Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady on Sept. 25 -- Classic QB Matchup

That's one of five 2022 NFL games that features an appealing quarterback matchup involving the former Cal star

Former Cal standout Aaron Rodgers may have a depleted receiving corps, but that is not going to prevent him from being the focal point of some appealing quarterback matchups in the 2022 NFL season.

The NFL released its 2022 schedule on Thursday, and five Packers games offer intriguing quarterback matchups for Rodgers, and one of them stands out as a classic confrontation of two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

Two of those games have particular interest for Cal fans because they feature former Cal quarterback vs. former Cal quarterback: Rodgers and the Packers face the Lions and Jared Goff in games on Nov. 6 and again on Jan. 7 or 8 in the regular-season finale. Rodgers has a 2-2 record in games in which he and Goff were the starting quarterbacks, and that includes 1-1 last year. However, Rodgers only played the second half of that 2021 regular-season finale because the Packers had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Based on the Lions draft choices, it appears Goff will be Detroit's starting quarterback this season, providing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft to get another shot at Rodgers, who preceded Goff by nine years at Cal.

The three other games of note feature Rodgers against some of the best quarterbacks the NFL has to offer.

---On Dec. 19, Rodgers and the Packers play a Monday night game against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is basking in the glow of his new-found fame. (Hey, he’s in an AT&T commercial, which was a thinly disguised nod to Detroit and his new success in Los Angeles after his 12 years with the Lions.)

Rodgers has a 13-5 record in games both he and Stafford were the starting quarterbacks, including one Packers loss in which Rodgers missed more than half the game. But this year’s Rams-Packers game will only be the second time Rodgers and Stafford have faced off since Stafford joined the Rams, with Rodgers winning their matchup during the 2021 regular season. Stafford and Rodgers are tied in Super Bowl wins at one apiece.

---On Oct. 30, Rodgers and the Packers will play a Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen. There are those who believe Allen is the best quarterback in the NFL right now, even though Rodgers has won the MVP award the past two seasons. Allen’s phenomenal performance against the Chiefs in last year’s AFC championship game has made him one of the preseason favorites for the 2020 MVP,  and the fact that Kansas City won that game with Allen not getting a chance to touch the ball in overtime led to a change in the overtime rule.

Rodgers and Allen have faced each other only once as starters in the NFL and that was in 2018 in Allen’s third NFL start. That was hardly a fair fight, and Rodgers and the Packers won that one 22-0 when Allen threw two interceptions and was sacked seven times. That’s not likely to happen this time.

---The Sept. 25 game in Tampa, Fla., between the Buccaneers and Packers may be the highlight of the 2022 NFL season because it will feature two of the best quarterbacks in history – Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady. Brady has won three of the four games in which both were starters, and that includes the Jan. 24, 2021 NFC championship game won by Brady and the Bucs 31-26.

Buildup to this year's game will include debate about which is the better quarterback. Brady has won seven Super Bowls and Rodgers has won just one, so most observers feel Brady is the best quarterback in history. But Rodgers has won four MVP awards to three for Brady, and only Peyton Manning, with five MVPs, has won more than Rodgers.

It appeared the Rodgers-Brady debate had ended when Brady announced his retirement, but Brady brought it back to life when he unretired. Rodgers said he considered retiring after last season too.

So this could be the last time Rodgers faces Brady in an NFL game. And you have to wonder whether the NFL folks did a little finagling to make the Rodgers-Brady matchup a reality.  The Packers are the only NFC North team Tampa Bay faces in 2022, and the Bucs are the only NFC South team on Green Bay's 2022 schedule.

Brady and Rodgers will be teammates in the June 1 charity event, The Match, but they will be bitter rivals on Sept. 25.

After the NFL schedule was released, ESPN.com reported that this year’s Buccaneers-Packers contest is the second-most in-demand game of the 2022 regular season, behind only the 49ers-Raiders contest.

Here is what ESPN.com said about the Bucs-Packers game, noting that the average ticket-price sold is $535

2. Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 3 -- $535

This might also be the last time we see Aaron Rodgers face Tom Brady. The game will be early in the season, so although the playoff implications of this one won't be seen immediately, Rodgers and Brady should be fresh, giving us the best matchup possible between the two.

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady by Kim Clement, USA TODAY Sports

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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