NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles 13-4
Dallas Cowboys 10-7
Washington Commanders 6-11
New York Giants 5-12
The Eagles have made great move after great move, starting with signing Haason Riddick, then drafting Jordan Davis, then adding A.J. Brown on draft night. They added Nakobe Dean in the draft, and also added linebacker Kyzir White and James Bradberry. The Eagles have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, and they just traded for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, giving this defense even more talent. The Eagles made the playoffs last year, once they committed to being a run first team, and now with the improvements on both sides of the ball, I wonder how far they can go. Philly has a Super Bowl roster, but it’ll be up to Jalen Hurts to take the steps as a passer to get this team deep in the playoffs.
Dallas had a fantastic 2021 season, but they ended up losing in the Wild Card round at home to the 49ers. Dallas has great pieces even with the loss of Amari Cooper. Can Dallas’ defense create the same number of turnovers they did last season? Can Ceedee Lamb turn into one of the game’s elite Wideouts? Tyron Smith suffered an avulsion fracture just last week so they hope rookie Tyler Smith can step in and protect Dak’s blindside. I never have been the biggest Mike McCarthy fan and I think he will hold the team back this seasonfrom winning more games.
Washington has the talent defensively, don't be fooled by their disappointing performance last year and they added Carso Wentz, who is the best quarterback they’ve had in quite some time. Washington could very well have a better season than I’m projecting, but Wentz still worries me, and I just think they’re a year or two away from being back in the playoffs.
The New York Giants made one of my favorite moves this offseason hiring Brian Daboll to be their new head coach. Daboll did a great job helping Josh Allen improve, and although I don’t think he will have the same success with Daniel Jones, I do think he can improve an offense that has a healthy Saquon Barkley and talent out wide. New York drafted Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth pick in the draft, and he will immediately improve their pass rush.
The Giants, I feel, will be competitive, but for them to be playoff contenders again, they have a way to go.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-4
New Orleans Saints 11-6
Carolina Panthers 7-10
Atlanta Falcons 3-14
The Bucs getting Tom Brady back after he decided to unretire, is huge as this team is still Super Bowl worthy. They added Russell Gage and Julio Jones to Tom Brady’s plethora of weapons they very well could be the number one offense. The defense is still fully intact. I
don't expect the losses of JPP and Ndamukong Suh to be huge detractions from the defense. Tampa has an easy schedule and a weak division, and will position themselves for their second championship in three years.
The Saints have been the Bucs kryptonite the past few years, as they had a shutout win over Tampa last year, and are 4-1 against the Bucs since Brady arrived in 2020. New Orleans went 9-8with injuries to their offensive line, their quarterback, their star wide receiver and other
key contributors. Yes, they lost Sean Payton as head coach, but their offensive coordinator has been there since 2009 and can keep this offense going. This offense that was injury ridden in 2021 still has Alvin Kamara, they get back quarterback Jameis Winston, and now
their wide receiver room gets Michael Thomas back, added Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave, this Saints offense could be very explosive this season. The defense might be the NFL’s best, even after trading away Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. I expect New Orleans back in the
playoffs in 2022.
Carolina brought in Baker Mayfield after their horrendous quarterback woes last season. This team started 3-0 last year and had one of the best defenses in the league last season. They will be tough and competitive and if Christian McCaffrey can remain healthy, the Panthers will compete for a playoff spot, but I just can’t see them being in the NFC’s top seven this year.
The Falcons roster is one of the worst I’ve seen in recent memory. It's the NFL, so it has some bright spots especially with Kyle Pitt and AJ Terrell, but the offensive line is bad, the pass rush is bad, the quarterback is bad, the running back room is mid. Atlanta will be fun to
watch with Drake London and Kyle Pitts forming a freakish duo on offense. Atlanta fans should be more excited for next year’s draft.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers 11-6
Minnesota Vikings 11-6
Detroit Lions 7-10
Chicago Bears 5-12
Green Bay had another end to their season last year losing in the divisional round to the 49ers and then ended up trading Davante Adams to Las Vegas. Green Bay will probably lean more on their two headed monsters at running back in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion, but they still have Aaron Rodgers, who can make any wide receiver look good. The defense however,
is beautiful. The cornerback trio of Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, and Eric Stokes is amazing. They have Rashan Gary coming off his best season, Kenny Clark is always stout at nose tackle, Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos make up a great safety room. For the first time
in a long time in Green Bay, the defense might be the best part of the team.
