2022 USFL season

The 2022 USFL season is the ongoing inaugural season of the revived United States Football League (USFL), and the first season of a league using that name since 1985. The season began on April 16 and is scheduled to conclude on July 3. The league's eight teams represent various geographical locales and associated team names that were part of the 1984 season of the original USFL. For 2022, all regular-season games are being played in Birmingham, Alabama, either at Protective Stadium or Legion Field.

2022 USFL season
LeagueUnited States Football League
SportAmerican football
DurationApril 16 – July 3
Number of games43 (40 regular-season games, 3 postseason games)
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)Fox, FS1, NBC, Peacock, USA

The USFL will play its postseason at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Semifinal games are scheduled for June 25, featuring the top two teams from each division. The winners will then meet in USFL Bowl I on July 3.

Location
🌍
Map of regular-season venues in Birmingham
1
Protective Stadium
2
Legion Field

The city of Birmingham and the USFL announced that the city would host all eight teams. Regular-season games are played at Protective Stadium and Legion Field.[1]

The choice of Birmingham as the league's sole city led to substantial crowds for the Birmingham Stallions and to very small crowds for games involving only teams named after other cities and states. The opening-week matchup between the Tampa Bay Bandits and Pittsburgh Maulers, rescheduled to Monday night, was played in an almost entirely empty stadium.[2] USA Today reported that during the Week 2 matchup between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, crowd shots included more Fox broadcast staff members than fans.[3]

On February 16, 2022, the league announced that the 2022 playoffs would be held in Canton, Ohio, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium instead of Birmingham due to schedule conflicts with the 2022 World Games. Playoffs will be held from June 25 to July 3.[4]

Draft

The 2022 USFL Draft occurred on February 22 and 23, 2022, and had a format similar to the 2020 XFL Draft, where players were selected in phases based on positions.[5]

Teams

The eight teams competing in the USFL's 2022 season all feature the names and colors of USFL teams that existed in 1984.[6] During the 2022 season, all regular-season games will be held at either Protective Stadium or Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.[1][7]

Team[8] Head coach
North Division
Michigan Panthers Jeff Fisher
New Jersey Generals Mike Riley
Philadelphia Stars Bart Andrus
Pittsburgh Maulers Kirby Wilson
South Division
Birmingham Stallions Skip Holtz
Houston Gamblers Kevin Sumlin
New Orleans Breakers Larry Fedora
Tampa Bay Bandits Todd Haley

Standings
North Division
# W L PCT DIV LEAG PF PA STK
1 New Jersey Generals 2 1 .667 2–0 2–1 58 50 W2
2[lower-alpha 1] Philadelphia Stars 1 2 .333 1–1 1–2 63 70 L1
3 Michigan Panthers 1 2 .333 1–1 1–2 42 27 W1
4 Pittsburgh Maulers 0 3 .000 0–2 0–3 26 71 L3
Tiebreakers
  1. Philadelphia leads Michigan based on total points scored.
South Division
# W L PCT DIV LEAG PF PA STK
1 Birmingham Stallions 3 0 1.000 2–0 3–0 83 65 W3
2[lower-alpha 1] New Orleans Breakers 2 1 .667 1–1 2–1 70 42 L1
3 Tampa Bay Bandits 2 1 .667 1–1 2–1 47 63 W1
4 Houston Gamblers 1 2 .333 0–2 1–2 71 72 L2
Tiebreakers
  1. New Orleans leads Tampa Bay based on total points scored.

Season schedule

The league announced in November 2021 that teams would each play a ten-game schedule, with each team facing divisional opponents twice and non-divisional opponents once. The champion and runner-up of each division will qualify for the playoffs, which will consist of a semifinal and championship round played in the beginning of July.[9] Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with some "special broadcasts" on Fridays and Mondays.[10] On January 6, 2022, the league announced on its website that the season would begin on April 16.[11]

The full 2022 season schedule was released March 7, 2022, with the highlights including a doubleheader of Week 1 games on Easter Sunday.[12][13][14]

Regular season

All games at Protective Stadium during Weeks 1–7 and 9, and at Legion Field during weeks 8 and 10. All times listed are EDT. All games on NBC are simulcast on Peacock.

