2022 NFL Season Predictions: NFC East Edition
For the first NFC breakdown of 2022 I’m starting with the NFC (L)east. The only predictable thing about this division is how unpredictable it is. Fun fact: there hasn’t been a repeat division champion since the 2003 and 2004 Philadelphia Eagles pulled it off nearly twenty years ago. As far as 2022 goes, I’m predicting that the trend of a new division champ continues for at least one more year. Let’s get to the rankings.
1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Eagles were a hot and cold mess last year that, despite their ups and downs, were able to squeak out a 9-8 record under then first-year head coach Nick Sirianni. As a result of their grit, the Eagles secured the third and final wild card spot in the 2021 NFC Playoffs. Unfortunately for them they had to travel to Tampa Bay to take on Brady’s Bucs during super wild card weekend and they went home after a brutal 31-15 beatdown that wasn’t even that close.
So why am I picking them to take the division crown from the Cowboys? Several reasons come to mind, but first and foremost the addition of electrifying receiver A.J. Brown via trade from the Titans during the off-season can’t be undervalued. Pairing Brown next to DeVonta Smith and Jalen Reagor will open up that already dangerous offense considerably and it will keep opposing defenses on their toes for the full 60 minutes. Last year the Eagles’ offense was ranked 14th overall and averaged 26.1 points per game and that was without Brown and with Jalen Hurts taking his lumps during his first full season as the Eagles’ starter. Speaking of Hurts, he is primed for a break out year. There were times last season where he showed the league just how dynamic and explosive he’s capable of being both on the ground and in the air and that should only continue into 2022. Keep an eye on him throughout the year to be a PFWA most improved player nominee. All told, you take that offensive firepower and add it to a feisty and opportunistic pass rush and I have the Eagles narrowly winning the division with an 11-6 record.
2. DALLAS COWBOYS
Oh, the Cowboys...how they love to get their fans’ hopes up only to let them down when it matters the most. Just how devastating was their wild card round loss to the 49ers last year? Let’s put it this way: the Cowboys had the number one ranked offense in both yards and points per game with 6,919 yards of total offense and an average of 31.2 points a game last year. From a roster stand point the 2021 Cowboys were the most talented group of guys that Jerry Jones had put together since the 2014 squad that was bounced in the divisional round against the Packers thanks to that infamous “no catch” call on Dez Bryant at the end of the game. The 2021 roster, on both sides of the ball, was loaded and a legitimate candidate as a Super Bowl calibre team. Then the Niners came into their house and sent them home in front of their home fans and the entire nation watching on tv. A big reason why that happened? Coaching matters in the NFL and Kyle Shanahan out-coached Mike McCarthy and then some. Mike McCarthy has benefitted from having Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and stacked rosters his entire career as a head coach but when it comes to the x’ and o’s of football coaching he’s subpar to mediocre at best. There’s a reason he defers offensive and defensive play calling to his coordinators: he doesn’t know how to call games to save his life, and if things break down during a game the fingers can be pointed at his coordinators instead of him. Still, the 2022 Cowboys, while not as deep as the 2021 roster was, still have plenty of talent, but the Cowboys have rarely been consistent from season to season and Dak and Zeke are only getting older. If they’re going to advance past the divisional round for the first time since January 1996 they’ll have to do it as a wild card team and potentially with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn helming the team instead of McCarthy. 10-7/11-6 finish for the Cowboys.
3. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
2022 will go down in D.C. and the surrounding area as the inaugural year of the “Commanders” team name. At least that’s what team owner Dan Snyder is hoping it’s remembered for and not for him finally being removed from his role as owner due to the filing cabinet of dirty deeds this man has allegedly committed over the decades. Where there’s a shit ton of smoke there’s usually a blaze and Snyder could very well be on his way out if he’s found guilty of the many transgressions being lobbied against him. As far as football goes, the “Commanders” are hoping that the addition of Carson Wentz under center will stabilize their offense for 2022. Good luck with that. The Commanders have several talented pieces on offense and defense, most notably Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, Chase Young and Jonathan Allen but they’re still a ways off from being in contention for the division crown despite winning it in 2020 with a major asterisk. The only reason I’m putting them at the third spot and not the fourth is because of my respect for head coach Ron Rivera, one of the most underrated head coaches in the league. If there’s one man capable of getting this roster to overachieve with the drama and chaos from the owner brewing in the background, it’s him. Still, it will be another long season despite Rivera’s best efforts. 7-10 finish.
4. NEW YORK GIANTS
After the 2020 season, despite the 6-10 record, I predicted that Joe Judge would go on to be a great coach for the Giants going forward. Can I have some ketchup and buffalo sauce to go with my crow, please? What a flame out. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty wrong with the Giants from the top on down but man, was that guy an incompetent loser. Behind only Urban Meyer and Hue Jackson, Judge might’ve been the most inept NFL coaching hire in the last ten years. Giants ownership saw fit to show Judge the door after he threw Jason Garrett and the entire team under the bus following another embarrassing season and they hired QB guru Brian Daboll from the Bills to replace him. Daboll is the man who essentially molded and crafted Josh Allen into the juggernaut that he is today so it seems safe to say that John Mara and Steve Tisch are hoping he can do the same with Daniel Jones. Here’s the thing though: Jones might not be salvageable. It was wise of the Giants to bring in Tyrod Taylor for competition because as it is he’s a more qualified and reliable starter than Jones is. I actually think the Giants are a dark horse candidate to trade for Jimmy G from the Niners. Jones won’t last much longer in New York and Daboll will move on from him by midseason if not earlier. This could be another very, very long season for the G-men and their fans but this time they might have gotten the right man to build and lead the team now that Dave Gettleman, the former GM who amassed an abysmal 19-46 record during his tenure, is finally gone. 5-12/6-11 finish for the G-men in Daboll’s rookie season at the helm. It really is remarkable how far the Giants have fallen since they won Super Bowl XLVI. A once proud and legendary franchise has been reduced to a laughingstock. It will be interesting to see if Daboll is the man who is going to finally turn this ship around and return it to greatness in due time.
