Hello readers! The Preseason games are over and the games that count are about to begin in less than a week. With this new season comes another season of pick 'ems that will surely bring the smarts and the dumbs of me. In this post I will give out my season predictions for all 32 teams, playoff predictions and Super Bowl matchup. As well as my award predictions. I can't wait to get started, lets get to work!
2022 NFL Regular Season Predictions
The predictions post starts out with my regular season predictions of how each team will do. How many will I actually get right? More than likely less than 50%. Do I claim to be right when I do these? Definitely not. Enough with the disclaimer and let's go for broke!
Let's start with the AFC...
AFC East
Buffalo Bills (1st in AFC East): The Bills of 2022 have a stacked team with one of the best offenses in the conference with Josh Allen and his receiving corp. With the addition of Von Miller should add some leadership and if he's healthy somewhat of a pass rush. Only real concern that I would have is if they have enough talent to get over the hurdle that is the Kansas City Chiefs who have ended the Bills hopes of a championship the last two years.
Miami Dolphins (2nd in AFC East): Out with Brian Flores and in with the offensive mind of Mike McDaniel. Miami added Tyreek Hill as a weapon for Tua Tagovailoa's arsenal. Providing if Tua can throw it to him the Dolphins offense will be much more explosive. Despite missing the playoffs last year the Dolphins got nine wins with a very inept offense. This year could be a bit different for Dolphins fans.
New England Patriots (3rd in AFC East): After a season of low expectations, there is higher expectations for Mac Jones to produce the same level that he did last year. With a new Offensive Coordinator in Matt Patricia at the helm (his first season on the offensive side of the ball) Mac Jones doesn't seem all that happy with the change. More so the Patriots should have a better time protecting Mac Jones and their defense should get better with Jabrill Peppers and Malcolm Butler patrolling the field. Could be a trying season in Patriot Country.
New York Jets (4th in AFC East): Another year, another rebuild for the Jets. With a few additions like Sauce (nice name buddy) Gardner and Garrett Wilson will provide some help for the Jets on both sides of the ball that they didn't have last year. Giving Zach Wilson a wide receiver he can help move the ball to is one of them. Wilson will also have some security in getting CJ Uzomah from Cincinnati via free agency. New York isn't quite ready to get out of the basement but they have some signs of life.
Overall, the AFC East will likely be a division that will be won by the Bills with some competition from Miami and New England. Quite honestly its a Super Bowl or bust for the Bills.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens (1st in AFC North): Baltimore dealt with the injury bug hard last year and nearly made the playoffs. With the offense getting back to health I feel this will be a make or break year for Lamar Jackson in a contract year. In an uncertain AFC North the Ravens could be a poised team that would take a trip back to the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals (2nd in AFC North): A year ago, I didn't have the Bengals as the AFC representative in the Super Bowl, let alone be in the big game. Joe Burrow staying upright will be key for the Bengals return to the Super Bowl. The additions of Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and moving La'el Collins from center to right tackle will help keep Burrow upright. Typically the Super Bowl hangover for the loser means that the team will fall off and I don't trust the Bengals to win the division. Just a gut feeling.
Pittsburgh Steelers (3rd in AFC North): For the first time since 2003, there will be a quarterback not named Ben Roethlisberger on the roster. The search for his successor as lead the Steelers to get Mitchell Trubisky via free agency and Kenny Pickett from the draft. Pickett could likely become the starter. On defense, the Steelers should be right where they were last year, dominant. I question how well the Steelers offense can gel with a new leader under center.
Cleveland Browns (4th in AFC North): The Browns made some big news in the offseason and not for the good reasons. Deshaun Watson got 250 million guaranteed and hasn't played a snap since 2020. Kind of typical for the Browns to make. The departure of Baker Mayfield will be tough for the Browns passing game to be on a level that will be needed to win ball games. Still they have Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb who can provide you with some help on offense. I don't see the Browns making a whole lot of noise. I seriously thought the Browns would have a change of heart by not trading for Watson.
The AFC North seems a bit of a weird division in 2022. The Ravens are kind of a dark horse as well as the Bengals to try and win another division title. Pittsburgh seems like a sensible choice but I feel the quarterback carousel will make it tough. And then there's Cleveland.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts (1st in AFC South): Carson Wentz out and Matt Ryan is in for the Colts. A heartbreaking loss to the Jaguars last year doomed the Colts. The Colts added some help on defense with signing Stephon Gilmore and trading for Yannick Ngakoue. I think the Colts are poised to take advantage of a possibly cracked open AFC South if the Tennessee Titans falter a bit.
