NFL 2022-23 Season Preview

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It's that time again. Time for another NFL season.

And this time, I am going ahead and doing a preview of the upcoming season, and giving my predictions as to what will happen. I forgot to remember last year, if memory serves me correctly. But the season begins in just days, and so it's that time.

So here, division by division, is a rundown of how I think this season will go in each division. At the end, I will also do a bracket of my expectations for the coming playoffs.

Here goes:

NFC West: There are, quite feasibly, three teams that could really shine in this division, and possibly win it. Meanwhile, the Seahawks should easily be the last place team in this division. But the Cardinals, 49ers, and Rams all are very good. I still feel that Arizona needs another season or two to more fully emerge. But the 49ers and Rams both have elite defenses, and Los Angeles also has an elite offense. That was why they were champions last season. However, as such, they also have a giant bullseye on their chests, and they could suffer the difficulties that champions in the past have faced in their title defense seasons. If they slip even a little bit, San Francisco will surely step up to seize the division. Both of those teams, and possibly the Cardinals, also, may very well be championship contenders. For now, my suspicion is that the 49ers emerge as NFC West division champs this season. 

NFC South: It feels like the Buccaneers have a lot of question marks entering this season. Yes, Tom Brady is back. But remember, he actually outright retired after last season, and that makes me wonder how much he will respond. The offensive line may have issues this season, and this might hurt Brady, which in turn will hurt the Bucs. So while they have been the class of the division for the past couple of seasons, it really feels like someone could sneak past them here this season. The most likely candidate to do that would be the New Orleans Saints, who just narrowly missed the postseason last year, and still appear to have that same kind of team intact. Their defense is still stingy, and the offense should be improved. Carolina may also improve, but they need at least another year or two. The Falcons, meanwhile, are in full rebuilding mode, and should likely be the last place team in this division. For now, I still like the Buccaneers to win the division, but with some reservations. 

NFC North: Once again, an obvious likely division champion can be spotted right off the bat. The Packers have been the best in this division for a while now, and with Aaron Rodgers back, that should not change. The Bears are improving but the question is how much Justin Fields will improve, and if he will lead Chicago to some more impressive results. The Vikings could be tough as well, and could also contend with Green Bay for the division title. However, they always seem to fall short in the past, and it feels like there is good reason for this. As for the Lions, I actually think (and frankly, hope) that they could make some noise this season. Still, Detroit does not figure to be a team that could sustain consistency enough to actually win the division title. So I am still sticking with the Pack here, until somebody else proves me wrong. 

NFC East: A rather difficult division to predict. There was a time when this team seemed to dominate the league, when they had not one, or two, or even three, but four legitimate title contenders. In fact, this division still holds the record, with seven Super Bowl wins in a ten year span. But in recent seasons, this division has been a model of inconsistency. Unfortunately, that does not appear to change this season. Once again, the Cowboys appear to have the kind of talent that could potentially make them serious contenders. Yet, there are always issues with them, and they rarely ever seem to deliver in December and January these days. True, they won the division title. But the Eagles made a lot of offseason moves, and may have positioned themselves to have a real chance here. Washington has a very solid defense, although their offense will likely have their fair share of issues, and will probably prevent them from being serious contenders here. And the G-Men feel like they have been improving for several seasons now. I like Saquon Barkley to have a rebound season, and for the Giants to improve from recent seasons. But given how bad they have been, that is likely not saying too much. Hard to see either Washington or New York somehow stealing this division, which means that it should be either Dallas or Philadelphia. And since the Cowboys never seem to have consecutive very impressive seasons or division titles, my pick here is for the Eagles to emerge as NFC East champions this season.

AFC West: All four teams here could conceivably reach the playoffs and, if things go as well as possible, even division champions. Yes, there are realistic best case scenarios where any of these four teams takes this division. But right now, I still have questions with two of these teams, the Raiders and especially the Broncos. Picking up Russell Wilson may very well have helped Denver to jump up to playoff contender, but not sure if it's enough to make them quite that elite. And the Raiders outright made the playoffs last season but, remember, this team has neither won a division title nor a single playoff game now in 20 seasons. That leaves the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers as the likely top two teams. I still like KC's experience and, of course, Mahomes being the QB. But Justin Herbert looked scary good last season, and figures to emerge as one of the league's true elite quarterbacks this season. That gives the Chargers a real chance at winning this division. It feels almost like a coin flip, and I would not be surprised if this division race goes right down to the wire. But the Chiefs have qualified for the playoffs seven years in a row now, and have won the AFC West title six years in a row. They have reached the AFC Championship Game four years in a row. In other words, they have been a model of consistency. And with Andy Reid still as head coach, and Patrick Mahomes still at quarterback, I am not going to bet against them taking yet another division title at the end of this year. 

