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The 2022 NFL season is quickly approaching as minicamps begin to open and teams are officially preparing for the upcoming year. Rosters are being finalized and expectations are being set for each team, with the ultimate goal for most of them being to win the Super Bowl.
A fresh league year means new opportunities for all teams, as a clean slate and even standings level the playing field. Every team, technically, has a chance to win it all in the new season. But realistically, it would take a miracle for some of them.
The NFC was extremely competitive last year and looks set to be about the same during the 2022 NFL season. Many teams believe they can make a run at the Lombardi Trophy, but some of them are more pretenders than contenders.
Here are five NFC teams within the top 10, according to current betting odds of winning the Super Bowl, who are the biggest pretenders this year.
#5 - Minnesota Vikings
Since Kirk Cousins took over as the starting quarterback four years ago, the Minnesota Vikings have been nothing more than mediocre. They have combined for a 33-31-1 record and have failed to win a division title.
While the Vikings have one of the most talented offensive rosters, they ranked just 14th in points scored during the 2021 NFL season. Their defense was even worse, allowing the ninth-most points. They didn't do much to improve their roster during the offseason, making it hard to imagine them taking a big step forward this year.
#4 - Washington Commanders
Despite the Washington Commanders defense having a disappointing 2021 NFL season, they were one of the best in the 2020 NFL season and still have one of the most talented defensive rosters.
They are projected to bounce back in 2022, leading Washington to believe that if they upgrade their quarterback, they could be real contenders this year.
The Commanders achieved their goal of upgrading their quarterback, but most likely didn't make a big enough improvement for them to take the next step forward.
Carson Wentz was unable to lead the Indianapolis Colts to the NFL Playoffs last year, despite only needing a win against the last-placed Jacksonville Jaguars to do so.
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#3 - Arizona Cardinals
Collapsing late in the season has become a trend for the Arizona Cardinals since Kliff Kingsbury took over as the head coach. They have done so epically in each of the last two seasons since Kyler Murray became the starting quarterback, combining for a 13-3 record in the first half of the season and just a 6-11 record in the second half of the year.
Unless Kingsbury and Murray can figure out how to offset the trend, the Cardinals are likely to be in for more disappointment in the future. The Cardinals also play in the NFC West division, one of the most difficult in the divisions in the NFL, which further complicates their chances during the 2022 NFL season.
#2 - Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts led all quarterbacks last season with 784 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. While his legs proved to be a weapon, his arm left much to be desired. He ranked just 21st in passing yards and 23rd in passing touchdowns, while his 87.2 passer rating ranked 22nd.
The Philadelphia Eagles made it to the playoffs last season and added superstar wide receiver AJ Brown via trade during the 2022 NFL offseason, so, they should be trending up towards legitimate contenders.
The problem is that unless Hurts significantly improves as a passer, their ceiling is relatively limited, even with the addition of Brown, making them pretenders.
#1 - Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers entered the 2022 NFL season tied as the second most likely team to win the NFC, according to betting odds. They are trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and tied with the defending champions Los Angeles Rams.
This seems like a stretch, especially considering they have struggled to find success in the postseason in each of the last three years, despite finishing with 13 regular season wins in each of them.
As good as Aaron Rodgers has been in the regular season in his career, he has still only appeared in one Super Bowl, which was over a decade ago.
Things won't be any easier for Rodgers and the Packers this year after trading away superstar wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. They lost one of their best players and failed to add much talent during the offseason, setting the Packers up for more disappointment in 2022.