Tennessee Titans (2nd in AFC South): Tennessee looked like a legit contender last season. Then the Derrick Henry injury happened. With Henry out the Titans limped along with a relatively weak AFC South. Doesn't help the Titans cause that they traded away AJ Brown and haven't given Julio Jones that big boy contract yet. I could see the Titans faltering a little bit but I still think their defense will keep them in games.
Jacksonville Jaguars (3rd in AFC South): The Jags might actually will make some noise in the division if the Titans slip up a bit. Their head coaching will get better with Doug Pederson at the helm and not the sleezeball Urban Meyer. Trevor Lawrence might be entering the sophomore year in the NFL but he does have some help with Christian Kirk from Arizona and Travis Etienne. It could be a better year in Jags land but let's not go that far.
Houston Texans (4th in AFC South): The trade haul for Deshaun Watson will help Houston out in the future in draft capital. In the present, the Texans are not looking that promising to be a contender to break out of the basement. Davis Mills will be the guide to another possible 10+ loss season. He will have some help with Brandin Cooks and offensive line help. Other than that there's not much to be hopeful for in Houston.
The AFC South is likely going to be the worst division in the conference as it will be once again a battle between the Titans and Colts for the division title.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs (1st in AFC South): Kansas City has seen some changes since we last saw them in January. Out with Tyreek Hill and in with JuJu Smith-Schuster. As well as out with Tyrann Mathieu and in with Justin Reid. The loss of Hill could make things a little challenging with Mahomes but he still has Travis Kelce who can provide him with the help that a tight end can provide. In a tough division it is hard to count out the Chiefs.
Los Angeles Chargers (2nd in AFC South): The Chargers were a few seconds away from making the playoffs but a timeout doomed them in the end. Chargers offense will stay largely the same and as explosive as ever with Justin Herbert and company. The questions would come from a defensive perspective. Adding Khalil Mack to play opposite of Joey Bosa will give the Chargers defense a boost in defensive rush. I think the Chargers might be the biggest challenge to the Chiefs this year.
Las Vegas Raiders (3rd in AFC South): The Raiders last year had a rough go of it. With the Jon Gruden controversy to the Henry Ruggs incident. Josh McDaniels is back in the head coaching ranks and could bring a better experience than what he had brought to the Denver Broncos a decade ago. He will be able to improve the offense and give Derek Carr, tight end Darren Waller and wide out Hunter Renfrow more explosiveness. They also added Davantae Adams from the Packers. The Raiders could be a wild card winner.
Denver Broncos (4th in AFC South): Drew Lock is gone and Russell Wilson is in for the Broncos. For really the first time since 2015 when Peyton Manning was at the helm, the Broncos front office gave their fans someone they can hope for that can last more than a season. It seems that the move might be the best case for them to make some noise in the division. There's one problem. The AFC West is stacked and beefed up.
There's a case that the AFC West is the best division in the NFL, not just the AFC. Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr compose the quarterbacks in this division and that alone makes it quite the division. Any team could be a division winner and be a playoff contender. I wouldn't go as far as to say that all four teams will make it to the tournament but I think at least three teams will make it.
Let's go to the NFC...
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles (1st in NFC East): The offseason champions made that moniker to use as the Eagles offense upgraded a lot. Philly took advantage of Tennessee and traded for AJ Brown in exchange for a 1st round pick. The Eagles also added some help on defense with Jordan Davis via the draft. Giving up Jalen Reagor to Minnesota could be perhaps a bit of a weird move but I still like the Eagles to possibly move in a division that had been dominated by the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys (2nd in NFC East): Big D's hold on the NFC East might slip up a bit as the other teams got better. Dallas had to shed quite a bit of talent due to the salary cap. Such players like La'el Collins, Amari Cooper, and Randy Gregory were victims of such financial circumstances. They would make up for the losses to add Jalen Tolbert to the wide out corp and offensive lineman Tyler Smith. It could be a trying year for the Cowboys but I think they can make the playoffs.
