We're almost there and the new season is finally upon us. Every NFL fan is in a good mood at the thought of more than five months of high-octane and dramatic action. So, it falls to me to put some of you in a bad mood by not ranking your team where you would like them to be placed. You're welcome!
The Bills have not only returned many key starters, including my MVP pick in quarterback Josh Allen, they are actually a better team with the addition of Von Miller. For the second year in a row, I’m picking Buffalo to win it all.
Like most Super Bowl champs, the Rams suffered sporadic offseason losses. But they still have Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. That’s a rock-solid core alongside the addition of receiver Allen Robinson.
How will the Chiefs look without Tyreek Hill’s club record 111 catches in their offense? They have new faces at wide receiver in Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster but, most importantly, they still have Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
The Bucs remain a Super Bowl contender because Tom Brady ended his 40-day retirement and, well, he’s Tom Brady! But he also took a weird 11-day training camp break and his offensive line is a worry following the preseason injury of center Ryan Jensen.
Repeating last year’s magical run won’t be easy but the Bengals have strengthened their offensive line through the additions of Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and La’El Collins. They should contend again with Joe Burrow upright more often.
LA already had a championship-calibre quarterback in Justin Herbert. Offensive line upgrades and the additions of pass rusher Khalil Mack and cornerback J.C. Jackson creates a genuine contender.
All eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers as he leads an attack without Davante Adams. Don’t worry, Cheeseheads. Rodgers remains great and the defense is a growing force. Green Bay will be in the mix.
Over to you, Trey Lance. The 49ers remain a deep, talented and well-coached team. Lance gets to lead the likes of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Elijah Mitchell, while Nick Bosa leads the defense.
The Broncos have been through some questionable quarterback starters since Peyton Manning retired at the end of the 2015 campaign. But Russell Wilson has the Super Bowl whispers growing in Colorado.
The Ravens were the number one seed in the AFC with an 8-3 record at the end of November and then injuries hit and the wheels came off. But this should be a competitive team once again in 2022.
The Eagles have enjoyed a nice offseason, adding A.J. Brown at receiver and Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, James Bradberry and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the D. If Jalen Hurts continues to grow, the NFC East belongs to Philly.
Watching Mike McDaniel devise plays for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be a joy. The only thing keeping Miami out of my top 10 is that nagging and continued need to see more from Tua Tagovailoa.
Matt Ryan should be a steadying influence for the Colts, but can he produce the points that owner Jim Irsay called for at the end of the 2021 campaign. Having Jonathan Taylor at RB will certainly help.
If Jameis Winston can pick up playing at the level he started last season, the Saints could be dangerous on offense, especially with Michael Thomas inching back to fitness. The D is very strong. This could be a sneaky-good contender.
The Raiders are one of four teams who missed the playoffs last season but who currently lead their division, the others being Arizona, Cincinnati and Dallas. The attack is real. With Derek Carr at the helm, Las Vegas have topped 400 total yards in five games in 2021 – tied with Dallas for the most in the NFL.
The AFC’s top seed from last season is sliding. Do the Titans really believe in Ryan Tannehill? And will Treylon Burks and Robert Woods be enough at wide receiver to ease the pressure on Derrick Henry?
For an offense that finished ranked first in the NFL last season there are an awful lot of questions. Can Dak Prescott maintain season-long form? Are they too thin at WR? Can Ezekiel Elliott be a workhorse running back or is he now job-sharing with Tony Pollard?
New coach Kevin O’Connell will bring a more relaxed, positive and innovative approach. Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen form one of the NFL’s better offensive groupings and this team should score plenty of points.
The Patriots have, according to multiple reports, endured a pretty dismal training camp. How much should we read into that? This time last year people were concerned that Ja’Marr Chase couldn’t catch!
The Steelers have produced 18 straight non-losing seasons. If that is to become 19, Mitchell Trubisky needs to revive his career after a year on the sidelines in Buffalo. His supporting cast is decent and the Steelers should be competitive once again.
The NFL’s last undefeated team from last season has many negative vibes floating around heading into this campaign. A poor finish was the start but then came the Kyler Murray contract extension which featured a ‘homework’ clause that was later removed. Messy.
The Browns are not only dealing with no starting quarterback until Deshaun Watson makes his debut in Week 13, they are also thin at receiver, on to their third center of the preseason and dealing with the fact that they are no longer the darlings of the NFL.
Deemed surplus to requirements in Cleveland – where he delivered the Browns’ first playoff win since 1994 – Baker Mayfield now leads a Panthers team that has disappointed under Matt Rhule. Getting more than 10 games over two seasons from Christian McCaffrey would help.
Carson Wentz is the seventh quarterback to start for Ron Rivera in Washington and the coach only got there in 2020! Seven! And that may not prove to be a lucky number for the newly-named Commanders. Wentz has much to prove.
The Jets have upgraded their talent levels on both sides of the ball and get a key defender back in Carl Lawson this year, but so much of their growth is going to depend on second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. Will he be up to the task?
The Lions should be more watchable in 2022 once lightning-fast first-round receiver Jameson Williams gets on the field with the promising Amon-Ra St. Brown. But can Jared Goff consistently deliver the football?
With the unmitigated disaster that was Urban Meyer in the history books, the Jags can now grow under Doug Pederson. That is great news for Trevor Lawrence, who can still become an NFL superstar.
Pete Carroll always turns out a competitive team but, for the first time in a decade, this feels different. Russell Wilson is gone and has been replaced, for now, by Geno Smith. This feels like a rebuild year or two.
The Falcons have a stop-gap quarterback at the helm in Marcus Mariota, so this also feels like the start of a rebuild. A couple of pieces could already be in place in tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie receiver Drake London.
New general manager Joe Schein and head coach Brian Daboll have put Daniel Jones on notice. The turnover-prone quarterback has one final year to prove himself or the Big Blue move on in 2023. Saquon Barkley also needs to show up.
There is spirit in Houston, epitomised by second-year quarterback Davis Mills. But the talent level is low and it could take years to become competitive. Will Lovie Smith be given that kind of time?
It’s a new dawn in Chicago with Matt Eberflus in his first year as head coach and Justin Fields embarking on a second season at quarterback. That pair will have to be patient because the talent cupboard is pretty bare.
