The 2022 NFL Season is nearly here, hence why I must do predictions to see how much or how little I actually get right. We will go through all 8 divisions to see which teams have what record before seeing what teams I have playing in the playoffs and who is my pick to win Super Bowl 57.
AFC
AFC East
The AFC East contains the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. In my power rankings, I ranked the Bills 1st, the Patriots 11th, the Dolphins 21st and the Jets 25th. I think that Buffalo and New England will have a really fun battle and it will be intriguing to see who ends up on top in the division. I have the Bills winning the division just, with both of them finishing with a record of 12-5. The Bills win the division as they have a better record than the Patriots when it comes to playing other teams in their division. The Bills have to play away to LA Rams, Cincinatti Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs which are all going to be really tough games to get wins from whilst the Patriots travel to Green Bay, Las Vegas and Arizona. I would say that their fixtures list is pretty even in terms of playing easier and harder teams. The Bills have the Number 3 seed going into the playoffs whilst the Patriots are the number 5 seed.
Next, I have the Miami Dolphins with a 9-8 record. I think they will have a good season but still won’t be good enough to make the playoffs. They have 1 less game compared to the top two in the division against teams with a positive record, meaning that they have 1 more game against lower rated teams. Their season is split because there first four games are really tough, they then have winnable games from Week 5 all the way to Week 12 before 5 incredibly tough games and then a winnable final game.
At the bottom of the division, I have the Jets finishing with a 3-14 record. This is going to be another tough season for Jets fans as they have some incredibly tough games. Games at home to the Bears, the Lions, the Jaguars and an away trip to Seattle are the Jets best opportunity of picking up wins.
Final Division Rankings:
3 Bills: 12-5
5 New England Patriots: 12-5
10 Miami Dolphins: 9-8
14 New York Jets: 3-14
AFC North
The AFC North contains the Cincinatti Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. In my power rankings, I had the Bengals in 9th, the Steelers in 20th, the Browns in 22nd and the Ravens in 10th. I believe that the Ravens will win the division and I have them at a 13-4 record which gives them the number 1 seed in the AFC which puts them in the best spot to make the Super Bowl. The Ravens have a easier schedule as 9 of there 17 games are against teams below 500. For context, this is 2 more than Divisional rivals Cincinatti.
Next, I have the Cincinatti Bengals finishing with an 11-6 record. I just feel that the fact that the Bengals are playing against more teams over 500 compared to the Ravens will ultimately cost them winning the division. I still have them making the playoffs as the number 6 seed, but one win-less and last year's AFC Champions would be out.
Next, I have both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns finishing with a 4-13 record. I think both teams will struggle this year as both teams have issues at Quarterback. I do think that Pittsburgh is a better team than the Browns, but they have an incredibly tough fixture list, playing 12 of there 17 games against over 500 teams which doesn’t give them much opportunity to get results against teams they would expect to beat. The Browns play against 10 teams over 500. The Steelers are above of the Browns because they have a better record against common opponents.
Final Division Rankings:
1 Baltimore Ravens: 13-4
6 Cincinatti Bengals: 11-6
12 Pittsburgh Steelers: 4-13
13 Cleveland Browns: 4-13
AFC South
The AFC South contains the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts, the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. In my power rankings, I had the Titans 18th, the Colts 16th, the Texans 32nd and the Jaguars 23rd. I have the Tennessee Titans winning the division with an 11-6 record. The Titans have a really tough schedule with 11 games being played against teams with a positive record with 6 of them being played away. The Titans tend to get the job done when they play teams that they are better than and when you have Derrick Henry, you can find a way to beat the top teams.
Easily second place in the division are the Indianapolis Colts. I have the Colts with a 9-8 record. I expect them to win most of their games against poorer opponents, but I don’t expect Matt Ryan to be able to win them games against teams like Kansas, New England and Denver to name a few.
The Jags are next with another abysmal record, this year 2-15. They play 11 teams that are over 500 and out of there 5 winnable games, 4 of them are away. This could be another very tough year for the Jags whether Lawrence plays well or not. The only positive for the Jags is I don’t have them finishing bottom of the division.
If I get the Texans season right, this could be one of the worst seasons in NFL history. I have the Texans winning 1 game all season, I kind of hope I’m wrong because that wouldn’t be a fun year if you were a Texans fan. Houston has 12 games against over 500 teams which really doesn’t help them. There 2 games against the Jags and there away days at the Bears and Giants are Houston’s only realistic chance of getting wins this year.
