Of us, we made it. Gone are the times when we’ve got to mislead ourselves and say that store-bought preseason soccer is simply nearly as good because the name-brand stuff. The common season is right here. However, earlier than the Payments and Rams kick off the 2022 marketing campaign, it is time for us to name our shot with our 5 daring predictions of the season.
We did a model of this halfway by way of the 2021 common season and it was a combined bag with a few hits. Sure, Derrick Henry returned to the Titans and Tennessee was in a position to cling onto the No. 1 seed, Sure, the Chiefs reached the AFC Championship sport. Nonetheless, the Rams have been removed from a one-and-done within the postseason and the Lions did not go 0-17. And though he got here out of retirement, we’re nonetheless calling our “Tom Brady retires” prediction a win.
This 12 months, we’ve got one NFC workforce rising to the highest of the convention whereas the remainder of the predictions concentrate on particular person play from a number of the NFL’s extra polarizing figures.
1. Eagles earn No. 1 seed within the NFC
The Philadelphia Eagles have been an attractive decide to win the NFC East to the purpose that they’re now the betting favourite. With that in thoughts, let’s crank up the prediction to BOLD by saying they’re going to end because the No. 1 seed in your complete NFC. They’re presently exterior the highest 5 within the odds to earn the highest seed within the convention and are trying up on the Buccaneers, Packers, Rams, Cowboys, and 49ers, in that order. At Caesars Sportsbook, they’ve 10-1 odds to sit down atop the NFC.
This offseason, the Eagles improved the roster throughout the board. They traded for star wideout A.J. Brown on the draft, giving Jalen Hurts a real No. 1 possibility alongside DeVonta Smith and tight finish Dallas Goedert. That trio of pass-catchers is lightyears higher than what Hurts has performed with in his first two years and being in 12 months 2 of Nick Sirianni’s system additionally has him poised for a leap in manufacturing. In the meantime, they seemingly hit a house run with first-round defensive sort out Jordan Davis and stole linebacker Nakobe Dean within the third spherical this spring. In addition they just lately traded for C.J. Gardner-Johnson to offer the secondary a lift.
Not solely is the roster higher, however they’ve one of many best schedules in your complete NFL. When taking a look at projected win totals, Philly’s schedule ranks because the second-easiest within the league. That ought to enable them to pile up wins and finally seize ahold of the No. 1 seed.
McCaffrey has been by way of the gauntlet the previous few seasons. The star operating again has been haunted by accidents which have taken out chunks of taking part in time during the last couple of seasons and is now trying to bounce again with a wholesome marketing campaign in 2022. And we predict he’ll do exactly that.
Over the primary three seasons of McCaffrey’s profession he was fairly sturdy, not lacking a single sport and taking part in in roughly 85% of the offensive snaps. Courting again to 2020, nevertheless, he is performed in simply 10 video games because of harm. In some unspecified time in the future, that dangerous harm luck has to show round and it does really feel like he is due for a wholesome marketing campaign in 2022.
He was positioned on season-ending IR in Week 12 of final season, so he is had loads of time to relaxation up and is coming into this 12 months fully wholesome. On high of that, he is taking part in in a a lot better offense with Baker Mayfield at quarterback and first-round sort out Ikem Ekwonu blocking for him, so he could not take as a lot abuse as he has previously.
When wholesome, McCaffrey is likely one of the most electrical and productive talent positions gamers within the NFL. If performs all 17 video games as we predict, he is a shoo-in for Comeback Participant of the 12 months.
The person who has NEVER acquired an MVP vote in his profession may have the majority of them by the tip of the 2022 common season. Sure, Russell Wilson might be this season’s Most Precious Participant. The star quarterback was traded to Denver Broncos this offseason and is inserting himself in an offense that’s affected by top-tier weapons like wideouts Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, and second-year operating again Javonte Williams. Wilson can even be taking part in for first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was beforehand the offensive coordinator for the Packers and helped Aaron Rodgers to back-to-back MVP awards during the last two seasons.
As we have seen over the previous couple of years, quarterbacks can adapt shortly after switching franchises (Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady, for instance). With this recent begin and powerful forged round him, Wilson ought to be anticipated to place up eye-popping numbers and be the difference-maker who lastly strikes Denver into the playoffs.
To begin with, the “Livid George” nickname is *chef’s kiss* good.
The primary-round move rusher for the Chiefs is predicted to have a stable function alongside this protection, which supplies him a lane to beat the 20-1 odds and win Defensive Rookie of the 12 months. He had two sacks over the preseason and that’s the kind of statistic that’s going to have voters’ consideration.
He’ll be taking part in for a Chiefs workforce that might be a Tremendous Bowl contender all year long and nonetheless boasts an offense that ought to be capable to stand up on groups early. That units up a sport script for him to have the ability to tee off towards opposing quarterbacks and pump up his stats, particularly with the likes of Chris Jones and Frank Clark garnering a lot of the consideration. If he can disrupt the quarterback as he did at Purdue, the 6-foot-4, 275-pounder may have a nationwide stage to state his case.
Kansas Metropolis is ready to play in 5 primetime video games this season, which is the utmost quantity a workforce might be given. That permits Karlaftis to have your complete NFL-viewing viewers watching him. That is one thing Aidan Hutchinson — the present betting favourite for this award — does not have because the Lions are presently with out a primetime sport in 2022.
There does not appear to be a lot of a grey space with Tua Tagovailoa: You both imagine he is a franchise man or you do not.
For me, I feel he’s the kind of quarterback that you may construct your workforce round and have sustainable success. Over the primary two years of his profession, he is been given a uncooked deal that has harm his growth. In 2020, Tagovailoa entered the NFL after struggling a horrific hip harm at Alabama after which was thrust right into a Dolphins offense that was constructed for Ryan Fitzpatrick. The teaching workers on the time additionally subbed him out and in of video games all through that rookie 12 months, which needed to have shaken his confidence. Then, the workforce overtly pursued Deshaun Watson all through the 2021 season, and seemingly at all times had a wandering eye for his alternative.
Now, beneath new head coach Mike McDaniel, it looks like Miami is lastly constructing an offense that caters to his skillset. McDaniels is an offensive-minded coach and the entrance workplace went out and solidified the offensive line by signing sort out Terron Armstead, established a backfield of Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, and made the blockbuster commerce for wideout Tyreek Hill to pair with Jaylen Waddle.
Tagovailoa is now effectively faraway from that harm, has an offense and offensive talent place gamers that caters to him, and will lastly be that top-tier prospect he was billed as for the Crimson Tide, which can silence any questions relating to his means to be QB1.