Changes to game schedules or broadcasting are listed in notes after each week's matchups.

Week 1
Week 1
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Ref.
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 16, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey Generals 24–28 Birmingham Stallions 17,500 Fox and NBC 3.07 1.8 [15][16][17]
April 17, 1:00 p.m.[W1 1] Houston Gamblers 17–12 Michigan Panthers NBC 2.15 1.1 [18][17]
April 17, 5:00 p.m.[W1 2] Philadelphia Stars 17–23 New Orleans Breakers USA 0.77 0.4 [19][17]
April 18, 7:00 p.m.[W1 3] Tampa Bay Bandits 17–3 Pittsburgh Maulers FS1 0.27 0.2 [20][21][22]
  1. Game originally scheduled for 12 pm ET start but delayed due to weather.
  2. Game originally scheduled for 4 pm ET start but delayed due to earlier game being delayed.
  3. Game originally scheduled for 8 pm ET start on April 17 but rescheduled to April 18 due to earlier game delays and weather risk.

Week 2
Week 2
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Ref.
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 22, 8:00 p.m. Michigan Panthers 6–10 New Jersey Generals USA 0.36 0.2 [23][24][22]
April 23, 12:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Maulers 23–30 Philadelphia Stars Fox 1.06 0.7 [22][25][24]
April 23, 7:00 p.m. Birmingham Stallions 33–28 Houston Gamblers FS1[W2 1] 0.42 0.2 [24][26][22]
April 24, 3:00 p.m. New Orleans Breakers 34–3 Tampa Bay Bandits NBC 0.81 0.5 [22][24][27]
  1. Game started on FS2 due to MLB coverage on FS1.

Week 3
Week 3
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
April 30, 4:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Bandits 27–26 Houston Gamblers Fox 0.83 0.54 [28][29][30]
April 30, 8:00 p.m.[W3 1] Birmingham Stallions 22–13 New Orleans Breakers 1.11 0.72 [24][28][31][30]
May 1, 2:30 p.m.[W3 1] Pittsburgh Maulers 0–24 Michigan Panthers USA 0.29 0.18 [28][24][32][30]
May 1, 8:00 p.m. New Jersey Generals 24–16 Philadelphia Stars Peacock N/A [33][30]
  1. The Stallions–Breakers game was moved to Saturday night (with coverage by Fox) with a corresponding move of the Maulers–Panthers to Sunday afternoon (with coverage by USA), part of an effort by the league to air "some of its better games on network television."

Week 4
Week 4
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 6, 10:00 p.m. Philadelphia Stars Michigan Panthers FS1
May 7, 2:30 p.m. New Jersey Generals Pittsburgh Maulers Peacock
May 7, 7:00 p.m. Tampa Bay Bandits Birmingham Stallions Fox
May 8, 3:00 p.m. Houston Gamblers New Orleans Breakers NBC

Week 5
Week 5
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 13, 8:00 p.m. Michigan Panthers Tampa Bay Bandits USA
May 14, 3:00 p.m. New Orleans Breakers New Jersey Generals Fox
May 15, 12:00 p.m. Birmingham Stallions Philadelphia Stars NBC
May 15, 4:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Maulers Houston Gamblers Fox

Week 6
Week 6
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 21–May 22
Dates/times to be confirmed		 Houston Gamblers New Jersey Generals TBD
Pittsburgh Maulers New Orleans Breakers
Tampa Bay Bandits Philadelphia Stars
May 21, 7:30 p.m. Michigan Panthers Birmingham Stallions NBC

Week 7
Week 7
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
May 28–May 29
Dates/times to be confirmed		 New Jersey Generals Tampa Bay Bandits TBD
New Orleans Breakers Michigan Panthers
Philadelphia Stars Houston Gamblers
May 29, 2:00 p.m. Birmingham Stallions Pittsburgh Maulers Fox

Week 8
Week 8
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
June 3–June 5
Dates/times to be confirmed		 Houston Gamblers Tampa Bay Bandits TBD
Michigan Panthers Philadelphia Stars
New Orleans Breakers Birmingham Stallions
Pittsburgh Maulers New Jersey Generals

