NFL Predictions for the 2022 Season

I love fall. The crisp air, hoodies, sweatpants, warm drinks, bonfires, and, of course, football! The best time of year. I couldn’t be more excited!

I wanted to run through my predictions for the upcoming season. I know I cheated a bit by having seen the Season Opener already, but I think it’s still early enough.

The NFC

NFC North

Vikings (12-5)

Packers (12-5)

Lions (8-9)

Bears (3-13)

My home division! Been a Vikings fan my whole life so maybe this is a homer pick, but usually, I am very pessimistic about my team. This year, I think, will be different. Having a new, young, offensive-minded head coach that doesn’t have open disdain for the team’s quarterback helps. O’Connell brings with him a more dynamic offense, that will better take advantage of the high-level talent on that side of the ball. Along with a healthy Danielle Hunter and Zadarius Smith on defense. I think this team is going to surprise some people.

The Packers will be good, of course. They have Aaron Rodgers. BUT, they don’t have anyone in their receiver room that scares you, even a little. Their defense is going to be top-tier.

The Lions are on the come-up. They have a decent quarterback and solid receivers. I really like Amon Ra St. Brown. I think Deandre Swift is going to emerge as a top running back this season, and the O-line is undoubtedly improved. Their defense will be awful though, which is why I don’t think they’ll make the playoffs.

The ole Bears. I kinda feel bad for them. They have been so poorly run in the last 5-7 years, and it shows. Besides Justin Fields at quarterback and Darnell Mooney at receiver, what is there to be excited about? Their offensive line is bad, they have no weapons and their defense is not going to stop anyone. This is a bottom-five team in contention for the worst record.

NFC East

Eagles (11-6)

Cowboys (8-9)

Giants (7-10)

Commanders (5-11)

This is a sad division. Outside of the Eagles, if I were a fan of any of these teams, I wouldn’t have much hope. Not for this season. Not for any in the near future.

Let’s start with the one bright spot, the Eagles. The Eagles may have had the best off-season in the NFL signing WR A.J. Brown and CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, along with a great draft. The Eagles are talented on both sides of the football and have been getting some Super Bowl buzz as the season approaches. I don’t buy into that. This will be a good team, maybe even a 1 or 2-win playoff team, but with a young, unproven QB and Head Coaching combo, a Super Bowl appearance is a bridge too far.

The Cowboys! The most over-talked-about mediocre team ever will continue their streak of being the most over-talked-about mediocre team ever this season. Having lost Amari Cooper to the Browns and Tyrone Smith to injury, I just don’t see this team being as good as they were last year. Their QB is overrated, he’s not better than Kirk Cousins, and their Head Coach has been bad both his seasons in Dallas.

The Giants. Just another disappointing team in New York. When a team has a rookie Head Coach and a quarterback we know isn’t good, their season is pretty predictable even if you like some of their other pieces.

Oh, the Commanders. After seeing Carson Wentz last season I just don’t know how anyone could think this team is going to be any good. Ron Rivera, I guess? I don’t know. I like Rivera and McClaurin but can Chase Young stay healthy? What else do they have?

NFC South

Bucs (11-6)

Saints (10-7)

Panthers (8-9)

Falcons (2-13)

If Tom Brady plays the full season the Bucs are a good team that makes the playoffs even though their O-line has been beaten up. The Bucs still have good weapons on offense, and remain talented and experienced on defense. Todd Bowles is certainly a coach you can trust. Who knows though, Brady could retire at any moment.

This division is hard to gauge because I think the floors and ceilings for the top three teams vary greatly. I have no idea if Denis Allen will work as a Head Coach. Maybe Jameis will throw 40 touchdowns this year, they sure have a hell of a lot of guys who can catch, run and score. That said, he may well have 40 turnovers too. It’s an organization I trust with a lot of pieces I like, but again, the Quarterback and Head Coach, I don't know… I think they make it into the playoffs by virtue of the NFC’s lack of depth.

The Panthers were hard to decide for me. I really liked Baker out of college and wanted him and the Browns to be good. But I kinda soured on him because of his media approach and not backing it up on the field. However, a new environment, away from the toxically bad Browns, may be all he needs to rejuvenate his career. Not that I necessarily think that’s what’s going to happen, but it’s possible. If Christian McCaffrey can stay and healthy and D.J. Moore can remain consistent, the Panthers could be a threat to sneak into the playoffs. I am just too big of a wimp to predict it.

