The NFL season is here and we have made four predictions for how things will shape up as this season progresses. Each of the four picks below have varying levels of expectations from fans and analysts but all deserve a closer look as the season approaches. You can find the best spread betting odds on the NFL here.
Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl
Josh Allen and the Bills showed during last year’s playoffs that he was plenty capable of playing near-faultless football and being that guy. How many quarterbacks in the league are capable of that level? Perhaps six, if you’re being generous? Allen is entering into his prime years and truly looks like he has figured it out. When you surround that kind of talent with dynamic offensive pieces such as Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Dawson Knox you have the makings of a top-tier offense.
Buffalo’s addition of Von Miller has transformed their offensive line with trickle-down effectiveness and experience and the Bills will be hoping that their talented defense will be the foundation that their offense can springboard off.
The Bills were unlucky last year, they were 0-6 in one-run score games. Their division isn’t overly tricky (unlike the AFC West for the Chiefs) and their schedule projects to be middle of the road in terms of difficulty. The AFC looks like the strongest conference but the Buffalo Bills appear to be the cream of the crop.
Miami Dolphins to make the playoffs
The Dolphins have missed the playoffs in the last two seasons, but they have won 19 games and have had a winning record in each of those seasons. With new head coach Mike McDaniel coming in, the Dolphins will have a very creative offense and they have one of the fastest duos at wide receiver the league has seen. With Tyreek Hill joining via trade and Jaylen Waddle progressing into his second season, the Dolphins have two receivers that will give opposition defensive coordinators fits.
Although the Hill trade has generated plenty of headlines, it’s the Dolphins defense that looks to surpass expectations in 2022. With a strong secondary and dynamic pass rush led by Emmanuel Ogbah and Jaelan Phillips, big gains can be expected from the defensive side which will allow quarterback Tua Tagovailoa more time and space to showcase his accurate arm finding his match winners. The Dolphins have a lot of fascinating pieces and it will be up to McDaniel to make the correct calls, if he does, this team can make plenty of noise in the AFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East
The Eagles are in a very winnable division with a favorable schedule for the 2022-23 season. Having won nine or more games in four of the last five seasons the Eagles have been a solid team for a few years now, combined with one of the better-run front offices they looked poised to significantly improve this year. The additions of wide receiver A.J Brown, cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Haasan Reddick alongside some exciting defensive draft choices the Eagles roster looks better than last season.
Their season, as most analysts suggest, will rest on the shoulders of quarterback Jalen Hurts and the improvement he displays. He has been on an upswing ever since college and is already one of the more dynamic runners from the QB position. If he can be a more consistent thrower of the ball in 2022, the sky’s the limit for this Eagles team.
Micah Parsons wins Defensive Player of the Year
Last season, if we look at sack percentage, only TJ Watt and Robert Quinn were better. If we consider Pro Football Focus’ pressure percentage, Parsons was clearly first at 22.4%. Through the early parts of the new football season there clearly has been no sophomore slump for Parsons. With two sacks added to his career totals (17), he’s tackling quarterbacks at a pace the NFL hasn’t seen since the league began recording sacks as an official stat in 1982. The numbers are all the more impressive considering Parsons only had 2.5 sacks through the first seven games of his rookie season as Dallas started to embrace Parsons more as a pass-rusher midway through the 2021 season.
The bottom line for Micah Parsons is he was a monster when he rushed the quarterback last year and crucially he should get more opportunities to do it this year. A season where he already ranks first in the NFL for sacks, QB hits, tackles for loss and pressures. He’s making a strong, early case for Defensive Player of the Year as one of the top football players in the league.