2022 NFL Season Predictions (Standings, Super Bowl, Awards, Hot Takes)

The 2022 NFL season may just prove to be one of the greatest in league history. With more “contenders” and no clear front runner seen as a favorite, it’s clear to see that this year is going to be a fun one with so many possible outcomes and results. Here I’ll share with you all my predictions for the 2022 season from team records to awards and even some hot takes that could really shake up the NFL scene this year.

Standings)

Super Bowl Champion: Buffalo Bills

Runner Up: Philadelphia Eagles

AFC North

1: Ravens, 11-6 X

2: Bengals, 10-7 W

3: Browns, 7-10

4: Steelers, 3-14

AFC South

1: Titans, 9-8 X

2: Colts, 9-8 W

3: Jaguars, 6-11

4: Texans, 3-14

AFC West

1: Raiders, 11-6 X

2: Chargers, 11-6 W

3: Chiefs, 9-8

4: Broncos, 7-10

AFC East

1: 11-6, Bills X

2: 9-8, Dolphins

3: 8-9 Patriots

4: 5-12, Jets

NFC North

1: 9-8, Vikings X

2: 8-9, Packers

3: 7-10, Lions

4: 4-13, Bears

NFC East

1: Eagles, 13-4 X

2: Cowboys, 12-5 W

3: Commanders, 9-8

4: Giants, 6-11

NFC West

1: 12-5, Cardinals X

2: 10-7, Rams W

3: 10-7, 49ers W

4: 8-9, Seahawks

NFC South

1: 11-6, Buccaneers X

2: 9-8, Saints

3: 8-9, Panthers

4: 7-10, Falcons

I’ll try to be quick while skimming over my predictions for the standings but there is a lot to unpack. Starting off in the NFC I have the Bucs, Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, Cowboys, Eagles, and Vikings making it to the playoffs. The most notable team to not make it is most likely the Packers, with so much turnover around the league and even in the Green Bay organization. I believe it will be difficult for Aaron Rodgers to lead a group of such raw undeveloped players through an extremely competitive NFC. You may also notice I have the Cardinals winning an extremely cutthroat NFC West over teams like the Niners and Rams. I have high hopes for Kyler Murray this season, though he will be without top wideout DeAndre Hopkins for the first 6 games I can still see the Cardinals feasting on a second-place schedule and dethroning the Super Bowl Champion Rams who lost key players such as Von Miller, Odell Beckham, Robert Woods, and Sebastian Joseph-Day to name a few. Finally, in the NFC East, I have the Eagles overtaking the Cowboys to capture the division crown. The Eagles have had one of the most active offseasons in all of Football while the Cowboys have done little to maintain their squad from last season. Trading away players such as Amari Cooper and releasing Pro Bowl Tackle La’el Collins. They also maintain one of the worst defenses in the league adding little to no help to a defensive backfield that consistently ranks middle of the pack. I do however see the Cowboys winning 12 games, seeing as they have one of the easiest schedules in all of football and still have stars such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Zeek Elliott on offense.

The AFC is clearly leaps and bounds over its counterpart this season with nearly 75% of its teams being playoff contenders. Starting up north I have the Ravens taking home the division crown over the Bengals who have done very little to build on a squad that made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season. The Ravens also have a contract-hungry Lamar Jackson behind center who I believe will have an Aaron Judge like season if you will (which I will elaborate on later). Down in the south, it’s pretty easy to see we have one of the least competitive divisions in football. Though I still believe the Titans and Colts will scrap it out for the division title till the end. I also see both of the two making the playoffs despite the fact as well. Headed out to the AFC West and from one extreme to another, whereas the AFC South sees to be one of the worst in Football, I believe the AFC West may just be the best. All four teams in this division are built to win, despite that, I have just 2 of them headed to the field of 14 come season’s end. Starting with the Raiders and Chargers who I believe may be the top two teams in the AFC behind a certain team in Buffalo, both will be fighting for the division crown most likely until the final weeks of the season. I also see both making deep pushes to the playoffs and wouldn’t be surprised if either made it to the final dance. It may come as a surprise to some that I’ve got two teams that have been regularly projected as top playoff teams, the Broncos, and Chiefs. Sitting at the bottom of the AFC West at 7-10 and 9-8 respectively. Now there are multiple reasons as to why I have these two teams missing out on the playoffs. Starting with the Broncos, I feel that the addition of Russell Wilson has been extremely overhyped by the media. Wilson has not been the same Quarterback he once was for years now, while many will claim it is due to his lack of help on the roster in Seattle. However, when you look at Denver’s squad, you’ll come to find it is not much better than that of the Seahawks. Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler are not going to be enough against the hard-nosed defenses of the AFC, and while the defense is above average I still do not see the Broncos competing with the likes of the Raiders and Chargers for a division crown. The Chiefs on the other hand are very hit or miss, I probably will regret betting against Andy Reid and Pat Mahomes but I will stand by my predictions. The loss of Tyreek Hill now leaves an open void in the Chiefs offense as Travis Kelce will need to traverse through double teams to just make catches. Juju Smith Schuster just isn’t the player he once was and Mecole Hardman and unproven rookie Skyy Moore will need to take big steps if they want to be able to make this Chiefs offense a force to be reckoned with again. Finally in the East, I have two other projected playoff teams missing out, That being the Patriots and Dolphins. The Pats had a good offseason however with a still unproven Mac Jones and losses such as JC Jackson and Shaq Mason I still believe New England has a ways to go to compete with the top dogs of the AFC. While the Dolphins on the other hand are a good team, I see them in the same light as I do the Broncos. They have some good pieces, but I feel they are being overhyped by one big off-season addition. The Dolphins very well could make the playoffs but it’s going to be a chore whilst they compete with teams such as Buffalo, LA, Las Vegas, and the Ravens. At the top of the east, I obviously have the Buffalo Bills who may just be the best team in Football this season. They are certainly my pick to take home that Lombardi Trophy come year’s end, but we will just need to wait and see.

