just too good.
Bonus points for an actual good Russell Wilson burn (there were a lot of them this year), a dig at Urban Meyer and what we think may be a Matt Patricia joke for their game against New England Patriots
How to increase winnability throughout the 2022 season pic.twitter.com/qVZWWE4Pfy
โ Detroit Lions (@Lions) May 13, 2022
1. Los Angeles Chargers
In most other years, the Panthers and Cowboys would be fine as a high water mark. In nearly every other year, the Lions would have been the class of the league.
But the Chargers are here, and they remain extraordinarily good at this.
We have no idea how much it costs to produce two-plus minutes of anime complete with actually good music and references to the likes of One Piece, Naruto, Attack on Titan, Avatar: The Last Airbender and more, but we are elated the social team took the leap.
Should we REALLY make our schedule release video an anime?
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yes yes yesyes pic.twitter.com/A0TvmYJUOQโ Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 13, 2022
Even beyond the anime, this video is an absolute machine gun of disrespect, with targets including Antonio Brown's helmet drama, Kyler Murray's social media-wiping and Urban Meyer's ill-advised trip to the club. We have no idea what the Seahawks ever did to the Chargers, but they somehow got the hilarious worst of it.
It's not even close this year. The Social Media Super Bowl goes to the Chargers and they most certainly earned it.