2022 NFL Predictions
Photo by Denny Medley from USA Today Sports
The NFL returning means we get to spend our Sunday’s watching football that isn’t as exciting as college football while dreading having to go to work or school the very next day.
Still, I love the NFL.
And we are just one day away from the season restarting.
With that, there come predictions.
I’ll pick my playoff teams and then my Super Bowl prediction.
Last year I predicted a Cowboys vs Browns Super Bowl, which is how you know I’m really, really good at this!
AFC
1. Buffalo Bills
Are the Bills the best team in the AFC? Maybe!
There are plenty of arguments that could be made for them, the Chiefs, the Ravens, the Bengals, the Broncos and so on.
But the AFC West and AFC North are very difficult divisions, where the only team the Bills need to worry about is the Dolphins who have a first year head coach.
An easier division gives them the edge to get homefield advantage.
2. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens had an absolutely absurd amount of injuries last season to incredibly key positions and they still just barely missed the postseason.
The Lamar contract negotiations have gotten a teeny bit messy, but not messy enough to tank what should be a very promising comeback season for the Ravens.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
God above the AFC West is a difficult division.
The Chargers and Broncos have improved dramatically with Khalil Mack and Russell Wilson joining the fold, but until the kings of the division are knocked off the throne, I can’t pick against Andy Reid and the Chiefs to win the West.
4. Tennessee Titans
The Titans were the #1 seed in the AFC last year. Without Derrick Henry for most of the season.
I feel that’s just a completely forgettable fact about last season.
The Colts should be better having Matt Ryan instead of Carson Wentz, but the Titans have been consistently good for 3 straight years now, so I’m going Titans.
5. Los Angeles Chargers
This is where things start to get difficult.
As mentioned above, the AFC West is insanely hard.
I went with the Chiefs to win the division, and I had to pick between who the top wild card team will be between the Chargers and the Broncos (spoilers for one of the other wild card teams, I guess).
I’m a big fan of continuity, and a third season of Brandon Staley and Justin Herbert in Los Angeles gives the Chargers the edge.
6. Denver Broncos
But not by much!
Look, the Broncos are going to be a fantastic football team.
But it’s a brand new head coach. A brand new quarterback. The starters barely played at all together during the preseason.
It’s going to take some time for it to gel.
But that’s ok.
It took the Bucs and Rams time to gel with their new quarterbacks in 2020 and 2021, and look how their seasons ended up.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
The reigning AFC champs have to deal with a much better Broncos team, a healthy Ravens team, a Steelers team who now has a QB who can throw the ball more then 5 yards downfield and a 1st place schedule.
There were a few teams here I contemplated putting over Cincy, like Pittsburgh and Miami, but I just said I loved continuity.
The Steelers have a new QB and the Dolphins have a new coach. The Bengals kept the same core group.
So the Bengals sneak in.
But the Dolphins and Steelers make it really, really close…
NFC
1. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams won the NFC West last year and then went on to win the Super Bowl, and their reward was getting Russell Wilson out of the division, a PED suspension for DeAndre Hopkins and Trey Lance being very raw in San Francisco.
The division got easier, so I’d be surprised if the Rams didn’t find their way to the top spot.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I thought about having Tampa finish 1st simply because the rest of the NFC South is awful, minus the Saints who are decent.
But Tom Brady retired and then unretired. And then Bruce Arians quit but not really because now he’s in the front office and Todd Bowles is the new head coach.
It was a very strange offseason.
Still, the Bucs are stacked and the division is bad.
They’ll be fine.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had a phenomenal offseason.
They got AJ Brown and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in trades.
They got Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis in the draft who are complete studs.
They have Jalen Hurts with a full season starting under his belt, and I am very high on Jalen Hurts.
I think this is a very good team who should run away with the NFC East.
4. Minnesota Vikings
Aaaaaaaaand here we go.
Yes, I have the Vikings winning the division.
They are good. You should all appreciate that they are good.
And Kirk Cousins is the best quarterback everyone hates in NFL history.
Add in giant receiver questions in Green Bay and an incredibly noisy offseason for Aaron Rodgers, and I think the Vikings are going to steal it.
5. Green Bay Packers
But I’m not going to go COMPLETELY crazy and think the Packers will miss the playoffs outright.
Aaron Rodgers is still the back to back MVP and the defense is still solid.
They are absolutely good enough to make the playoffs in the NFC.
6. Dallas Cowboys
A lot of offensive line issues and their main corner being boom or bust is a very risky combination.
But two more teams have to make the playoffs. And they should have enough talent to do so.
7. San Francisco 49ers
The Niners may be the most talented roster in the NFC.
But Trey Lance seems incredibly raw and they tried so damn hard to get Jimmy Garoppolo out of the building and then couldn’t so they just restructed his contract so he’s staring over Lance’s shoulder the whole time.
It could be very messy.
But like I said above, someone else has to make the playoffs and the NFC just isn’t very good.
So the Niners get in.
Super Bowl Prediction
CLICHE ALERT!
Iron sharpens iron.
The Bills lost to the Chiefs in the AFC championship game in 2020 in a game where they were simply outmatched.
They lost to the Chiefs in the AFC divisional round in 2021 in a game they likely should have won but just got Mahomes’d.
They’ve gone through the ringer, and now they’re ready for the postseason.
The Bills finally get over that Chiefs sized hump and make the Super Bowl.
As for the NFC, the entire talk of the town all year is going to be the Rams and the Bucs (and probably the Packers).
You know who is a super talented roster and will just be lurking quietly in the background till it comes time to pounce?
The Philadelphia Eagles.
Don’t underestimate Jalen Hurts mobility to help the offense add another dimension.
But while Philly fans will love hearing that and love that season, there’s still a fairly large gap between the Bills and the Eagles right now.
Buffalo Bills defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 35-24
What do you guys think?
Will the Bills win it all?
Are the Rams destined to repeat?
Do you want to yell mean things at me for once again disrespecting the Packers?
Let me know!
But just remember who my Super Bowl pick was last year.
I am a genius with this stuff…
