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:
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.
- Division games 3-3 : i have the Bengals splitting with all three division opponents.
- 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:
Indianapolis 10-7
Jacksonville 9-8
Tennessee 8-9
Houston 7-10
Buffalo 11-6
Miami 10-7
New England 8-9
New York Jets 4-13
Las Vegas 12-5
L.A. Chargers 11-6
Kansas City 10-7
Denver 6-11
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.
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.
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.
L.A. Rams 10-7
San Francisco 10-7
Arizona 9-8
Seattle 6-11
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