AFC South: Two teams here feel like they are likely to be near legitimate cellar dwellers for the league this season. Those would be the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. Neither team figures to be anywhere near the playoff race once Thanksgiving rolls around. That leaves the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts as the two teams that will battle it out this season for the division title here. And while the Titans have been impressive in recent seasons, the Colts have been solid as well. They barely missed the postseason after an inexplicable loss to the Jaguars that ended their season prematurely. The Colts, however, picked up Matt Ryan, who still is capable of leading a team to some success, both in the regular season and possibly even for a run in the postseason. That is why they are my pick to emerge as the winners of the AFC South once the dust settles after this regular season. 

AFC North: The Bengals emerged rather surprisingly last season, overtaking seeming contenders in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Baltimore to not only take the division title, but to make a strong postseason run that saw them not only qualify for the Super Bowl, but to almost win it, giving up a lead very late, and just falling short of the first ever title for the franchise. They still have Joe Burrow at the helm, and that makes them serious contenders to win another division title. Their most serious obstacles appears to be the Baltimore Ravens, who suffered an inexplicable six game losing streak right at the end, not only seeing their position as sure division champs erode, but even their playoff hopes. But they figure to bounce back in a strong way this year, and I like them to be a playoff team, and possibly to win the division title. Quite possibly, to even be legitimate title contenders themselves. Pittsburgh and Cleveland will likely sink a bit this season. The Browns in particular took a huge gamble in the offseason, and likely lost that gamble, so it will cost them. The Steelers may be contenders again soon, but this season does not figure to be a very good one for them. But I still like the Bengals to follow up on their AFC Championship season and near miss in the Super Bowl with at least another division title here this season. 

AFC East: The Buffalo Bills appear to be the odds on favorites to not only reach the Super Bowl this season, but to win it, to boot. How sweet would that be, to see the Bills and their fans finally celebrate winning the biggest game? They are easily my pick to win this division as well, as well as my pick to win the AFC and, yes, even the Super Bowl. They have been getting consistently better for years now, and at least appear to have all the pieces in place to make a very serious run this year. They have an elite quarterback in Josh Allen, they have one of the most explosive offenses and one of the most talented and tough defenses. They have a solid coaching staff, and just feel like the team that should emerge not only as division champs, but finally, as the cream of the crop on the AFC side. The Patriots probably should have won the division title last season, after taking a two game lead following a late season win against the Bills, but they then collapsed. Bill Belichick is a solid coach and did a terrific job last season, but he will have to pull even more magic out of his hat for New England to even come close to that kind of success again this season. And the Jets, despite a perfect, undefeated preseason, figure to have another last place season, having lost their starting quarterback. That leaves the Dolphins as the most obvious team that could possibly give Buffalo a run for their money. But I still do not feel that they are quite ready yet to contend on that level. This division should belong to Buffalo. In a league where the window only remains open for a limited time, it feels like the Bills need to get it all done now, because this feels like their year. 

Okay, so those are my predictions. At least the above was my rough sketch of how I feel the season may very well transpire, barring some major, key injury to a team or teams. Obviously, if there is an injury to, say, Patrick Mahomes and/or Aaron Rodgers, say, that would greatly impact my prediction for who wins the divisions and/or qualifies for the playoffs, based on when those injuries occur. But that could happen to any team, and could majorly alter the above picks. The same can of course be said for the postseason.

Still, despite the possibility of injuries altering the predictions, here is my rough sketch of what I feel may very well happen in the playoffs following the coming regular season in the NFL:

NFC Wildcard Round:

San Francisco defeats Philadelphia

Tampa Bay defeats New Orleans

LA Rams defeat New Orleans

AFC Wildcard Round:

Kansas City defeats Cincinnati

Baltimore defeats Tennessee

LA Chargers defeat Indianapolis

NFC Divisional Round:

LA Rams defeat Tampa Bay

Green Bay defeats San Francisco

AFC Divisional Round: 

Buffalo defeats Kansas City

Baltimore defeats LA Chargers

NFC Championship Game: 

LA Rams over Green Bay 

AFC Championship Game: 

Buffalo over Baltimore

SUPER BOWL LVII: 

Buffalo Bills defeat Green Bay Packers

Well, there you have it. My prediction for the upcoming season. Like many people, I just feel that the Buffalo Bills are the most talented team in the league. They also have a lot of playoff experience, and have done a lot of things to position themselves as the team to beat, particularly on the AFC side. As for the NFC, just like last season, it feels a lot less clean cut. I do like the Rams, with solid talent and now experience both on offense and on defense. They should have the championship swagger, and this should help them to get past some of the hurdles that they will face as defending champions. I was also quite impressed by how driven they seemed to be to win another Super Bowl this season. That is why I have them overcoming the adversity of a road trip up to the "frozen tundra" of Lambeau Field and taken the NFC crown again. Still, I see them falling just short in the biggest game, as I see the Buffalo Bills managing to get the job done, and taking home their first Vince Lombardy Trophy in February. Finally.