The Falcons want to be bad this year and they will succeed. Kyle Pitts is going to be a monster, though, which will be fun to watch. And who knows, maybe Mariota will prove people wrong.

NFC West

Rams (11-6)

49ers (10-7)

Cardinals (10-7)

Seahawks (3-14)

I have to admit, I did watch the Opener before writing this, which is cheating a little, I know. That said, most people overreact to week one, and that game will certainly cause many to do so. The Rams lost, in ugly fashion, but they are still uber talented, well coached, and they just won the Super Bowl. They’re going to be fine.

The 49ers are one of the more interesting teams in the league. They have a Super Bowl ready roster. The question is whether or not Trey Lance is capable of leading them there. My guess is he is not. Much of the reporting out of the Bay Area this off-season was concerning. Lance isn’t accurate, he isn’t reading the field well, and he may not be the guy. Add the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo, who took the team to the Super Bowl two years ago and the NFC Championship Game last year, is just waiting in the wings. If this team, and Trey Lance, get off to a rough start there could be some QB drama, which is never ideal. This is going to be a good team. Whether it’s Lance or Garoppolo, who finishes the season, I don't know, but this team is going to the playoffs either way.

The Cardinals will be one of the teams who made the playoffs last year that won't this year. They had a noisy off-season filled with drama which usually doesn't bode well. Deandre Hopkins, probably the team's best player, will miss the first six games of the season. I don’t trust their coach, and they lost Chandler Jones in the off-season. I think this team takes a bit of a step back this year.

Geno Smith should not be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That he will be for the Seahawks to start the season tells you everything you need to know about the Seahawks' prospects. I have DK Metcalf in one of my fantasy leagues, hopefully, he goes off.

NFC Post Season

The NFC Teams I think will make the playoffs are the Vikings, Packers, Eagles, Bucs, Saints, Rams, and 49ers. The Vikings will have the 1-seed and a bye in the first round. The Packers, Eagles, and 49ers will advance. The Vikings and Eagles will face off in the NFC Championship and the Vikings will return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1977.

The AFC

AFC North

Ravens (12-5)

Bengals (12-5)

Steelers (8-9)

Browns (7-10)

People are sleeping on the Ravens. I don’t know if it’s because they doubt Lamar, still, despite him obviously being a very good quarterback. Or if it’s because they think the contract drama is going to be a distraction. I’ve seen some people saying they won’t make the playoffs and I think that’s ridiculous. Lamar is going to be in the MVP conversation. Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman will be great targets. Their running game, as always, will be dynamic and difficult to stop. Last year, in a down year with an unbelievable amount of injuries, Lamar was 8-3 as a starter. They bounce back this season.

The Bengals will be one of the more entertaining teams to watch this year. The Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase combo may be the most exciting in the league. They’ve improved the offensive line and the defense, and have more experience under their belts. This is going to be a really good team. What I think will be difficult for them this year are the expectations. Last year, no one thought they were gonna be very good, let alone win the division and go to the Super Bowl. Now, their fans, the media, and most importantly their opponents won’t take them as lightly as they did last year.

Mike Tomlin will never have a bad team. But with Trubisky or Pickett at Quarterback, behind a bad O-line, I don’t think the Steelers make the playoffs this year. They barely snuck in last year, and probably should not have been there as evidenced by the shellacking they took in round one from Kansas City. The Steelers will have a great defense but won’t have enough on offense to consistently outscore opponents.

The Browns are talented but their quarterback situation is precarious at best. Because of their talent, I think they will remain competitive regardless of the quarterback play, but I hope they are worse than I expect. The Browns are nasty, and they deserve to lose every game this season.

AFC East

Bills (13-4)

Dolphins (9-8)

Patriots (8-9)

Jets (3-14)

Again, I have to admit I saw the first game of the season. Boy did Buffalo look good. Josh Allen was basically perfect. Stefon Diggs and Gabrielle Davis were electric. Von Miller looked a decade younger, and the defense, even without their top cornerback, was incredible. If the Bills continue to impress as they did in week 1, they are likely the best team in the league and deserving of being the Super Bowl favorites.

