Pre-season football officially got started with the Raiders defeating the Jaguars in the Hall of Fame game. It was a fantastic feeling to see America’s number 1 sport back after its lengthy off-season. It also means at this time of the year, analyst making bold predictions about what will unfold during the regular season. We decided to take our best shot and in this article we make five bold predictions for this upcoming season.
5. Trey Lance will be benched by midseason
In the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers moved up to No. 3 overall to select Trey Lance. The price was steep after the 49ers swapped the 12th pick for the 3rd with the Dolphins and including first-round picks in the 2022 and ’23 NFL Drafts, as well as a third-round selection in 2022. Jimmy Garoppolo played as the starter and led the team to the NFC Championship Game. However, GM John Lynch has invested much into Lance and they taken the decision to make him the starter. Lance played as a starter only one season at North Dakota State University, but he may not be ready to take the helm of playoff contending roster. The pressure may become too much from the fans if he gets off to a bad start and if Garoppolo is still on the roster benching of the quarterback will not be out of the question.
4. Mayfield will lead Panthers to a winning and better record than the Browns
Baker Mayfield gets a lot of flack for having way too much Progressive advertisements and failing to win consistently in the league. However, he is still among the best 32 starting quarterbacks in the league despite an injury-riddled 2021 season. The Browns have a playoff caliber roster and decided to cut bait with Mayfield by going all in on Deshaun Watson. The Browns traded a mammoth package of picks to the Houston Texans to acquire the former Clemson quarterback. The management of the franchise doubled down by giving him an unprecedented 230 million fully guaranteed contract. Then, last week after Sue Robinson’s ruling to hand Watson a six-game suspension, the NFL appealed the ruling. It seems the NFL will be fighting to have Watson all or most of this season making the Browns in a difficult spot in contending in a difficult AFC North. Ironically, it is conceivable that a fully motivated Baker Mayfield could go to Carolina and with a good roster lead them to a winning record and at least be better than the Browns.
3. The Bears will finish with the worst record at 1-16
Another sophomore quarterback that will have a rough season is Justin Fields. The Bears have done a poor job of building around the young quarterback. The team’s notable acquisitions at Wide Receiver in Byron Pringle and David Moore have legal issues after getting arrested in separate incidents in the off-season. The team also looks weak on the offensive line in protecting Fields. On the defensive side, the team lost three-time All-Pro Khalil Mack (via trade), Bilal Nichols and Akiem Hicks through free agency. Therefore, Bears fans should have their eye on the college game and the top talent heading their way in giving them hope for the future.
2. The Chiefs Will Lose the AFC West
The Kansas City Chiefs have owned the AFC West because they have won the last six division titles. The other teams in the division have bolstered their teams to prevent them from making it 7 in a row. The Broncos made a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in acquiring Russell Wilson to put themselves in contention. The Raiders signed Davante Adams and acquired offensive guru Josh McDaniels as their head coach. The Chargers beefed up their team by acquiring Khalil Mack, JC Jackson and Kyle Van Noy to improve the defensive unit. The Chiefs on the other hand, lost All-Pro Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill and it remains to be seen whether he can be replaced. I think the odds are in my favour to make this bold prediction that one of these three teams will take down the Chiefs but they still be in the playoffs as a wild card.
1. Justin Herbert wins MVP
The team I think has the best chance to take down the Chiefs in the division is the Los Angeles Chargers. If that were to happen, I am making a bold prediction of Justin Herbert winning the MVP Award. Herbert is one of the top young quarterbacks in the league and he fails to get the recognition because the defense has let him down in the past. After a tough loss to knock them out of the playoffs last season, Herbert will be rearing to make amends with talented duo of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, stud left tackle Rashawn Slater and dynamic back Austin Ekeler. The Chargers look talented on both sides of the field and if they put it together then Herbert could win his first MVP.