The 2022 NFL season is finally here! It was a great offseason with 9 teams hiring new Head Coaches, a super Bowl winning quarterback being traded, All-Pro Wide Receivers on new teams, and a hectic free agency period. All of that excitement has led us to this. As we look ahead to the 2022 season, there are still a ton of question marks effecting every team. Matthew Stafford's elbow injury, Tampa Bay's new look offense, and Cincinnati's improved offensive line are just a few story lines to keep an eye on ahead of our 2022 NFL Predictions.
From 2020 to 2021, there was a 50% turnover in the teams that made the playoffs with only 7 teams making it to the tournament over the last 2 seasons. The only teams to win their divisions each of the last two seasons are Tennessee, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Green Bay. The point is there is always a ton of turnover in the NFL each season, and trying to predict the playoff teams is equal parts art and science.
Shemon & Sheppard have a long standing tradition of keeping track of our preseason predictions. Pete Sheppard called the 2019 LSU national championship before the season kicked off. Chris has Tom Brady and the Bucs winning the title in TB12's first season in TB. And Craig... well Craig always tries really hard to get his picks right, but nothing has hit yet. So here we are. The Shemon & Sheppard 2022 NFL predictions. We will give you divisional winners, the 3 Wild Card teams from each conference, conference championship matchups, and Super Bowl winner.
AFC East
Craig: Buffalo Bills
Pete: Buffalo Bills
Chris: Buffalo Bills
AFC North
Craig: Baltimore Ravens
Pete: Cincinnati Bengals
Chris: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South
Craig: Indianapolis Colts
Pete: Indianapolis Colts
Chris: Indianapolis Colts
AFC West
Craig: Los Angeles Chargers
Pete: Los Angeles Chargers
Chris: Los Angeles Chargers
AFC Wild Card Teams
Craig: Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders
Pete: Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders
Chris: Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders
NFC East
Craig: Dallas Cowboys
Pete: Dallas Cowboys
Chris: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North
Craig: Green Bay Packers
Pete: Green Bay Packers
Chris: Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Craig: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pete: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris: New Orleans Saints
NFC West
Craig: Los Angeles Rams
Pete: Los Angeles Rams
Chris: Los Angeles Rams
NFC Wild Card Teams
Craig: Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers
Pete: Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers
Chris: San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals
AFC Championship Game
Craig: Los Angeles Chargers vs Buffalo Bills
Pete: Los Angeles Chargers vs Buffalo Bills
Chris: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills
NFC Championship Game
Craig: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams
Pete: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams
Chris: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl Matchup
Craig: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams
Pete: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills
Chris: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills
Super Bowl Champs
Craig: Los Angeles Chargers
Pete: Buffalo Bills
Chris: Buffalo Bills