A lot of hype around the Dolphins this off-season with the acquisition of Tyreek Hill and his subsequent praise of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. I don’t buy the hype, really. I think they will be improved. The Dolphins have a lot of interesting weapons on offense, but I just don’t think Tua will be anything more than decent as an NFL quarterback. Another rookie head coach, too…

The Patriots' offseason has been a mess and I love every second of it. Having defense and special teams coordinators jockey to be the play caller for your offense is a terrible sign of things to come. Mac Jones is a fine quarterback, but he’s nothing special. The Patriots have no talent on offense to speak of, and their defense will have to rely largely on the genius of Bill Belichek. I wanted to give the Patriots a worse record but it’s hard when they still have the greatest coach ever.

The Jets, particularly without a healthy Zach Wilson for the first four weeks, are going to be abysmal. Saleh probably doesn’t make it as the Jets' head coach beyond this year.

AFC South

Colts (11-6)

Titans (8-9)

Jags (8-9)

Texans (4-13)

The Colts are an interesting team to keep an eye on this season. I think at worst they are slightly above average. In this division, arguably the worst in the league, that is going to win you the division title and a playoff birth. The Colts have the best running back in the league and a competent quarterback which they could not say last season. I like Frank Reich, Matt Ryan is a tad underrated these days, and they have a good defense. The Colts are gonna make the playoffs.

This was tough for me. I really wanted to put the Jags ahead of the Titans. The Titans ended the year on a horrible note last season and followed it up with an off-season where they lost their second-best player on offense. Even though I like the coach, I am not a big fan of the quarterback. Tannehill has too many limitations to get that roster into the playoffs this season. This team is headed in the wrong direction and may be in for a bit of a shake-up after this season.

I really like the Jags this year. Trevor Lawrence with a Super Bowl winning head coach and improved weapons is a winning combination. That said, Lawrence is still young, it’s Pederson’s first season in Jacksonville, and while they did improve their weapons the bar was low to begin with. I would love to see the Jags sneak into the playoffs, though I don’t predict they will.

Though the Texans will be bad, I think they will be competitive week to week. Davis Mills might be a bit underrated. They have Brandon Cooks, who is also underrated. And a lot of NFL people are very high on their rookie running back Damien Pierce. The Texans will almost assuredly take last in this division but they won’t be a pathetic team that gets stomped on every week.

AFC West

Chiefs (12-5)

Broncos (11-6)

Chargers (11-6)

Raiders (10-7)

Without a doubt the best division in football. The division games are all must-watch.

The Chiefs, even having lost Tyreek Hill, will be a better team this season than they were in 2021. Teams seemed to have figured their offense out a bit last season, but Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are smart enough and talented enough, to adjust and take advantage. They lost their best receiver but replaced him with depth at the position, adding JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling. The Chiefs still have the best quarterback and tight end in football. Their defense will be solid and their offensive line is improved. I really, really, like this team to come out and remind people who they are this season.

Replacing Teddy Bridgewater/Drew Lock with Russell Wilson is going to make your team better, probably a lot better. The Broncos had a good roster last year, they were just mediocre at quarterback. With an upgrade in the position they are certainly talented enough to win it all, I just don’t think they will. They have a rookie head coach and are in the toughest division in the toughest conference. If they were in the NFC I’d like their chances better.

I am very much looking forward to seeing the Chargers play this season. The roster is loaded and Justin Herbert may very well win the MVP. The thing, again, is they are in the toughest division in the toughest conference.

I really like the Raiders too. Solid new head coach, and an above-average quarterback with great weapons. Thing is, their defense is atrocious, and in this division that’s not gonna fly.

AFC Playoffs

I have the Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Bills, Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers making the Playoffs. The Bills will win the 1 seed. The Ravens, Chiefs, and Chargers will advance. The Chiefs will beat the Bills in the AFC Championship game.

Super Bowl Champions

I think this is Mahomes' comeback year. Not that he has a ton to come back from, but it does feel like people have been forgetting about him lately. Lots of talk about Allen, Herbert, and Burrow as the new “best young quarterbacks”. This same sentiment has bled into a lot of the conversation around the Chiefs as well, doubting their ability to recover from losing Tyreek Hill. I think that’s a mistake. I have Patrick Mahomes winning this year's MVP and the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Minnesota Vikings in this year's Super Bowl.