Although the offseason might have seemed to have lasted a lifetime, NFL fans will be delighted that the new 2022 season is finally underway. With the first round of games now completed, eager followers of football can begin to analyze the action once more and start to get a feel for how the season may pan out.
While this might be tricky at such an early stage of the season, it is still worth doing. This is mainly because it is a lot of fun and can ensure you are fully up to date with each NFL team.
Taking time to look ahead and ponder what could happen in the new season is also sensible for sports bettors. This is because it can give you a wealth of current knowledge to bet with and help you feel closer to the sport. If you like NFL futures betting, it also helps you to work out good bets to make on markets such as the Super Bowl winner for this season.
But just what predictions can we make for the rest of the 2022/23 NFL campaign?
Bengals could be in for another big year
Every NFL fan knows that the Bengals had an awesome 2021/22 season and made their first Superbowl since 1988. Although they lost that game and their 2022 opener against the Steelers, many people expect another great year from them this time around.
But why is this? Firstly, we need to acknowledge that the outstanding young quarterback Joe Burrow is still in Cincinnati and has the talent to drive them to another play-off run at least.
The other major reason for optimism in the coming season is that the Bengals have revamped their offensive line. New players have come into these positions over summer to give Burrow more protection and this could make them even harder to beat.
Chiefs looking to set 2022/23 alight
Another team that enjoyed a strong 2021 season was the Chiefs. Although the loss of elite-level wide receiver Tyreek Hill to Miami in offseason was not ideal, we can easily see them having another fine season in 2022.
The NFL Week 1 results in 2022 confirmed this and resulted in Kansas winning 44-21 against the Cardinals. As you might expect, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran the show for Kansas, and it is easy to see him having a fantastic year personally.
With 76.9% of his passes completed and five touchdown passes made in this game, it looks likely that he will have a season to remember. It is also worth keeping an eye on new players JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who were also impressive against Arizona.
Cowboys may struggle this time out
Some things in life make a real impact and grab our attention, such as the potential influence of VR in our lives and major world events. It is safe to say that the struggles seen by the Cowboys offense in Week 1 of 2022’s NFL were also something to take note of.
Although Dallas may have gone into the new season full of optimism, it already looks like they might be in for another frustrating year. It would not surprise us to see them only just scrape into the playoffs this time around or even fail to make them at all.
This was not helped by another injury to main man Dak Prescott in their opening game, which is likely to keep him out for a while. The wide receivers at Dallas also look very average and their whole offense could be a concern for the coming year.
Ravens and Jackson back in form
Coming into the new season, the Ravens were on their second-longest losing streak in franchise history. Luckily for them, they managed to secure a 24-9 win against the Jets to break this. Their victory will surely give them a real injection of confidence, as will the return to form of Lamar Jackson at quarterback.
Jackson looked more like his old self again against the Jets and this could mean he is about to fire the Ravens to a superb season in 2022. His three deep touchdown passes were things of beauty and he appeared to have his focus firmly back. If he can get his running game going again and Baltimore can ably assist him, Jackson could help them have a fabulous season in 2022.
Justin Herbert could have a stunning year
We all know that quarterbacks get a lot of attention every year in football and 2022 will be no exception. One player who is already looking to be on fire this season is Chargers QB Justin Herbert. We would not be surprised to see him challenging for MVP come season end and helping the Chargers to a fine year – especially if Week 1 was anything to go by.
Herbert was immense against the Raiders and thew 279 yards for three touchdowns. This had him carry on from where he left off in 2021 and is a great omen for his team. Even better, he threw to multiple different receivers and orchestrated a Charger offense that was on fire all game. If Herbert and players such as DeAndre Carter continue in the same vein as Week 1, the LA-based team could be in for a very good year.
NFL 2022 – What might happen?
While the opening round of games give us some indications of how the new season might look, it is always hard to say for sure at this early stage what might happen. The above predictions though look likely to come true and could make for a very interesting season.