Final Division Rankings:
4 Tennessee Titans: 11-6
11 Indianapolis Colts: 9-8
15 Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-15
16 Houston Texans: 1-16
AFC West
The AFC West contains the Kansas City Chiefs, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos. In my power rankings, I had the Chiefs 6th, the Raiders 12th, the Chargers 5th and the Broncos 4th. This is easily the best division in the whole of the NFL, meaning that it’s also the hardest one to predict as all four teams could potentially win the division. I have the Chargers winning the division with a 12-5 record. The Chargers, like all these teams, have a massive number of tough games, with 12 of them being against opponents with positive records. I think that this could be an MVP Season for Justin Herbert, not sure if he’ll win it but he’ll definitely be close. The Chargers take the number 2 seed due to having a better record against teams in the AFC compared to the Bills.
Next, I have the Kansas City Chiefs, who just about scrap into the playoffs in what promises to be a crazily exciting battle. Ridiculously, the Chiefs play 14 of there 17 games against over 500 teams, that’s what you call an incredibly difficult schedule. 13 of their games are easily lose able, meaning that the Chiefs could have one of their worst seasons in a long time. Patrick Mahomes is going to have to be at his best and then some. The Chiefs are ranked lower than the Bengals due to the Bengals beating them in week 13.
Crazily, both the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos also finish with an 11-6 record and somehow, neither team makes it into the playoffs. The Raiders play 13 games against teams with a positive record whilst the Broncos play against 12. These two teams are excellent and deserve to be in the playoffs but sadly for them they play just too many top teams compared to other teams who’ve finished in the Wildcard positions. The Raiders and Broncos both miss out on the playoffs due to having a less good record compared to the Chiefs when it comes to playing against the same opponents. The Raiders have a better record against teams in the AFC then the Broncos, hence why Las Vegas are ranked ahead of Denver. We are in for a heck of a season if this Is all correct
Final Division Rankings:
2 Los Angeles Chargers: 12-5
7 Kansas City Chiefs: 11-6
8 Las Vegas Raiders: 11-6
9 Denver Broncos: 11-6
NFC
NFC East
The NFC East contains the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants. In my power rankings, I had the Cowboys in 7th, the Eagles in 15th, the Commanders in 24th and the Giants in 30th. I see this division being pretty similar to the AFC East as there are two very good teams, 1 decent team that isn’t quite good enough to be in the playoffs and a team that is probably going to struggle. I have the Philadelphia Eagles coming out on top with a 14-3 record and maybe quite surprisingly to some people, the number 1 seed in both the NFC and the whole of the NFL. The reason for this is because the Eagles have been given a really kind schedule, with 10 of there 17 games being against teams under 500. This presents a massive opportunity for the Eagles to have a very good season.
Just behind them are the Dallas Cowboys, who I have winning 13 games and losing 4 this season. Dallas also has 10 games against negative record teams, but I feel that the Cowboys away games are harder than the Eagles, but it’s very tight and I feel like this battle will go down to the wire. The Cowboys are going to the playoffs though as the number 5 seed in the NFC.
3rd place in the division goes to Washington who are now known as the Commanders with a 7-10 record. I think they’ll be decent this season, but they have got a bit of luck with 9 of their games against lower ranked teams. I still don’t see them being good enough to challenge for a playoff spot. The Commanders bye week is also incredibly late on Week 14 which could potentially cost them.
Bottom of the NFC East goes to the New York Giants, who are in for a tough year with a 4-13 record. Daniel Jones isn’t good enough at Quarterback and that will cost them from really being able to push on this season. They do have 6 winnable games so it could be a better year than what their power rankings suggest it should be.
Final Division Rankings:
1 Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3
5 Dallas Cowboys: 13-4
10 Washington Commanders: 7-10
12 New York Giants: 4-13
NFC North
The NFC North contains the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. In my power rankings, I ranked the Packers 3rd, the Vikings 19th, the Bears 26th and the Lions 28th. Unsurprisingly, I have the Packers winning the division with a 14-3 record. The Packers miss out on the number 1 seed due to losing to the Eagles in Week 12. The Packers have got a bit of luck with the schedule after only having to face seven teams with a positive record. Aaron Rodgers will probably have another MVP level year.
The Minnesota Vikings are comfortably in second place in this division, well ahead of the teams behind but nowhere near the Packers. They have a tougher schedule than the Packers, with 10 games against teams over 500. The Vikings have a nice run of games at the end of the season so they should end their season in a positive fashion to finish with an 8-9 record.
I have both the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions finishing on the same record of 3-14. Both teams are not very good and will likely struggle. The Bears have a slightly tougher schedule but it’s pretty close. Chicago is ranked higher than Detroit due to them having a better record against common opponents.
