One Bold Prediction for Each NFC Team Entering 2022
By Hunter Haas
Anything could happen this season in the NFC, so here is one bold prediction for each team in the conference!
The NFC is undoubtedly weaker on paper than its counterpart in the AFC. The top of the NFC is as good as any, but it lacks the depth when it comes to teams with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. The defending champion Los Angeles Rams remain atop the conference until further notice, but with Tom Brady un-retiring, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are right on their heels. It took everything the Rams had to knock the Bucs out of the playoffs last postseason.
The next team would be the Green Bay Packers, led by back-to-back league MVP — Aaron Rodgers. They shipped Davante Adams to Las Vegas and have a group of unproven wide receivers at the position currently. The Packers upgraded their already stout defense through the draft by adding a couple of Georgia Bulldogs (Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt). The offensive line is shaky when it comes to health, which will be the X-Factor for the team in 2022.
The Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints all have playoff potential, but also each has their own laundry list of stuff they must improve to win a championship. The Niners stand out because they’ve made a Super Bowl recently and found themselves with a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of last season’s NFC Title Game. We’ll see if Trey Lance can push that roster over the top this season.
A couple of teams could realistically surprise the league in 2022. These teams should flirt with the .500 mark: the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants. They all have a feasible path to being competitive this coming season. It will require some things falling their way, and a few players developing at a swift rate, but it is certainly possible. Considering three of these four teams finished in last place in 2021, the schedules are not too daunting either.
One Bold Prediction for Each NFC Team Entering 2022
The Lions have tons of young talent still ascending, with the experienced Jared Goff steering the ship. The Panthers and Commanders both have new quarterbacks and better rosters than given credit for. The New York Giants now have former Bills’ offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, leading the way as head coach, giving reason to believe they can be greatly improved in 2022. These aren’t rosters you immediately think of when you hear playoffs, but the NFC is wide open this year.
The Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks figure to be three of the teams battling for the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. To give credit to the Seahawks, they are not actively tanking, I just fear that the division is too strong and the lack of steady quarterback play concerns me in Seattle. The Bears and Falcons, on the other hand, are all in on a rebuild. I can’t imagine that Chicago, Atlanta, or Seattle are the favorites in most of the games they play in 2022.
Now that we have a gauge for where things currently stand in the NFC, let’s get bold. In this article, I am going to give one bold prediction for each team in the conference. Let’s kick things off with the NFC East!