The Vikings fired Mike Zimmer and hired Kevin O’Connell, who was the Rams offensive coordinator last season. Justin Jefferson will be playing a Cooper Kupp like role this season, and they still have Dalvin Cook and Adam Theilen, as well as K.J. Osborn. The offensive line
isn’t great, but the Vikings have been one of the more efficient offenses the past few seasons despite that. Defensively, they have a ton of talent young and old. If Danielle Hunter and Za’darius Smith can stay healthy, this pash rush is elite. Add in a very deep secondary
group and I have the Vikings back in the playoffs this year.
Detroit has a very nice roster that will surprise some people this season. They have one of the better offensive lines in the league, and a ton of talent offensively, with guys like D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St.Brown, D.J. Chark, T.J. Hockenson and eventually, will get Jameson Williams, their electric wide receiver they took in the first round. The Lions on defense have trouble spots, but they drafted Aidan Hutchinson to improve their pass rush, and Amani Oruwariye is a corner people need to learn about, and if Jedd Okudah stays healthy, they could have a decent cornerback group. I’m high on Detroit and their future.
I feel the opposite about the Bears. I don’t like what they’ve done for Justin Fields at all. Like the Falcons in my opinion, this roster is bottom tier. Darnell Mooney is the only receiver I believe in, the offensive line has not improved; the defense is mediocre. New Head Coach
Matt Eberflus should make the defense better than what it is, but it won’t stop this team from picking in the top 10 of next year’s NFL Draft.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams 12-5
San Francisco 49ers 10-7
Arizona Cardinals 8-9
Seattle Seahawks 5-12
The Rams made me look great last year, as they won the Super Bowl and Matt Stafford proved to be HIM. The Rams went all in last year adding Odell Beckham Jr and Von Miller. This team had a historical season when Cooper Kupp brought home a trophy. The Rams lost
Von Miller to the Bills and are still working to bring back Odell. The Rams are feeling some of those losses, and I didn’t even mention they lost Andrew Whitworth their left tackle. The Rams stars won’t let them fall off, and they have, in my opinion, the best coach in football. I
expect the Rams to continue rolling this season.
San Francisco is going to be a fun team. Trey Lance is a star, in my opinion, and having weapons like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk along with George Kittle, make this offense a real show. Defensively, the Niners are always good, although I have concerns about their
secondary, the front 7 will keep San Francisco near the top 10 defenses. The Niners, as they did last year, will give the Rams all they can handle in the West.
The Cardinals started off 7-0 before falling off a cliff ultimately, getting destroyed in the Wild Card round against the Rams. Deandre Hopkins is suspended the first six games of the season, but Hollywood Brown and Kyler Murray have amazing chemistry from Oklahoma.
Arizona defense I have no confidence in, especially after losing Chandler Jones, and J.J. Watt is always an injury risk. I expect Arizona to take a significant step back in 2022.
The Seahawks traded Russell Wilson and have fully embraced rebuild mode. They do still have D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but Geno Smith is more of a game manager and the defense has been bad for some time now. I don’t expect too much from Seattle in 2022, but
they have the offensive weapons to where. If they get a good quarterback next draft, they can be right back as a playoff contender.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills 13-4
Miami Dolphins 9-8
New England Patriots 7-10
New York Jets 5-12
The Buffalo Bills on paper have the best roster in football. Adding Von Miller to what was already the #1 ranked defense last season, just makes them even more dangerous. First round pick cornerback Kaiir Elam was extremely impressive in the preseason, and it will be
very interesting to see the duo of Kaiir Elam and Tre’Davious White once White returns from injury. The Bills lost in heartbreaking form to the Chiefs last year in the divisional round, but this season feels like the Bills best opportunity to win their first Super Bowl in franchise
history led by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, and their very explosive offense paired with a stout defense, they deserve to be the favorites.