Final Division Rankings:
2 Green Bay Packers: 14-3
9 Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
14 Chicago Bears: 3-14
15 Detroit Lions: 3-14
NFC South
The NFC South contains the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. In my power rankings, I had the Buccaneers in 2nd, the Saints in 13th, the Falcons in 29th and the Panthers in 27th. This is another division with great teams and also really poor teams. I have the Bucs coming out on top in this division with a 13-4 record. The Bucs have gotten a tougher schedule than other playoff teams with 10 of there 17 games being played against tougher opposition. The first four games for Tampa Bay are crazy, with trips to Dallas and New Orleans before home games against the Packers and the Chiefs. Tom Brady will be wanting to bring another Super Bowl ring home with him at the end of the year, but the Bucs will go into the playoffs as the 4th seed, so it definitely won’t be easy.
Next are the New Orleans Saints, who also finish on a 13-4 record but miss out on winning the divisional due to Tampa’s “Strength of Victory”. They also miss out on the number 5 seed due to having a worse record against teams in the NFC compared to the Cowboys. The Saints do have a slightly easier schedule than the Bucs, with 9 of their 17 games being against teams over 500. A very strong year is ahead for the Saints.
The Carolina Panthers finish on 3-14 whilst the Atlanta Falcons finish on 2-15. Both teams are really poor and look to be in for a rough season. They both have 10 games against teams with a positive record, but I think the Panthers will just edge them out. The Panthers finish higher in the NFC Rankings then the Bears due to a better record against common opponents whilst the Falcons end up with the worst record in the NFC.
Final Division Rankings:
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
6 New Orleans Saints: 13-4
13 Carolina Panthers: 3-14
16 Atlanta Falcons: 2-15
NFC West
The NFC West contains the reigning Super Bowl Champions the Los Angeles Rams, the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. In my power rankings, I had the Rams 8th, the Cardinals 14th, the 49ers 17th and the Seahawks 31st. For years, this division has had potential to see all four teams make the playoffs and whilst that may not be possible, there are definitely three teams in the fight. I have the Arizona Cardinals winning the division with a 13-4 record. The Cardinals have a really tough schedule, with them playing 12 games against teams over 500. The positive that Arizona can take is that 8 of those 12 games are at home, which should give them an advantage. The fact that half of their away games are easily winnable is a massive boost to the Cardinals dream of winning the Super Bowl in their own stadium. I think that Kyler Murray will step it up another gear this year and really show why he deserves to be a top 10 Quarterback in the league. The Cardinals take the third seed after beating the Buccaneers in Week 16.
The team I have taking the last playoff spot in the NFC is the San Francisco 49ers with a 12-5 record. The 49ers have 1 less tough game than the Arizona Cardinals and also get lucky with 7 of there 11 games against tougher oppositions are at home. It’s a big year for the Niners and it will be interesting to see how good Trey Lance really is.
Crazily enough, I have the reigning Super Bowl Champions LA Rams not even making the Playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. The LA Rams have to play 13 times against teams with a positive record which makes it so hard for them to do well. This is made even harder when 7 of their 8 away games are against top teams. The Rams have almost been given the bad luck whilst the Cardinals and Niners have been given the good luck. I still think that the Rams will be really strong, but it will be tough for them to be brilliant every week which is what they pretty much need to do with the teams they have to face. Sadly, for them, 10-7 isn’t going to be good enough.
The final team in the division and the last team in the league to rank are the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have to play 12 games against teams over 500 which is already a problem, let alone with the team they have this year. Neither Drew Lock or Geno Smith are going to be able to get Seahawks results at places like LA, Tampa and Kansas. Home games against the Falcons, Giants, Panthers and Jets gives Seattle the opportunity to at least win some games this season, hence why I have them with a 4-13 record. A tough season ahead for Pete Carroll’s team.
Final Divisional Rankings:
3 Arizona Cardinals: 13-4
7 San Francisco 49ers: 12-5
8 Los Angeles Rams: 10-7
11 Seattle Seahawks: 4-13
NFL Playoffs
Wildcard Weekend
In the first of three AFC Wildcard weekend matches, the 12-5, number 5 seed New England Patriots travel to face the 11-6, number 4 seed Tennessee Titans. The Titans have played in more “big” matches but the Patriots are a better team. Home field advantage is crucial, but I see the Patriots coming out on top but, it’ll be close.
In the second AFC Wildcard matchup, the 11-6, number 6 seed Cincinatti Bengals travel to face the 12-5, number 3 seed Buffalo Bills. The Bengals beat the Bills in the regular season, which is massive as without that win, they wouldn’t be here in the first place. That was at Cincinatti though, Buffalo is a whole different animal. Joe Burrow VS Josh Allen is a brilliant matchup, but I can’t see anything other than a Bills win here.
