Five Bold Predictions For The 2022 NFL Season
It’s the first week of September and Labor Day just passed. That means one thing, and one thing only … the NFL is BACK. And just because I don’t write about the NFL doesn’t mean I can’t come up with some ludicrous predictions for the upcoming season. So why don’t we jump right into things.
Aaron Rodgers will win his third consecutive MVP trophy.
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers is looking to become the second player in NFL history to accomplish three back-to-back-to-back MVP seasons. A lot of people are counting him and the Packers out of Super Bowl contention given the Davante Adams trade. But I don’t think that’s going to matter as much for Green Bay as people seem to think.
The Packers still have one of the best run games in the NFL with AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones in the backfield. They also have a young receiving core in Allen Lazard and Rob Tonyan. Combine those two studs with veterans like Sammy Watkins & Randall Cobb, and I think Aaron Rodgers will have plenty of open options on Sundays this season.
Now I’m not saying that the Packers are going to the Super Bowl by any means. If history has shown us anything, it’s that Green Bay will likely finish as a 1 or 2 seed in the NFC and then fall short in the Divisional Round. But I do think that Rodgers will throw for enough yards and TDs to cement his name in the history books.
The Raiders make it to the AFC Championship
Speaking of the Davante Adams trade to the Raiders, Las Vegas is looking like a dangerous squad this year. I know how hard of a division the AFC West is, but I think this is the year that the Raiders put all of the pieces together. They have Renfrow and Adams out wide. Darren Waller is as big of a threat at tight end as Kelce and Kittle. And Josh Jacobs is looking to dominate the run game again this year.
Parlay all of that together with Derek Carr going into his 8th season, and I would venture out to say the Raiders are Super Bowl contenders. Of course the AFC West is going to be the toughest division to get through this season, but I think with all of the off-season trades and signings, that the Raiders are the one team in that division that has a similar core roster to the one they had last season.
The Bills finally make it back to the Super Bowl
I think it’s safe to say that the Buffalo Bills have become America’s team over the past couple years. It’s impossible to hate them unless you’re favorite team is in the AFC East. And even then … I still don’t understand how you could root against them.
The Bills have gotten their hearts broken in back-to-back playoff appearances. Both of them coming by way of the Kansas City Chiefs. I genuinely think that Mahomes and Tyreek Hill were equivalent to Buffalo’s kryptonite. Now that Tyreek Hill is gone, I think the Chiefs are going to lose a lot of the momentum that they’ve gained over the last two years, and the Bills are going to take over the AFC.
That being said, I think the AFC Championship is going to be the Raiders vs. Bills in Buffalo, with the Bills blowing them out of the water.
Antonio Brown makes a return
This is by far my hottest take in this list, but I don’t think he’s done playing. Every player that talks about him says that he’s the hardest working guy in the locker room. Sure, his shenanigans will always get in the way of his talent, but you can’t tell me that Tom Brady wouldn’t want AB back in the Bucs starting lineup.
I don’t think it’ll happen until later on in the season, when it gets closer to playoff time. That way, it gives AB less opportunities to do anything stupid. But I think the Bucs receiving core is going to struggle once they get past the mid-season hump. And like an ex-girlfriend that knows exactly how to be the big spoon at night, AB is going to be back in the Bucs rotation and catching TDs like it’s nobody’s business.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will win the Super Bowl & Tom Brady will retire and sail off into the sunset.
This is by far and away, the least bold prediction on this list. When you think of how close the Bucs were last year, and then Tom Brady retiring and then un-retiring … it just makes a little too much sense. It seems like Tom stepped into a coaching role with his receivers in the off-season, which is exactly what he wanted.
Not to mention the fact that Tom has almost $400 million waiting for him for whenever he decides to walk away from the game given his deal with Fox. I know it sounds delusional, but Tom Brady seems like he’s already decided that this is going to be a Super Bowl year, and I feel like that’s the equivalent of writing a name in the death note. It’s set in stone.
The Bucs will play my beloved Eagles in the NFC Championship and squeak out a victory in OT. Then they’ll go play the Bills in what will be a high scoring, action packed Super Bowl. Bucs win by a field goal.