New York Giants (3rd in NFC East): Big Blue seems to find some competent head coaching and a general manager that seems to know what they're doing. Brian Daboll takes over a team that has seen better days. Joe Schoen takes over the GM duties after spending time in team building in Buffalo. The G-Men have some weapons on offense that can translate into a better offensive unit. The question is how well the new coaching can gel with the roster and if said roster can stay healthy. I don't trust their secondary and Daniel Jones lacks a tight end that can be a security blanket. I think it'll be a year of breaking out of the basement for New York.
Washington Football Team Commanders (4th in NFC East): Washington made big news with a name change that lacks creativity. On the football side, the Commanders traded for Carson Wentz in exchange for draft capital. A lot of the Commanders fans hopes will hinge on how well Wentz can transition into the roster and generate offense. His report card from Indy last year could be marked as a "D" or an "F" depending on how you look at it. Certainly Colts head coach Frank Reich would've given him the latter. On defense, Chase Young will return after missing a majority of the season and can help Washington out with pass rush.
The NFC East seems to be a mediocre division that lacks real depth. If there was a dark horse that can be a challenge it would be the Giants. It seems like its a division that will come down to if the Eagles choking and if the Cowboys can find a spark.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers (1st in NFC North): After another year of "Will Aaron Rodgers retire or not" the Packers signal caller will stay with the team for another season in a "Super Bowl or Bust" mode yet again. The Packers lost quite a bit of talent due to the salary cap. Such players like Davante Adams to Las Vegas and Za'darius Smith to the Vikings. Defensively, the Pack boasts possibly one of the better defenses in the conference with rookie Quay Walker and Kenny Clark fronting the defensive line. I think the Pack have enough to stave off the rising Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings (2nd in NFC North): The defensive minded coach Mike Zimmer is gone and offensive mind Kevin O'Connell is in. Kevin will bring forth his offensive mind from the Rams who had won a Super Bowl last year with that talent group. It'll mean that the Vikings offense will get better in both the passing and running games, more than likely the pass. Defensively, I still question them a bit. Bringing in former Packer Za'Darius Smith to the Purple People Eaters will help solve some problems. I feel its a good group that can make it to the playoffs in first year under the O'Connell regime.
Detroit Lions (3rd in NFC North): The key to the 2022 Detroit Lions will be keeping Dan Campbell. Seeing how the Lions fought hard for every game last year the Lions could've easily won more than the three games that they won in 2021. Detroit fell short of winning by a touchdown or less in seven contests. For 2022 the Lions picked up DJ Chark to help out a wide receiving corp that lacked weapons for Jared Goff to throw to. On defense, the Lions picked up Aidan Hutchinson from nearby Michigan via the draft to help bolster the line. With a better cast for 2022, the Lions might break out of the basement.
Chicago Bears (4th in NFC North): I kind of forgot that Chicago hired a new head coach in Matt Eberflus. They also have a rookie offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy. All this spells is a long season for the Bears, especially for Justin Fields. Fields will improve in his mechanics and being more assertive. Will said improvement give the Bears a winning season, I wouldn't hold my breath.
The NFC North will be a weaker division. Detroit might get more than 5 wins this season and that's a big step in the right direction for them. Green Bay and Minnesota will be at each others throats this season while Chicago will be the punching bag of the division.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1st in NFC South): For a moment it seemed that Tom Brady would be done with the NFL, and then he decided to unretire, just like Brett Favre. Brady would be right to stay on for another season as the Bucs roster has went with more younger players. Akiem Hicks took over for Ndamukong Suh, Russell Gage to replace Chris Godwin until he gets back from injury. The Buccaneers look to be the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl.
New Orleans Saints (2nd in NFC South): The Saints hired Dennis Allen to replace Sean Payton who retired in the offseason. New Orleans has questions in the quarterback position as they have both Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton vying for the job. It seems that the job is Winston's job to lose. In the draft the Saints took Chris Olave who will be one of the best route runners in the business. On defense, the Saints signed Tyrann Mathieu to help with their secondary. Will the talent the Saints have be enough to overtake the Buccaneers, not likely. Still it seems that the Saints are Tom Brady's kryptonite.