The final AFC Wildcard matchup sees the 11-6, number 7 seed Kansas City Chiefs face off against the 12-5, number 2 seed LA Chargers. These two divisional rivals shared the spoils in the regular season and a chance to see Mahomes VS Herbert 3 is must see football. The Chiefs are certainly used to playing in big games but so are the Chargers. This game is so close, but I have to go with the Chargers getting the home win. It’s that close between the two teams that if the Chiefs were at home, they’d be my pick to progress.
In the first NFC Wildcard matchup, the 13-4, number 5 seed Dallas Cowboys face the 13-4, number 4 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You almost feel sorry for the Cowboys with the fact that they win 13 regular season games, yet they still have to play away from home and it’s against Tom Brady, that’s bad luck. The Cowboys played 3 times less than the Bucs when it comes to facing playoff teams with positive records so the advantage is with the Bucs in that department. The Cowboys beat the Bucs on the opening weekend of the season, but I think the Bucs are a better team and will win out in Tampa.
The second NFC Wildcard matchup sees the 13-4, number 6 seed New Orleans Saints take on the 13-4, number 3 seed Arizona Cardinals. If you felt sorry for the Cowboys, you should also feel sorry for the Saints too. The Cardinals beat the Saints in Arizona in Week 7 and have shown how good they are against the big teams and how useful home field advantage has been. These two teams are so closely matched on paper but I think the Cardinals record against the top teams gives them the edge over the New Orleans Saints.
The final NFC Wildcard matchup sees the 12-5, number 7 seed San Francisco 49ers travel to Green Bay to take on the 14-3, number 2 seed Packers. The Packers aren’t used to playing in the big matches this season, with just 7 played compared to the 49ers 11. The Niners went and pulled off the big shock of last season by beating Green Bay at Lambeau Field in the divisional round but I just can’t see that happening, as much as I hope it does, I can’t see it. Lance VS Rodgers should be fun to watch though.
Divisional Round:
In the AFC Divisional round, the Buffalo Bills travel to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. These wo teams are brilliant with two Quarterbacks who’ve had an incredible season. I see this being the game of the weekend. The Chargers have had a harder schedule yet have managed to get the same record as the Bills and have actually managed to finish the higher seed which has meant that they get the home field advantage which is once again going to be crucial. The Chargers knock out the best team in the league.
In the other AFC Divisional round matchup, the New England Patriots face the number 1 seed Baltimore Ravens. The Pats were the only team to win away from home last week so will hope to be able to pull of another special victory. The Ravens did have an easier schedule and the Patriots managed to beat the Ravens in Week 3, however that was at New England. Mac Jones has had a great season but I just don’t feel like they’ll be able to get the result, meaning that the Baltimore Ravens are going to the AFC Championship game.
In the first of two NFC Divisional round matchups, the Arizona Cardinals face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Both teams got good victory’s last week but the difference is that the Cardinals don’t have their home field advantage that they’ve relied on for so long whilst for the Packers, the Cardinals are a tougher opponent than the Niners. If Green Bay don’t mess it up, I’d expect the Packers to progress through.
In the second NFC Divisional round matchup, Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the number 1 ranked team in the whole of the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have home field advantage which is massively important but they had an easier schedule this year and as much as the Eagles are a great team and Jalen Hurts is going to get better, the Bucs have Tom Brady who only needs 1 chance to get Tampa Bay the victory. Bucs beat the Eagles.
Conference Championship:
The AFC Championship game is between Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers and Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens. These two teams were the highest seeded AFC teams and that has helped them to get here. In terms of whose had a harder run to get here, it is easily the Chargers. The Ravens are a terrific team and will be incredibly hard to beat but I just think that Herbert is playing on a higher level than pretty much everyone and I think he will pull the Chargers over the line in Baltimore to beat the number 1 seed and advance to the Super Bowl.
The NFC Championship game is between Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers. These are two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and it could even be there last ever season in the league so both will want this victory even more than before. The Bucs had a harder run and beat the Packers in Week 3 in Tampa but going to Lambeau Field and winning is very tough. These two teams are super close in talent which is why I have the Green Bay Packers winning, just.
Super Bowl LVII
Super Bowl 57 goes down in Arizona between the AFC Champions LA Chargers and the NFC Champions Green Bay Packers. Both teams were the second seed in their conferences but the Packers won 2 more games than the Chargers. Herbert VS Rodgers is an incredibly exciting matchup between two players in completely different parts of their career. This game will be close and is tough to predict but I just think that the Chargers have played in so many big games that surely that would help them and I think that the Super Bowl is going back to SoFi Stadium for the second year but this time with the Chargers.
The Los Angeles Chargers are my pick to win the Super Bowl for the first time ever.
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