Who Will Be the Next Franchise to Win Their First Super Bowl?

Potential Playoff Teams in 2022

-A team that I am really high on going into the season is the Minnesota Vikings. Kirk Cousins is coming off the best season of his entire career, and is now paired with an offensive minded head coach. Kevin O’Connell served as the offensive coordinator under Sean McVay for the past two years, helping create one of the fiercest units in the league in 2021.

O’Connell inherits an offense that features Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, two guys who are arguably the best at their respective positions. Eight of the teams nine losses in 2021 were by one possession, which is both brutal and promising. Assuming the defense can hold up, and the offense can execute better in late game scenarios, there’s a real chance that the Vikings challenge for a divisional title. I personally am picking them to secure a playoff spot in the weak NFC.

-So much of the projection for the Cleveland Browns hinges on who is playing quarterback. After trading an unprecedented amount for Deshaun Watson, and then doubling down by giving him $230 million guaranteed, it is clear to see that the franchise is committed to Watson. Whether he sees the field in 2022 is not up to them though. With more and more details coming out regarding the ongoing civil charges that Watson is facing, it’s increasingly likely that he misses at least some of the upcoming season.

In the event that the team finds themselves without his services, they will not be able to turn to Baker Mayfield, as that relationship is beyond repair. Jacoby Brissett is a capable backup and spot starter, but even with a loaded roster, I have a hard time seeing them making the playoffs. If Watson is available to play, however, the sky is the limit. Will he be the fringe top five QB that he was prior to sitting out the 2021 season? I’m not sure. But he doesn’t have to be to win with this roster.

-The Arizona Cardinals started the season on a tear, before stumbling down the stretch in the wake of injuries to Kyler Murray and Deandre Hopkins. They looked like a much more beatable team once Hopkins went down (duh), leading to a 34-11 beat down in the first round of the playoffs versus division rival Los Angeles Rams. Chandler Jones and Christian Kirk found monster deals elsewhere, and both will be sorely missed.

Kyler Murray’s future with the team will continue to be up in the air until an extension is signed, but I have a hard time seeing Murray not play for the Cardinals this season. If things are smoothed over by week one, and Hop returns to his standard, Arizona has a solid chance at earning a playoff berth. Considering they haven’t been strong in the final two months of the season, I still see their ceiling as a playoff team. But with how great they are the first couple months, I see that as their floor too.

-The Tennessee Titans lost the heart and soul of their passing game when they traded away budding star AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in a draft day trade that saw the Eagles acquire the 18th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Not only that, the team also decided to cut ties with future hall-of-fame wide receiver Julio Jones.

Maybe they will finally get some contributions from Bud Dupree and Caleb Farley in 2022, two big investments that didn’t pan out last season. To their credit, they made a savvy trade for veteran Robert Woods and used the aforementioned 18th pick on a guy that can contribute immediately in Treylon Burks. Derrick Henry looks fully healthy and ready to bounce back after missing nine games in 2021. Even with everything that went wrong last season, the Titans still laid claim to the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Because of this, I see them being firmly in the playoff race.