Carolina Panthers (3rd in NFC South): Carolina had a rough go of it in 2021. The 3-0 start seemed to put them on the map for one of the better teams in the NFC. Then the injury to Christian McCaffrey happened and it all went to crap. Carolina traded to get wanderer Baker Mayfield from Cleveland and some players don't seem to care for him. Still its an improvement from Sam Darnold but how much will it be? That'll be the question that has to be answered if the Panthers want to sniff a playoff berth. DJ Moore will be a great wide out and the drafting of Ikem Ekwonu to anchor the left side of the O-line will help. I don't see the Panthers doing a lot this year.
Atlanta Falcons (4th in NFC South): Matt Ryan is gone and the Falcons will have to pay $40.5 million in dead cap as the quarterback got traded to the Colts. Other questions the team will have is at the quarterback spot as Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder look to be Ryan's successor. I don't see either of them putting up numbers like Ryan but it will be intriguing to see. Despite a lackluster roster, the Falcons do have one of the better tight ends in football in Kyle Pitts. It could be a case for the Falcons being the worst team in the NFC.
NFC South is possibly one of the worst divisions in the NFL but they do have one of the best teams in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other than the Bucs I don't see any other team making a playoff berth. Just plain yucky of a division, just like the summer weather down there.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams (1st in NFC West): A team hasn't won back-to-back Super Bowls since the 2003 and 2004 Patriots. That was 17 years ago. The Rams look to end that trend. It'll be interesting to see how well bringing in Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner to replace the losses of Andrew Whitworth and Von Miller. The case for the Super Bowl hangover is there but Sean McVay will have this group primed for another run and attempt to keep Tom Brady from making back to a Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers (2nd in NFC West): San Fran believes that Trey Lance is the answer over the experienced starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance fits in well with the concepts that head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to deploy like counters, sweeps, etc. Some questions will come with is Nick Bosa's health and how well Deebo Samuel will gel with his new quarterback. It might be a playoff season for the 49ers.
Arizona Cardinals (3rd in NFC West): The Cards are strange to me. They have enough talent to be one of the best teams in the NFL but always seem to smell rotten later in the season. Losing five of the last six games in 2021 helped prove that moniker well. Kyler Murray made some news for the worse that he and the team aren't on the greatest of terms. Murray will be without his top target in DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season due to a performance-enhancing drug violation. Marquise Brown could also face some punishment due to a speeding offense on a Arizona highway. Defensively, the Cardinals have some pieces to keep them in games. JJ Watt will be key to the Cards getting a winning record. Could be a trying time for the Cards in 2022.
Seattle Seahawks (4th in NFC West): Seattle sounded the rebuild bell by trading longtime quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver in exchange for Drew Lock. Head coach Pete Carroll will have to rely heavily on his running game of Rashaad Penny and 2nd round draft pick Kenneth Walker III to provide help on offense. Defensively the Seahawks pose a weak group but Jamal Adams is still on the roster which will help them in some games. Might be a trying season for the old ball coach and his Seattle Seahawks. The 2013 Seattle Seahawks seems like a distant memory now.
The NFC West has a decent division with the Rams and 49ers bringing up the front while the Cardinals look to be average and the Seahawks looking to be in the basement. I'll give this division a better than average grade. Just not quite the same division that was during a few seasons ago.
NFL 2022 Playoff Predictions
AFC:
1st seed: Buffalo Bills
2nd seed: Kansas City Chiefs
3rd seed: Indianapolis Colts
4th seed: Baltimore Ravens
5th seed: Los Angeles Chargers
6th seed: Las Vegas Raiders
7th seed: Cincinnati Bengals
Wild Card:
Chiefs over Bengals
Colts over Raiders
Chargers over Ravens
Divisional:
Bills over Colts
Chiefs over Chargers
Conference Championship:
Bills over Chiefs
NFC:
1st seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2nd seed: Los Angeles Rams
3rd seed: Green Bay Packers
4th seed: Philadelphia Eagles
5th seed: San Francisco 49ers
6th seed: Dallas Cowboys
7th seed: Minnesota Vikings
Wild card:
Rams over Vikings
Packers over Cowboys
49ers over Eagles
Divisional:
Buccaneers over 49ers
Rams over Packers
Conference Championship:
Buccaneers over Rams
Super Bowl LVII:
Buccaneers over Bills
Award Predictions:
MVP: Justin Herbert
Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson
Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Christian Watson
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson
Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey
Coach of the Year: Brandon Staley
Look out for the Week 1 Picks post to be posted sometime before the Thursday night game! Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend!
-Tom
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