2022 NFL Season Predictions
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams (13-4)
It’s
been awhile since we’ve had a repeat champion in the NFL, but the Rams didn’t
lose a step this offseason, in fact, I believe they actually improved their
team and that’s a great recipe for a repeat championship run! They added Bobby
Wagner to the defense and I think he’s only going to make this front seven even
better than it already was. With the combination of Wagner and Aaron Donald
it’s going to be really tough for anyone to get past them into the secondary,
and even if they get that far, there are multiple shutdown defensive backs to
make the plays. On offense they added Allen Robinson to this already stacked
receiving corps to give Matthew Stafford yet another weapon on the offensive
side of the ball. The only issue the Rams will have will be if Stafford’s elbow
gives him issues at any point during the season. Other than that, I think the
Rams will be poised to make another run at a Super Bowl!
Arizona Cardinals (10-7)
The
Cardinals had an offseason full of drama, that has come to a close and they’re
back to football, but I still think that drama may end up having an effect on
this season. The Cardinals are a solid team, but they will be missing Deandre
Hopkins for the first half of the season which I think is going to be a problem
since he is a huge part of their offense! They also, lost Chandler Jones in the
offseason who was their best defensive player last season and now the defense
just looks very old. The offense shouldn’t be bad and should show flashes of
greatness at times, but the defense is going to hold them back. They are old
and injury prone, and with the loss of Jones that will be felt in the front
seven. It doesn’t help that they are in a tough Division either! I have a feeling
the Cardinals will have a decent season and should be a playoff team, but I
don’t know if they have what it takes to make a Super Bowl run, at least not
yet.
San Francisco 49ers (9-8)
The
49ers are a team that I’m just not sold on and it’s all because of the unknown
with their quarterback, Trey Lance. Throughout training camp the talk has been
about his accuracy and how up and down he has been since camp began. Lucky for
him he has a good coach and a bunch of good players surrounding him, but we all
know if the quarterback sucks then so does the rest of the team! Regardless of
how good Lance is or isn’t, there will still be plenty of bumps in the road
because he has never started an NFL game, so it’s inevitable. The 49ers have a
solid roster of players which should get them some wins, but I have a feeling
this is going to be a very streaky team with both wins and losses, which I
believe will balance each other out to make the 49ers a very mediocre team this
season!
Seattle Seahawks (2-15)
The
Seahawks are obviously in full on rebuild mode by trading away Russell Wilson
this offseason and releasing Bobby Wagner they just got rid of their two best
players on the offensive and defensive side of the ball! The Seahawks have such
a pathetic team and even worse is they are in a really tough division. The only
positive about this season is the Seahawks will have a top 5 draft pick in
2023!
AFC West
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
The
Chargers made some big offseason moves on the defensive side of the ball, which
is exactly what they needed to do! They signed cornerback JC Jackson, who was
one of the best corners in the league last year, they traded for Khalil Mack
who will provide yet another pass rusher on the opposite side of Joey Bosa, and
also added Kyle Van Noy who is a very reliable linebacker! They covered all
their bases on defense and it was necessary with all the offense they will be
up against in this Division. Offensively, I expect the Chargers to take a huge
step forward because this is Justin Herbert’s third season as a starter and he
should only get better at this point in his career. The offensive line is
solid, he has plenty of receivers to get the ball to, and he even has a great
running back behind him. The Chargers should come out on top of this really
close Division battle!
Denver Broncos (10-7)
The
Broncos took care of the biggest issue this team has had since the retirement
of Peyton Manning, and that was the quarterback position. Overall, the Broncos
have had a pretty decent roster of players, but a glaring hole at the
quarterback position, but that has all changed now! They traded for Russell
Wilson in the offseason and I believe he is exactly what they need! He is a
proven leader and completely committed to the game and should change this
organization for the better. The Broncos defense is really good, especially in
the secondary. The Broncos will have some growing pains with all the new
additions to the team, and this Division is going to be tough even for the best
team, but I believe the Broncos are headed in the right direction and will make
this season and division very interesting!
Las Vegas Raiders (9-8)
The
Raiders made some very solid moves this offseason starting with the trade for
Davante Adams, then signing Chandler Jones, and a new coach in Josh McDaniels.
I still think the Raiders have a lot of work to do, especially because they are
in probably the toughest Division in the league. Offensively, I think the
Raiders will be scoring a lot of points. David Carr has proven he is a solid QB
and with the addition of Adams, his college receiver, I believe he is only
going to get better. The offensive line is a weakness though and will probably
hold them back a bit. Defensively, this team has a lot of questions, the
secondary is not good and the front seven is pretty weak. I have a feeling this
is going to be a roller coaster season for the Raiders, which I guess is
nothing new for this them!
Kansas City Chiefs (8-9)
The
Chiefs did a whole lot of nothing to attempt to make improvements to this team.
Don’t get me wrong they are a solid squad because they have Mahomes, but they
did him no favors by trading away Tyreek Hill! Hill was a huge part of this
offense and made a lot of plays that scored them a lot of points, his absence is
going to cost them! They still have a glaring hole at the running back
position, which has been a problem for most of the Mahomes era and I find this
ridiculous because they have a solid offensive line to run behind and you have
one of the best quarterbacks in the league to get you the ball! But the Chiefs
are gonna keep riding with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a guy who can’t stay on the
field because he’s always injured and even when he’s healthy he has yet to
become a playmaker. Defensively the Chiefs are a dumpster fire! They lost the
Honeybadger in the offseason and also Daniel Sorenson, so this secondary is
going to be super weak and will probably get lit up on a weekly basis! With the
combination of a mediocre roster and a tough Division I think the Chiefs are in
for a rocky season!
