The 2021-22 NFL season was one of the most exciting in recent history, from opening night between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — on which Tom Brady led one of his trademark game-winning drives, giving us an early glimpse of the craziness that would ensue — to the Super Bowl, which was competitive until the final snap.
The playoff race was tight for months, coming down to the final game of the regular season between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders. The winner of this game would make the playoffs — although funnily enough, in the scenario of a tie, both teams would make it, with the Pittsburgh Steelers missing out. The game was action-packed, as quarterback Justin Herbert converted six fourth downs to send the game to overtime and prolong the Chargers’ season. Sadly, his efforts were for naught as the Raiders won in overtime and made their way to the playoffs.
As for the postseason: needless to say, it only got better. A whopping six games were decided by three points or less, and two games went to overtime. Furthermore, we witnessed one of the greatest quarterback duels of all time between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in a thrilling AFC Divisional Round. Expectations for Super Bowl LVI (56) were high, but the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals met the hype. The championship came down to a game-winning drive orchestrated by Matthew Stafford and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp. It also had one of the most impressive halftime shows in history, with a lineup of hip-hop icons including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem.
Clearly, the 2021-22 season will be a tough act to follow. With the 2022-23 season swiftly approaching, let’s take a look at what to expect.
Clear Contenders
The Buffalo Bills, after suffering heartbreaking losses to the Kansas City Chiefs in two straight seasons, are widely considered favorites to come out of the AFC this upcoming season. Quarterback Josh Allen, who has been an MVP contender for years, and superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs, are one of the best duos in the league. With the signing of edge rusher Von Miller to add to their top-rated defense, the Bills are sure to be a contender this season.
The Los Angeles Rams face a tough challenge ahead of them: repeating as champions — something which no team has done since the New England Patriots in 2004. Running it back with their championship-winning roster, the Rams are in a good position to get back to the Super Bowl. Essential to the Rams’ championship core was its defense, led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. In the offseason, they added linebacker Bobby Wagner from the Seahawks, more than making up for the loss of Von Miller to the Bills. While history is against the defending champs, the Rams will doubtless be a tough team to beat.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offseason was a rollercoaster ride. First came the incredibly brief retirement of Tom Brady, who hung up his cleats in February only to change his mind less than two months later, then the stepping aside of head coach Bruce Arians, who is to be replaced by Todd Bowles, a former head coach of the Jets. Needless to say, the Buccaneers will always be Super Bowl contenders as long as Tom Brady is at the helm.
The Cincinnati Bengals lost Super Bowl LVI by a hair and are ready to run it back with their core of quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Joe Mixon, and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Having used the offseason to improve their previously weak offensive line, the Bengals are certainly contenders to make it back to the Super Bowl.
Possible Pretenders
The Kansas City Chiefs are the last team you would expect to see on a list of pretenders. After all, they have been to four straight AFC Championship games. The Chiefs have one of the best coaches in the league in Andy Reid, arguably the best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, and a top tight end in Travis Kelce. With this group, the Chiefs will never be anything but a successful, winning team. With that being said, the Chiefs got much worse in the offseason, losing the incredible wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. While the Chiefs acquired several solid receivers to make up for the loss, such as JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Hill was of central importance to the Chiefs’ offense and is irreplaceable. The question is: can the Chiefs be just as dominant without Hill, or will they take a step back this season?
The Green Bay Packers are in a similar position as the Kansas City Chiefs. Like the Chiefs, they have an amazing quarterback — the back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers — who lost his best receiver in the offseason. Wide receiver Davante Adams, widely acknowledged as the best receiver in the league, was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders after the Packers’ disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round. Unlike the Chiefs, the Packers failed to sign adequate replacements for the loss; however, also unlike the Chiefs, the Packers have a pristine defense to help them make up for the weakened offense. It will be interesting to see whether or not the loss of Adams puts an end to the Packers’ streak of 10+ win seasons.
Dark Horse Teams
The Los Angeles Chargers signed cornerback JC Jackson and linebacker Khalil Mack in the offseason, fixing their biggest flaw: their defense. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Justin Herbert is coming off of an amazing year and will surely improve even more next season. The Chargers not only have a decent chance to win the AFC West —the toughest division in the league — but could be a dark-horse Super Bowl contender.
The Baltimore Ravens were 5-1 at the start of last season, with their only loss coming in overtime to the Raiders. Unfortunately, their Super Bowl chances were torn apart by injuries, most notably to quarterback Lamar Jackson. With a healthy roster, the Ravens will be a tough team to beat.
The San Francisco 49ers were a dropped interception away from the Super Bowl last season. This season, they will likely start second-year quarterback Trey Lance, whom they hope will help take them to the next level. With tight end George Kittle and the explosive positionless superstar Deebo Samuel, Lance has a stellar supporting cast to help him develop, as well as a well-established coach in Kyle Shannahan. Who knows? — In a relatively weak NFC, the Niners could very well make a deep playoff run.
Some other sleeper picks are: the Las Vegas Raiders, who added Davante Adams to their already-excellent receiving group of Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller; the Denver Broncos, who signed superstar quarterback Russell Wilson; and the Indianapolis Colts, who acquired former-MVP quarterback Matt Ryan to support running back Jonathan Taylor.
There are many other teams worth discussing, such as the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, and New Orleans Saints. Of course, there are only so many that can fit in one article.
My Predictions
Italics = Making the Playoffs
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Denver Broncos
AFC North
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- Indianapolis Colts
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Houston Texans
NFC East
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Washington Commanders
NFC West
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Seattle Seahawks
NFC North
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Detroit Lions
- Chicago Bears
NFC South
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New Orleans Saints
- Carolina Panthers
- Atlanta Falcons
MVP: Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Tom Brady
OPOY: Justin Jefferson, Jonathan Taylor, Deebo Samuel
DPOY: Nick Bosa, Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett
Super Bowl Matchups: Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers
What do you think? Leave a comment below!
a lot of this aged very poorly