The 2022 season is finally here! The first Sunday always feels like Christmas morning. After all of the narratives and speculation floated the past seven months, we finally get to unwrap the gifts and see what's inside... Only there will be a lot more coal in these packages than kids normally find in December. Some fan bases will even get treated to a can of snakes. But instead of a spring popping out it feels more like real snake jumping out to terrorize your Sunday afternoon. There's nothing worse than an ugly week 1 injury or your team laying an egg to ruin the Christmas spirit. But!.. I hate to jinx it, but i think we'll be alright Bengals fans. The Steelers defense has been hitting for weeks and playing starters in the preseason. I suspect they'll have the new O-line on their heels for a few quarters, but Laboratory Lou and the boys are strong enough to hold serve until Joe Burrow can figure out how to score enough points to win. Bengals win 20-16. Here's how i see the regular season playing out:
AFC North:
Cincinnati 11-6
Baltimore 11-6
Pittsburgh 10-7
Cleveland 5-11
Your Cincinnati Bengals remain the Kings of the North! It has been an interesting offseason. It feels like they've somehow checked all of the boxes and also not quite done enough. It might be my paranoia talking, but i would've liked to see them go even harder at offensive line. I'm terrified we're going to be 2 weeks in before we see the same stinking offensive line that we had to watch in the Super Bowl. But, fingers crossed, maybe Collins and Cappa got their injuries out of the way in training camp and we'll actually get to see the free agent pickups play together most of the year. They have to establish some continuity quickly, but the improvement should be night and day. Everything we know about Burrow SCREAMS that he is on an upward trajectory and he will just keep getting better and better. Give him more time and the results will be surgical.
Plenty of analysts have been high on the Bengals, but the regression nerds keep chirping about deep ball efficiency and no one seems willing to commit to them as a top tier contender. It's annoying, but probably beneficial. There's a realistic chance Burrow and the boys are about to drop a Peyton Manning-Kurt Warner-sized bomb on the league, and i'm not sure anyone really sees it coming.
For the record:
- Division games 3-3 : i have the Bengals splitting with all three division opponents.
- Vs. NFC South 3-1 : They take down Tampa Tom, snag Burrow's first win against Baker Mayfield, and swallow up Atlanta. I vividly remember Cincy coming out flat in the magical '88 season and losing to the Saints. Unfortunately, history repeats itself.
- Vs. AFC East 3-1 : They take down the Patriots, avenge last year's calamity at N.Y. , and terrorize Tua for three wins. After the ball drops on New Year's the Bengals drop a nail biter to the Bills on Jan. 2.
- First Place Showdowns 1-1: The Bengals repeat their playoff performance (minus the nine sacks) to knock off the Titans to get one win, but the Chiefs get their revenge and steal Mahommes-Burrow III.
- Bonus NFC game 1-0 : The bonus game this year has the Bengals taking on the Cowboys. I can't remember the Bengals ever playing well against Dallas, but they start the season hot and light up the Boys in week 2.
The Ravens Rebound. The Steelers scratch and claw to 10 feisty wins. The Browns blunder with Brisset and Watson has to shake the rust off.
Landscape of the Rest of the Leauge:
AFC South
Indianapolis 10-7
Jacksonville 9-8
Tennessee 8-9
Houston 7-10
Matt Ryan to Indy works. The Jaguars start to have some bite. Tennessee can't catch a break. Houston
is frisky.
AFC East
Buffalo 11-6
Miami 10-7
New England 8-9
New York Jets 4-13
Buffalo has their moment. Miami tortures defenses with their speed. New England doesn't win or lose more than 1 in a row all year. The Jets are back to the drawing board.
AFC West
Las Vegas 12-5
L.A. Chargers 11-6
Kansas City 10-7
Denver 6-11
The Raiders weapons stay healthy and Adams, Waller, and Renfro are too much for the league. The Chargers are electric. K.C. is a little short on fire power. Russell Wilson fizzles in the Rockies.
NFC North
Minnesota 12-5
Green Bay 11-6
Detroit 8-9
Chicago 5-12
NFC MVP Kirk Cousins? Packers grind out 11 wins, but don't make it look easy. Dan Campbell rides the Hard Knocks wave from bad to mediocre. The Bears are stripping it down to the studs.
NFC South
Tampa Bay 11-6
New Orleans 9-8
Carolina 7-10
Atlanta 5-12
Tampa is banged up but still rolls through the NFC. The Saints are good, but the Dennis Allen-Jameis Winston coaching-QB tandem can't quite cut it. Mayfield has some ups, but more downs. Atlanta is another team playing the long game.
NFC East
Philadelphia 9-8
Dalls 8-9
N.Y. Giants 8-9
Washington 4-13
Hurts STILL isn't the guy. Dallas gets beat in the trenches. The Giants surprise themselves. Wentz throws more picks than TD's and finds his way the bench before Thanksgiving.
NFC West
L.A. Rams 10-7
San Francisco 10-7
Arizona 9-8
Seattle 6-11
The champs lost their edge but still win the West. Lance struggles but the 49ers defense does it on their own. The Cardinals start strong but fade late.. Again. Seattle stumbles.
PLAYOFFS??!!:
The Chiefs lose out on the tiebreaker and miss the playoffs and we have to listen to people complain about AFC/NFC playoff seeding for 6 months.
1. Las Vegas
2. Buffalo
3. Cincinnati
4. Indianapolis
5. Baltimore
6. L.A. Chargers
7. Miami
Buffalo blasts Miami. Burrow outduels Herbert. Lamar gets off the playoff schneid to send Indy packing. Cincy ends the Josh Allen's magical season and the Raiders hold serve against the Ravens.
I'd love to predict a return trip to the Super Bowl for our Bengals, but i think it's just too hard to pull off. Some of the breaks they caught last year fall the other direction and Las Vegas takes the AFC crown and heads to Arizona.
1. Minnesota
2. Tampa Bay
3. L.A. Rams
4. Philadelphia
5. Green Bay
6. San Francisco
7. Arizona
The Cardinals show up to this year and make up for last year's playoff disaster with a stunning upset. The 49ers keep winning with defense despite shaky quarterback play. The Packers make short work of the Eagles. Jimmy GLance can't fool the packers D. Arizona's magic runs out in Minnesota.
An NFC North showdown in the conference finals! Captain Kirk finds a way. Rodgers falls short again.
SUPER BOWL: Carr vs. Cousins isn't exactly what the league had in mind heading into the season. Cousins has proved doubters wrong all year long, but turns into a pumpkin when it matters most. Raiders win 35-23.
Enjoy week 1 everybody!