Week 9
Week 9
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
June 11–June 12
Dates/times to be confirmed		 Houston Gamblers Birmingham Stallions TBD
New Jersey Generals Michigan Panthers
Philadelphia Stars Pittsburgh Maulers
Tampa Bay Bandits New Orleans Breakers

Week 10
Week 10
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
June 18–June 19
Dates/times to be confirmed		 Birmingham Stallions Tampa Bay Bandits TBD
Michigan Panthers Pittsburgh Maulers
New Orleans Breakers Houston Gamblers
Philadelphia Stars New Jersey Generals

Playoffs

The playoffs will start on June 25 and will end with the championship on July 3. All games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Division round Championship
      
N2 North Division runner-up
N1 North Division winner
North Division champion
South Division champion
S2 South Division runner-up
S1 South Division winner
Semifinals
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
June 25, 3:00 p.m. TBD TBD Fox
June 25, 8:00 p.m. TBD TBD NBC
USFL Championship
Date and time Away team Score Home team Attendance Broadcast Refs
Network Viewership
(millions)		 Rating
July 3, 7:30 p.m. TBD TBD Fox

Awards and statistics

Players of the Week

The following were named the top performers during the 2022 season:

Week Offensive
Player of the Week		 Defensive
Player of the Week		 Special Teams

Player of the Week

1[34] J'Mar Smith QB
(Birmingham Stallions)		 Davin Bellamy DE
(New Orleans Breakers)		 Chad Williams WR
(New Orleans Breakers)
2[35] Kyle Sloter QB
(New Orleans Breakers)		 Vontae Diggs LB
(New Orleans Breakers)		 Nick Vogel K
(Houston Gamblers)
3[36][37][38] Johnnie Dixon WR
(New Orleans Breakers)		 DeMarquis Gates LB
(Birmingham Stallions)		 Tyler Rausa K
(Tampa Bay Bandits)

League finances

For the 2022 season, tickets cost $10 per person, with children aged 15 and under free. Tickets provide access to all games scheduled for the same day.[39] On March 3, 2022, the league announced that 15 states have approved legal, regulated betting on USFL games.[40]

Compensation

USFL players and staff will be able to receive a college degree "tuition-free and debt-free", through a partnership with for-profit universities Strategic Education’s Capella University and Strayer University. They will be able to take classes online or in-person.[41]

USFL players receive weekly salaries of $4,500 for active roster players, $1,500 for practice squad players, and $600 during training camp. Players also receive bonuses of $850 per regular-season or postseason win and $10,000 for winning the championship.[42][43] Players must cover their own housing costs. The league offers hotel rooms at a discounted price of $75 per room per day, with an option for two players to share a room.[44]

Media

Telecasts for the 2022 season are produced by Fox Sports and NBC Sports. Fox airs 12 regular season games, one semi-final, and the championship game.[45] NBC broadcasts eight regular season games and one semi-final, Peacock will broadcast 4 games exclusively along with simulcasting all NBC games. Other games air on USA Network and FS1.[46]

The opening game was broadcast on April 16, 2022, at 7:30 PM Eastern time on both Fox and NBC. Fox produced the game and NBC produced all studio coverage. It was the first football game to be simulcast across two major American broadcast networks since the 2007 New England Patriots–New York Giants game.[47]

Fox brought back its lead XFL broadcast team from 2020, Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt, for USFL coverage.[48] Kevin Kugler and Mark Sanchez serve as the second broadcast team. Brock Huard reports from the sidelines during selected games.[49]

The NBC crew features Jac Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister handling play-by-play duties alongside analysts Jason Garrett, Michael Robinson and Cameron Jordan. Zora Stephenson and Corey Robinson are sideline reporters and Sara Perlman hosts halftime and post-game coverage.[50]

