The men on the Gridiron take to the field this Thursday when the reigning Superbowl Champs, the Los Angeles Rams host the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium. The 2022-23 season promises to be another blockbuster season because of the parity in the NFL and the uncertainty of who will win the Lombardi. In this article, we take the plunge and predict who wins the divisions, awards and Superbowl. Please don’t hold it against me, it’s a difficult job!
AFC Division winners-
i. AFC East- I have the Buffalo Bills winning the division. I believe the Bills have the best roster in the NFL with a stout defense ranked by most as number 1 in the league with acquisition of Vonn Miller. On offense, Josh Allen will be looking to avenge the tough loss in the postseason by securing home field advantage as the number 1 seed.
ii. AFC North-I have the Cincinnati Bengals winning the division. The Bengals shocked the world last season in making the Superbowl and nearly winning it. The young core of players will have benefited from the experience, and they addressed their weaknesses by buffering the offensive line. Their defense proved to be underrated in their playoff run and they have the best receiving corps in the league.
iii. AFC South-I have the Indianapolis Colts winning this division. The Titans missed a golden opportunity to win it all last season and blew their chance because of returning starting quarterback, Ryan Tannehill. The Colts have the better roster and will motivated to maximize the opportunity after embarrassingly losing to the Jaguars in their final game last season. The team upgraded by replacing Carson Wentz with Matt Ryan and Johnathan Taylor is going to show he is still the best running back in the league.
iv. AFC West-I saved the best for last because this division is probably one of the best the league has ever seen. The Chiefs should be favoured but I am taking the Raiders to capture the division. The Raiders made the playoffs last season and their offense became even more high powered with the signing of Davante Adams. The defense also got better with the acquisition of Chandler Jones to rush the quarterback.
NFC Division Winner
i. NFC East- I have the Philadelphia Eagles winning this division. The Cowboys are eliminated because no team has repeated as champions of this division since 2004. They have lost talent on offense in the offseason and start the season a bit banged up while the Eagles got better in acquiring A.J. Brown to match their potent running game.
ii. NFC South-the Saints have proven to have the Buccaneers number in a head-to-head matchup. However, I think Buccaneers are still the better overall team with very deep and talented offense weapons. It will be a tight rice given their offensive line and secondary problems, but I have them edging it.
iii. NFC North-the division is still owned by Aaron Rodgers. He lost his favorite weapon in Adams, but he is still the reigning MVP and the defensive is setup to dominate with loads of talent. The problem with Green Bay is that they struggle to get over the hump when it comes to the playoffs, but I still think they will control this division.
iv. NFC West-I would love to pick the 49ers, but I can’t pick Trey Lance to win this division as a first year starter. I will still stick to the Rams although they have lost some talent at left tackle and cornerback. I am also concerned about Matthew Staffords’ elbow, but they still have Sean McVay and potent weapons on offense and defense.
3. Wild cards
AFC Wildcards- I have the Chiefs as the top wild card team because Patrick Maholmes is still an elite quarterback and Andy Reid will make the division race tough. I have the Los Angeles Chargers winning the second wild card slot with Justin Herbert finally making the playoffs. They may have many doubters but I have the Patriots making the playoffs in the final spot because Bill Belichick knows how to find a way to improve teams as the season goes along.
NFC Wildcards- I have the 49ers as a very dangerous top wild card which is very similar to how their 2021 season unfolded. I have the Dallas Cowboys winning the second wild card spot because Micah Parson and Dak Prescott will not drag this team over the line. I have the New Orleans Saints winning the final spot because Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas and their defense will keep them in every game
4. Award Winners
• MVP: Joe Burrow
• Offensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Taylor
• Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons
• Offensive Rookie of the Year: Chris Olave
• Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson
• Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Thomas
• Coach of the Year: Sean McDermott
5. Superbowl Winner- I have the Cincinnati Bengals making their second consecutive Superbowl from the AFC while I have the Green Bay Packers making the Superbowl from the NFC. I have the Bengals winning the Lombardi.