One Bold Prediction for Each AFC Team Entering 2022

Kansas City Chiefs

Skyy Moore Leads All Rookies in Receptions & Receiving Yards

The Kansas City Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the off-season. In doing so, the wide receiver room lost its top target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Free agent additions, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, bring stability to the unit, but won’t inspire much fear in opposing defensive coordinators. Adding in rookie Skyy Moore to the fold could shake things up quite a bit. Moore is a proficient route runner, and is surprisingly agile with the ball in his hands. He fits in as a guy that will consistently move the chains. MVS will do well to stretch the field vertically, leaving Moore to help JuJu and Kelce carve up defenses over the middle. If reports out of training camp are any indication, Moore is headed for a heavy usage rate in 2022. He should see 100+ targets, and with the vice-grip hands he possesses, Moore will catch pretty much anything thrown his way. This years crop of talent at wide receiver was special, but Moore will pace the group in their first year as professionals.

Los Angeles Chargers

Derwin James Wins Defensive Player of the Year

Going off of talent alone, this one isn’t very bold. However, when you factor in James’ health issues, along with the teams’ reluctance to offer him an extension… you begin to see the vision. Derwin James was taken No. 17 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and hit the ground running as a rookie. James earned first-team All Pro honors in his first year in the NFL, but unfortunately was forced to miss most of the 2019 season and the entirety of the 2020 season. Thankfully, James was able to bounce back in 2021, playing in 15 games and earning a Pro Bowl selection for his efforts. The Chargers added veteran pass rusher, Khalil Mack, to an already stacked defense. As long as James gets the contract squared away and his “hold-in” doesn’t turn into a holdout, there’s ample opportunity for him to put up ridiculous numbers. I’m betting on the talent here.

Las Vegas Raiders

Maxx Crosby Records More Sacks Than Chandler Jones

Maxx Crosby is fresh off a lucrative contract extension and is now considered a franchise cornerstone in Vegas. Crosby fell all the way to pick No. 106 in the 2019 NFL Draft, before the Raiders finally called his name. It didn’t take long for the pick to pay dividends. Crosby recorded 10 sacks as a rookie, and put up 15 more over the past two seasons. To help matters, the team brought in future Hall of Fame pass rusher, Chandler Jones. Jones has appeared in at least 15 games in 6 of the past 7 seasons, reaching the double-digit sack plateau in each. Jones has 4x more career sacks than Crosby, but 2022 will be a changing of the guard. Due to the added attention that will be geared towards Jones, Crosby should be freed up more on a snap-by-snap basis. He’s in a great spot to challenge for the league lead in sacks, that is if TJ Watt comes back down to earth any time soon. Regardless, look for Crosby to be the leader in the sack department when everything is said and done.

Denver Broncos

The Team Finishes Last in the AFC West

Come at me, I’m prepared for it. Let me start this with a quick disclaimer: I believe that all four teams in the division could reasonably win 10+ games in 2022. The Chiefs are the Chiefs, and have never missed an AFC title game in Patrick Mahomes’ time as starter. The Los Angeles Chargers are as talented as any roster in the league, and if they can get the injury gods to leave their roster alone, the sky is the limit for the Bolts. The Raiders were a playoff team just last season, and they added two bonafide superstars in Chandler Jones and Davante Adams. This division is bonkers. The Broncos, to their credit, added a Hall of Fame talent themselves.

Russell Wilson will lead the charge in Denver, flanked by first-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Other than a rookie head coach, the Broncos have a few more areas that concern me. Their offensive line is shaky, at best, and they didn’t do much to improve it this off-season. The wide receiver room was dealt a heavy blow already when Tim Patrick tore his ACL. Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy are uber-talented, but still mostly unproven. Perhaps the biggest area for concern is at pass rusher. Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory form a fearsome duo, but neither guy has played an entire campaign over the last three seasons. They are one injury away at a couple positions from being in real trouble. Wilson could still elevate this team to the top of the division, but as of right now, they have the most red flags.