Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have Lamar Jackson. That's a great start, but if the Ravens want a Super Bowl
run, they’ll have to hope for better luck than last season. They had several injuries before
the year started with J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Marcus Peters all being injured for the
season before week 1. Then losing Ronnie Staley, Marlon Humphrey, and Lamar Jackson as
the season went on. The Ravens still have the talent to make a Super Bowl run, but I do have
concerns with their offensive line. Go look at the Dolphins game and their talent at wide
receiver. They’ll really need second year receiver Rashod Bateman to step up. They do still
have Mark Andrews, but with all the offensive firepower in the AFC, Baltimore will have to
hope their wideouts can match that.
Denver Broncos
Adding Russell Wilson to a team with as much young talent as Denver is huge. He can be
the Quarterback they haven’t had since Peyton Manning retired. Denver has talent all over
the offense with running backs Javontae Williams and Melvin Gordon, and then at wide
receiver with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler. Defensively, they have Patrick
Surtain II and Justin Simmons in the secondary, and they’re hoping to get a lot out of pass
rushers Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory. Denver has the talent to make a deep run, but
they do have a couple of rookie coaches and absolute gauntlet of a division in the AFC West.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts brought in Matt Ryan at quarterback, then added 2019 DPOY Stephon Gilmore as
well as defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. The Colts have Jonathon Taylor, who put up
monstrous numbers in 2021, and the Colts do have a good offensive line that hopes to be
healthier this season. Michael Pittman Jr. also had a good year, but I do have concerns as to
if he’s truly a number one option. The Colts do have a lack of talent at the wide receiver position, but they did draft Alex Pierce in the second round of the Draft. The Colts will also have to get more from Kwitty Paye this season as the pass rush will be very important to how successful new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will be with this defense.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas always has the talent, but they can never get out of their own way. Last January, they
lost to the 49ers in a home Wild Card game in which they could only muster up seven points
until the fourth quarter. Ceedee Lamb is one of my 2022 breakout stars, but the talent
behind him is a question mark with Michael Gallup recovering from an ACL injury. The
offensive line is also aging, and the defense should see some regression after being second
in DVOA due to the crazy number of turnovers they caused.
Philadelphia Eagles
I think Philly might have the best chance on this list as they have an incredibly deep team
with very little weaknesses. Jalen Hurts development is the biggest key to how far Philly can
go in 2022. Philadelphia added a great wide receiver in AJ Brown and a cornerback in James
Bradberry, who isn’t too far removed from a great season in 2020 and will be able to bounce
back and share the corner duties with Darius Slay. Philadelphia has an amazing offensive line
and Philly had a dominant run game that could carry them on a deep run in the NFC.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings biggest thing will always be how Kirk Cousins will perform. However, the Vikings
have Justin Jefferson, Adam Theilen, and Dalvin Cook on offense, as well as hiring former
Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as their head coach, who may just take Justin
Jefferson to new heights. I am really excited to see this Vikings defense who added
Za’Darius Smith who will rush the passer with Danielle Hunter. This secondary really excites
me with Patrick Peterson, Cam Dantzler, Andrew Booth, Harrison Smith, and one of my
favorite draft picks, Lewis Cine.
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans is a big sleeper in the NFC. They did lose longtime coach Sean Payton but
new head coach Dennis Allen has had the Saints defense has given Tom Brady trouble these past few years. The Saints also got Michael Thomas back and added Jarvis Landry to go along with Alvin Kamara, and they drafted Chris Olave. The Saints season comes down to the success of Jameis Winston.
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