References
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  2. Keeley, Sean (April 19, 2022). "The USFL's muted opening weekend lacked the XFL's self-awareness". Awful Announcing. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  3. Evans, Jace; Axson, Scooby; Reyes, Lorenzo (April 23, 2022). "Takeaways from USFL Week 2: Jeff Fisher searching for first win, Jonathan Adams has amazing catch". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  4. "USFL announces inaugural playoffs, championship game in Canton, Ohio". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  5. Bittner, Adam (February 14, 2022). "Here's what you need to know about the new USFL and the Pittsburgh Maulers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  6. Gaydos, Ryan (November 22, 2021). "USFL's 8 teams bring back nostalgia for football fans". Fox News. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  7. Fambro, Cassie (October 11, 2021). "USFL possibly returning to Birmingham". WBRC. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  8. Pickman, Ben. "USFL Unveils Logos, Team Names Ahead of Return Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  9. Kelley, Kevin (November 17, 2021). "USFL announces division structure, playoff format for inaugural season". FBSchedules. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  10. "New USFL reveals team names, cities, logos for 2022 season". FOX 13 Tampa Bay. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  11. "Official Site of the United States Football League". UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  12. Young, RJ (March 7, 2022). "USFL 2022 schedule: Week 1 matchups released". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  13. Kelley, Kevin (March 8, 2022). "2022 USFL Schedule: Dates, TV, opponents set for all eight teams". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  14. Omatiga, Mary (March 8, 2022). "2022 USFL TV Schedule: Dates and times for the 10-week inaugural football season". NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  15. "APRIL 16: NEW JERSEY GENERALS @ BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS RECAP".
  16. Talbot, Damond (2022-04-17). "USFL Attendance: First USFL game between Stallions and Generals was a success". NFL Draft Diamonds. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
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  28. "SKEDBALL: Weekly Sports TV Ratings 4.25-5.1.2022 | Showbuzz Daily". showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  29. "USFL roundup: Bandits rally for 27-26 win over Gamblers". theworldnews.net. Reuters. April 30, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  30. Mitchell, Mike (2022-05-03). "USFL 2022: Final Week 3 TV Ratings On FOX/USA". Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  31. "New Orleans Breakers suffer first loss of USFL season to Birmingham Stallions". nola.com. April 30, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  32. Champion, Brandon (May 1, 2022). "Michigan Panthers run wild, shut out Pittsburgh Maulers for first USFL win". mlive.com. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  33. "Generals Rushing Attack Comes Up Big In 24-16 Victory Over Stars". Fox Sports. May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  34. "USFL WEEK 1 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: J'MAR SMITH, DAVIN BELLAMY". theusfl.com. April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  35. Rachuk, Stephan (April 26, 2022). "USFL Names Week 2 Players of the Week". usflnewsroom.com. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  36. @usfl (May 3, 2022). "The votes are in and the winner of the Week 3 Offensive Player of the Week is... @USFLBreakers WR @YoungKing_JD5! 🌊🌊🌊" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-05-04 – via Twitter.
  37. "https://twitter.com/usfl/status/1521568535842934784". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-05-04. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  38. "https://twitter.com/usfl/status/1521581962380595201". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-05-04. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  39. "USFL Officially Selling Tickets For Inaugural Game, Starting At $10". xflnewsroom.com. January 25, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  40. Smith, Michael David (March 3, 2022). "USFL eager to attract bettors, announces that 15 states have approved legal betting on USFL games". profootballtalk.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  41. Smith, Jordan (January 5, 2022). "USFL giving players and staff tuition-free, debt-free college degree program". Fox 5 New York.
  42. Rachuk, Stephan (2022-02-04). "Details on USFL Player Contracts & Pay Reportedly Leak". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  43. Rachuk, Stephan (2022-02-05). "Details Emerge on USFL Win Bonus Structure". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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  45. Richmond, F. O. X. (2022-02-04). "2022 USFL ON FOX SCHEDULE". WRLH. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  46. Hayes, Dade (2021-12-15). "NBC To Broadcast USFL Games Along With Fox Under New Multi-Year Rights Deal". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
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  48. Ourand, John (April 4, 2022). "SBJ Media: Fox Sports decides on its top USFL booth". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  49. "FOX Sports Announces USFL on FOX Broadcast Team". Fox Sports PressPass. 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  50. "NBC SPORTS ANNOUNCES COMMENTATORS FOR INAUGURAL USFL SEASON". NBC Sports Pressbox. 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
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