The Miami Dolphins are one of the more intriguing teams going into the season. They already had an elite defense, and the offense came in second, but now with the
addition of All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to wide receiver Cedric Wilson, and then running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, it has made their offensive explosive and probably the fastest offense in a longtime. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has no excuses
anymore to perform. The Dolphins also added three-time Pro Bowl Left Tackle Terron Armstead to protect Tua. I don’t think Tua is the Dolphins long term answer, but the good thing about football is, we get to find out.
The New England Patriots surprised people when they, at times, looked like the best team in the NFL last season. Quarterback Mac Jones goes into his second season after having a great rookie season. New England was back in the playoffs, but got demolished by Josh Allen and the Bills in the Wild Card round. This year it feels like New England is very average at most position groups, especially with the loss of cornerback J.C. Jackson. Bill Belichick has his work cut out for him more than ever this year as the Patriots didn’t even have an offensive coordinator until training camp. I expect a down season in New England.
The Jets have become a favorite of mine these past few years, and I was ready to predict them having a big season, but my goodness, their schedule is brutal. Add on top of that, Zach Wilson is injured going into his sophomore season and he will probably be back week 2
or 3, but it just sucks to have his preseason development cut like that. This Jets team has a ton of potential, but you’ll see it a lot in losing efforts this season.
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis Colts 10-7
Tennessee Titans 8-9
Jacksonville Jaguars 6-11
Houston Texans 4-13
The Colts have had a rotating door at Quarterback since Andrew Luck retired, and this year it’s Matt Ryan’s turn to see if he can lead the Colts to their first playoff win since 2018. They have arguably, the best running back in the NFL Jonathon Taylor, running behind a top 10
offensive line. A stout defense that added cornerback Stephon Gilmore and one of my favorite rookie’s safety Nick Cross. I think the Colts are very well balanced and I expect them to take the South crown this year.
The Titans traded A.J. Brown to the Eagles and drafted wide receiver Treylon Burks in the first round. The Titans got the first seed in the AFC last year, even with a hurt Derrick Henry, who possibly could be hitting a slight decline, but we’ll see this year. The Titans have a good
defense, but lost their star pass rusher Harold Landry for the season to a torn ACL after having 12 sacks in 2021. I expect the Titans to take a step back this year before hopefully, giving the keys to rookie Malik Willis going into 2023.
The Jaguars spent some good money this offseason and have positioned themselves to be a possible breakout team in 2022. Trevor Lawrence enters his second season with a better head coach in Doug Pederson who can help his development a lot more than Urban Meyer would have. The Jags had the first pick in this past draft and selected Travon Walker who will create a nice duo with Josh Allen. I expect the Jags to be a tough game for everyone on their schedule.
The Texans did better than I thought they would in 2021, and Davis Mills was a surprise. Then the Texans had a great draft adding cornerback Derek Stingley along with safety Jalen Pitre. The Texans have a good foundation of young pieces and I expect them to surprise people at times this season, but at the same time they are a long way off.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens 12-5
Cincinnati Bengals 10-7
Cleveland Browns 7-10
Pittsburgh Steelers 6-11
The Ravens had one of the worst injury riddled seasons in recent memory losing several key starters and contributors, including their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson. Baltimore concerns me with their talent out wide and their offensive line as well as their pass rush, but
I believe Lamar is going to go crazy this season. The Ravens have an elite secondary. I do like this roster, and I love John Harbaugh. It'll be interesting to see how the Ravens and Bengals games play out this season.
Speaking of the Bengals, the surprise of the 2021 season making it to the Super Bowl, this team has tons of potential, but I have concerns about their head coach Zac Taylor, plus teams typically regress after losing the Super Bowl and the Bengals played a ton of bad pass defenses last year, now this year, they play a lot of the best pass defenses. I expect some
regression, but not much.
