With the 2022 NFL season at its midpoint, our analysts update their preseason predictions for the playoff field:
Participating analysts: Michael Baca, Brian Baldinger, Judy Battista, Jeremy Bergman, Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, David Carr, Brooke Cersosimo, Jeffri Chadiha, Eric Edholm, Gennaro Filice, Christian Gonzales, Grant Gordon, Marcas Grant, DeAngelo Hall, Maurice Jones-Drew, Bobby Kownack, Dan Parr, Kevin Patra, Adam Rank, Chad Reuter, Marc Ross, Marc Sessler, Nick Shook, Lance Zierlein.
NOTE: All betting lines -- listed alongside each team -- are courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook and are current as of 11:50 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
AFC EAST CHAMPS
(22 votes: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Blair, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Ross, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein)
2) Miami Dolphins (+400) | 3 votes: Bhanpuri, Carr, Cersosimo
Why Maurice Jones-Drew chose the Bills: The Bills were a Super Bowl favorite in the offseason and that has yet to change. Josh Allen's elbow injury is one to monitor, but the Bills boast enough talent on both sides of the ball to keep their place at the top of the division.
AFC NORTH CHAMPS
(19 votes: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Bhanpuri, Blair, Carr, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Hall, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Reuter, Ross, Shook)
2) Cincinnati Bengals (+375) | 6 votes: Bergman, Grant, Jones-Drew, Rank, Sessler, Zierlein
Why Kevin Patra chose the Ravens: At 6-3, the Ravens sport a surging defense that added Roquan Smith at the trade deadline, and despite question marks at receiver, Lamar Jackson continues to conjure magic on offense. Baltimore also has the easiest schedule down the stretch, with its next seven games against teams under .500. By the time the Ravens head to Cincy to face the defending AFC Champs in Week 18, Baltimore could already have the division wrapped up.
AFC SOUTH CHAMPS
UNANIMOUS PICK
Why Lance Zierlein chose the Titans: Tennessee is an easy choice in the AFC South and not just because the rest of the division is struggling. Mike Vrabel has created a philosophy and standard for the organization, and with Derrick Henry on offense and Jeffery Simmons on defense, the Titans have two of the best players on their respective sides of the football.
AFC WEST CHAMPS
UNANIMOUS PICK
Why Chad Reuter chose the Chiefs: The Chargers will make a run at the Chiefs in the second half of the season, but Patrick Mahomes will throw for 5,000 yards and 40 scores to lead his squad to a seventh straight division title.
AFC WILD CARD TEAMS
We asked voters to pick the three wild-card teams from each conference, ranking their picks from 1 to 3 based on where they project the squads to land in the pecking order. Here are the vote totals for the AFC:
| Rank | Team | WC Team 1 (3 pts) | WC Team 2 (2 pts) | WC Team 3 (1 pt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | Dolphins (62) | 20 VOTES: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Ross, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein | 1 VOTE: Gonzales | NO VOTES |
| 2) | Bengals (26) | 1 VOTE: Gonzales | 8 VOTES: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Parr, Ross, Shook | 7 VOTES: Bhanpuri, Blair, Carr, Filice, Gordon, Hall, Patra |
| 3) | Chargers (23) | NO VOTES | 8 VOTES: Blair, Filice, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Kownack, Patra, Reuter | 7 VOTES: Baca, Battista, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Parr, Zierlein |
| 4) | Jets (18) | 1 VOTE: Blair | 3 VOTES: Bhanpuri, Carr, Edholm | 9 VOTES: Baldinger, Bergman, Gonzales, Grant, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Rank, Sessler, Shook |
| 5) | Ravens (10) | NO VOTES | 5 VOTES: Bergman, Jones-Drew, Rank, Sessler, Zierlein | NO VOTES |
| 6) | Bills (9) | 3 VOTES: Bhanpuri, Carr, Cersosimo | NO VOTES | NO VOTES |
| 7) | Browns (2) | NO VOTES | NO VOTES | 2 VOTES: Reuter, Ross |
NFC EAST CHAMPS
(23 votes: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Blair, Carr, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Ross, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein)
2) Dallas Cowboys (+450) | 2 votes: Bergman, Bhanpuri
Why Nick Shook chose the Eagles: As the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles haven’t shown any signs of slowing down soon. Their schedule sets up nicely in the next month, and with one win over Dallas already in their pocket, the Eagles have every reason to believe the NFC East is theirs -- and perhaps much more.
NFC NORTH CHAMPS
UNANIMOUS PICK
Why Brooke Cersosimo chose the Vikings: As the only participant in this preseason exercise to select Minnesota to win the division, I'm feeling pretty good right about now. So are the 7-1 Vikings. First-year head coach Kevin O'Connell has breathed life back into this team, resulting in Minnesota's best start to a season since 2009 and a 4.5-game lead in the NFC North. Life is good in SKOL country. Cue the Griddy!
NFC SOUTH CHAMPS
(24 votes: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Bhanpuri, Blair, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Ross, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein)
2) Atlanta Falcons (+320) | 1 vote: Carr
Why Marc Sessler chose the Buccaneers: They've been a tough watch all season, but I trust a Tom Brady-led team to figure out its issues inside a winnable division. A collection of stars still exist on this roster, but one-and-done in January feels probable.
NFC WEST CHAMPS
(20 votes: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Shook, Zierlein)
2) Seattle Seahawks (+140) | 5 votes: Bhanpuri, Blair, Carr, Ross, Sessler
Why DeAngelo Hall chose the 49ers: The Seahawks have grasped the division lead at the midway point, but the 49ers' talent is too good to deny. Kyle Shanahan has one of the best rosters in the league, and that will show when his team surges ahead late in the year to claim its first division title since 2019 -- when the 49ers went to the Super Bowl.
NFC WILD CARD TEAMS
We asked voters to pick the three wild-card teams from each conference, ranking their picks from 1 to 3 based on where they project the squads to land in the pecking order. Here are the vote totals for the NFC:
| Rank | Team | WC Team 1 (3 pts) | WC Team 2 (2 pts) | WC Team 3 (1 pt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) | Cowboys (67) | 22 VOTES: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Carr, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Reuter, Ross, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein | NO VOTES | 1 VOTE: Blair |
| 2) | Seahawks (39) | NO VOTES | 19 VOTES: Baca, Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Gonzales, Gordon, Grant, Hall, Jones-Drew, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Rank, Shook, Zierlein | 1 VOTE: Reuter |
| 3) | Giants (22) | NO VOTES | 2 VOTES: Blair, Reuter | 18 VOTES: Baldinger, Battista, Bergman, Bhanpuri, Carr, Cersosimo, Chadiha, Edholm, Filice, Grant, Hall, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Ross, Sessler, Shook, Zierlein |
| 4) | 49ers (8) | NO VOTES | 4 VOTES: Bhanpuri, Carr, Ross, Sessler | NO VOTES |
| 5) | Rams (7) | 1 VOTE: Blair | NO VOTES | 4 VOTES: Baca, Gonzales, Gordon, Jones-Drew |
| 6) | Eagles (6) | 2 VOTES: Bergman, Bhanpuri | NO VOTES | NO VOTES |
| 7) | Bears (1) | NO VOTES | NO VOTES | 1 VOTE: Rank |