Awards)

MVP: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Since being drafted 6th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft Justin Herbert has made significant improvements in his game year after year. He leaves us with no reason to believe that this year will leave any change. With one of the best teams in the NFL around him, some of the best odds to win the super bowl, and a flurry of weapons for him to work with, I have a feeling Justin Herbert may be in for a career year.

DPOY: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are coming into the 2022 season with a lot of question marks on defense. Micah Parsons is not one of them. The Penn State product had one of the best rookie seasons for a defensive player in recent memory. Racking up 13.5 Sacks, With 3 FF, and 64 Tackles earning him Rookie of the year honors, a Pro Bowl, and an All-Pro selection. I believe that with all the pressure mounted up on his back Parsons will come through in a big way and solidify himself as a premier defender in the NFL.

CPOY: Christian McCaffery, Carolina Panthers

This is no doubt my most tentative pick out of all the awards. McCaffery has played just 10 games in the last 2 seasons but has looked like one of the best offensive players in the league when healthy. If the Stanford product can regain his 2019 form where he had some of the greatest single-season numbers of all time with 2300 yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage I see no reason why he couldn’t win the Comeback Player of the year award. But of course, this is all dependent on if he can stay healthy.

OROY: Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders

Dotson had one of the greatest careers ever for a Wideout during his time at Penn State and the Washington Commanders saw that and took a shot drafting him nearly 20 picks before he was projected. I feel that this was a smart idea, Dotson was severely underrated coming into the draft and has some huge Boom or Bust potential coming into the NFL. But if he can put it all together, he and Terry McLaurin could make one of the deadliest Wide out duos in the NFL.

DROY: Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants

I was never a huge fan of Trevon walker when the Jaguars selected him number one overall this offseason. I feel the injury concerns over Thibodeaux clouded many team’s judgments headed into the Draft. Thibodeaux has a poise and a maturity to his person that makes him a natural leader and obviously a great Football player. I feel the Aaron Donald comparisons aren’t too far off for the Oregon product, but we will need to wait and see what the number 5 pick has in store for us this season.

COY: Josh McDaniels, Oakland Raiders

When Josh McDaniels became head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009, there were some high hopes for the hot new “wonder kid”. But after being fired midway through his second season with an 11-17 record McDaniels went into possibly the best situation possible for a struggling young coach. That being the New England Patriots, when Bill Belicheck sees something in you, there is potential. Under McDaniels, the Patriots won 3 super bowls and appeared in one more. I think that with this Raiders squad that Dave Ziegler has assmebled, McDaniels has a prime chance to establish himself as one of the best head coaches in the NFL.

Hot Takes/Season Predictions

3: Lamar Jackson gets his bag

One of the biggest stories around NFL circles this offseason has been the contract negotiation between Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson has said on multiple occasions he will not continue talks through the season and will cease to continue negotiations until after the season if a deal isnt reached before his September 9th deadline. I believe that Jackson’s strategy of betting on himself will work out great for him. Recently athletes have been inclined to play through contract years and prove their worth instead of the old strategy of sitting out and waiting for their team to give them the deal they want or trade them. Take Yankees slugger Aaron Judge as example 1A Judge and the Yanks couldn’t come to an agreement before the season. So Judge decided to bet on himself and prove his worth, and let’s just say it worked out nicely for him. With Jackson’s demeanor and desire to be great I see no reason why he won’t be able to earn himself a record deal come years end.

2: Tom Brady shows his age

It said that one of the stupidest things you can do in sports in is bet against Tom Brady. Well, that’s exactly what i’m doing. Brady is now 45 and missed nearly two weeks of training camp due to “personal reasons”. It’s plain to see already that Brady is not the player he once was. You would think it may have been a better choice for him to stay retired this past offseason. With all that being said, this is Tom Brady we are talking about, and Tom Brady very well may just do some “Tom Brady Stuff” and prove me wrong, but we will see.

1: The Buffalo curse is broken

The Buffalo curse is an urban legend believed among many Buffalonians as to why the Bills, Sabers, and once the Braves were never able to win a title. The curse was said to be proven true after the Bills lost 4 straight super bowls in the late 1990s under Jim Kelly. But this year looks to be different for the people of Buffalo New York. With one of the best squads in football and in team history, the Bills are favorites among many (including me) to win the Super Bowl. I believe if this team plays its game and plays it right, the “Buffalo Curse” could very well be broken.