Most of the NFC could make the Super Bowl this year and surprise absolutely nobody. It would be easier to list the teams that have no chance of making it instead of narrowing it down to the ones that can. At the same time, the AFC feels like a three-horse race. Nevertheless, without giving any shade to the teams not mentioned here, here are the most realistic Super Bowl contenders for the 2022 NFL season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There’s a lot of drama in Tom Brady’s life, but he’s the type of competitor to use it as fuel to put together a fantastic season. It’s hard to discount the Buccaneers if the G.O.A.T. is under center, even if the offensive line is in shambles, and Father Time must get to Brady eventually. It won’t be surprising if the Saints win the division, but New Orleans lacks the firepower to go all the way.
Green Bay Packers
2022 is going to be a bizarro season for the Green Bay Packers. Even though all eyes will be on the back-to-back MVP, Aaron Rodgers, the path to the Lombardi Trophy is through Green Bay’s stellar defense and running game. History suggests the Pack will make the playoffs and lose disappointingly, yet they are still viable contenders.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City are 2A and 2B for representatives from the AFC. And since the Bengals are the defending AFC champs beating the Chiefs, they get the nod. During last season’s Super Bowl run, the offensive line was their bugaboo, and they addressed that in free agency, giving Joe Burrow some much-needed protection.
Other than that, there are no glaring weaknesses in a team with a trio of the best wide receivers in the NFL, including Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. The only thing that could trip them up is the curse of the Super Bowl runner-up.
Los Angeles Rams
If there is one team that couldn’t care less about scouting the best college football players for the upcoming draft, it’s the Los Angeles Rams. Sean McVay and company’s mission is to keep the trophy at SoFi Stadium as repeat champions, and they have as good a chance as anyone in the league. You could argue that the Rams improved from the championship team a year ago by adding Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson to the mix of Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have the best roster in the NFL. Undoubtedly, they have a top-five offense with Josh Allen leading the way and a top five-defense that’s welcoming Von Miller. The one concerning thing about Buffalo is that everyone picks them to make the Super Bowl. Rarely in sports are that many people right about anything, giving those that are part of Bills Mafia a cause for concern.
This concludes your brief breakdown of the most realistic Super Bowl contenders for the 2022 NFL season. Surely, an omission from this list will prove everyone wrong and win a championship because that’s how the NFL usually works.