The Browns had a wild offseason adding Deshaun Watson and all that comes with him. The Browns won’t have Watson for the first 11 games of the season and will have to roll with Jacoby Brissett until Watson is off suspension. The Browns run game and defense can keep them in the playoff hunt, but they do have a tough schedule. I expect the Browns to be competitive, but we won’t see if this team can fully contend until 2023.
Steelers fans always give me hell. Yes, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, but man is this roster mid. I’m not a fan of the cornerback room or the offensive line and although losing Big Ben and his beat-up arm is more of an upgrade, it's not much of an upgrade with
Mitch Tribusky starting. I love their wide receivers Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and my rookie of the year favorite, George Pickens. I feel like Pittsburgh will be a fun team to watch, but in this hard conference as well as their own hard division, I think this is Tomlin’s first losing season.
AFC West
Los Angeles Chargers 14-3
Kansas City Chiefs 12-5
Denver Broncos 11-6
Las Vegas Raiders 10-7
I absolutely love the Chargers and their potential. Last season the defense was pretty much Derwin James and Joey Bosa, then scrubs. They fixed their run defense by adding Sebastian Joseph-Day, and in the secondary they added J.C. Jackson and Bryce Callahan. The offense
was one of the most efficient in football last year and I expect similar things this season. I love head coach Brandon Staley, and he should be able to implement his defense fully with the additions they made.
A lot of people are thinking the Chiefs have reached their demise just by losing Tyreek Hill which is a huge loss, but then you look at what the Chiefs did this offseason. They still have Patrick Mahomes, in my opinion, the best quarterback in football. They have a top three offensive line, and a top three head coach, Andy Reid. The Chiefs now have a deep receiving group, none of which are Tyreek Hill, but they have about five guys that can make something happen. On top of still having arguably the best tight end, Travis Kelce. Kansas City got faster on defense, and I don’t expect them to be as bad defensively as they were at the beginning of last season.
The Denver Broncos have had such a difficult journey in finding a franchise quarterback, but now adding Russell Wilson, who is as motivated as ever, makes this team a playoff contender. The Broncos have so many weapons offensively, they can run the ball with Javontae Williams who is going to be a star, and then Melvin Gordon, they have three good receivers with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler, sadly they lose Tim Patrick for
the season. But, they have the other three who still make this a good receiving core. Defensively, you can always count on the Broncos to be good defensively. They have guys like Patrick Surtain II, who could be a top five corner at seasons end as well as Justin Simmons a top two safety. They have a solid pass rush in Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory. I think the Broncos return to the playoffs, but I do have concerns with cornerback depth as well as coaching.
It's not often all four teams can make the playoffs from one division, but the AFC West isn’t your typical division. The Raiders traded for the best receiver in football, Davante Adams, while they already had Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow as great weapons. Derek Carr could have a career year with the weapons surrounding him. I think the Raiders defense is where you’ll see a problem, as they do have a great pass rush with Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby, but the secondary is bad, very bad. If the Raiders miss the playoffs that’ll be the reason why.
NFC Seeding
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-4
2. Philadelphia Eagles 13-4
3. Los Angeles Rams 12-5
4. Green Bay Packers 11-6
5. New Orleans Saints 11-6
6. Minnesota Vikings 11-6
7. San Francisco 49ers 10-7
AFC Seeding
1. Los Angeles Chargers 14-3
2. Buffalo Bills 13-4
3. Baltimore Ravens 12-5
4. Indianapolis Colts. 10-7
5. Kansas City Chiefs 12-5
6. Denver Broncos 11-6
7. Las Vegas Raiders 10-7
NFC Championship
Bucs over Rams
AFC Championship
Chargers over Bills
Super Bowl
Chargers over Bucs
MVP - Justin Herbert
Offensive Player of the Year - Justin Jefferson
Defensive Player of the Year - Micah Parsons
Offensive Rookie of the Year - George Pickens
Defensive Player of the Year - Nick Cross
Coach of the Year - Brandon Staley
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