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The NFL is a wildly unpredictable league. How many people predicted the Cincinnati Bengals to go into Kansas City and beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to reach Super Bowl LVI?
Every year, there are a number of games that don't go the way the experts predict, and divisions are often won by teams that no one sees coming.
Everyone loves a controversial hot take, and we are sure that a lot of you reading this will 100% disagree with what is being said. Here are five way too early hot takes for the 2022 NFL season.
5 Hot Takes for the 2022 NFL Season
#5 - Miami Dolphins miss out on the playoffs
The Miami Dolphins have had a huge overhaul in the 2022 offseason. First, they acquired former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their new head coach. The Dolphins also picked up stud tackle Terron Armstead in free agency and traded their first-, second- and fourth-round 2022 draft picks and a fourth- and sixth-rounder in 2023 for wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite the acquisitons, question marks still surround quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who despite going 13-8 as a starter during his two seasons in the NFL, has shown plenty of limitations. Tagovailoa only passed for 16 touchdowns against 10 interceptions last year, and only passed for 2,653 yards as the Dolphins missed the playoffs.
The AFC has had a crazy offseason so far, with almost every team getting much stronger on paper, and within the AFC East, the Bills go into the season as one of the Super Bowl favorites. We don't think Tua has the capabilities to overcome the Bills twice a year, as well as having to face the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, L.A. Chargers and San Francisco 49ers in a tough 2022 schedule.
#4 - Minnesota Vikings win the NFC North
It's only been five seasons since the Minnesota Vikings made it all the way to the NFC Championship game with Case Keenum at quarterback, but they've only been back to the postseason once since then, and that was back in 2019. We see them winning the NFC North crown this year, something they haven't done since they went 13-3 in 2017.
Their main division rivals, of course, are the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers. They lost their main playmaker in Davante Adams this offseason when he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Without Adams, we don't know if the weapons Rodgers has to work with will propel the Packers to the NFC North crown.
Meanwhile, the Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins have two stud wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen to rely on. Cousins also has the benefit of having Dalvin Cook, one of the league's best running backs, to help take the pressure off him.
Cousins performed well in 2021, passing for 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and we can see him taking his game to another level in 2022. Following the L.A. Rams Super Bowl LVI win, the Vikings hired Rams' offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell as their new head coach, and with the weapons the Vikings have, and a new offensive-minded coach, we see them taking the NFC North title.
5 Hot Takes for the 2022 NFL Season
#3 - Mitch Trubisky looks like an NFL franchise quarterback
Since being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL draft, Mitch Trubisky has been labeled a bust by many, mainly as Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were selected later in the first-round of the same draft.
After being released by the Bears in early 2021, Trubisky spent the 2021 season as Josh Allen's backup with the Buffalo Bills before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 free agency period.
After Ben Roethlisberger's retirement, we can see Trubisky filling his shoes and showing the world that he can be a franchise quarterback.
We have seen this type of turnaround happen before, with quarterback Ryan Tannehill being released by the Miami Dolphins before joining the Tennessee Titans, initially as Marcus Mariota's backup. Tannehill soon got the starting quarterback job and led the Titans to a 12-5 record and the AFC Divisional round in 2021.
We can see Trubisky turning his career around, much like Tannehill, as he has shown glimpses he can be an NFL caliber QB by leading the Chicago Bears to the NFC North title in 2018.
Trubisky now joins one of the most stable NFL franchises in the Pittsburgh Steelers and should get a chance to be a starter again, with only Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph currently competing for the starting quarterback job.
#2 - Joe Burrow Wins NFL MVP
Joe Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals all the way to Super Bowl LVI in the 2021 season, the team's first Super Bowl appearance since 1988. Burrow and the Bengals won the AFC North, going 10-7, and his heroics helped them beat the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs on their way to the Super Bowl.
Burrow was sacked 51 times in the regular season, a league-high, as well as an extra 19 times in the Bengals' playoff run. This included nine in one game against the Titans in the AFC Divisional Round, tying the NFL playoff record.
The Bengals have addressed this issue in free agency, revamping their offensive line by picking up center Ted Karras from the New England Patriots, guard Alex Cappa from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and tackle La'El Collins from the Dallas Cowboys.
With the much-improved offensive line, we can see Joe Burrow taking home MVP honors, as he's shown what he can do with a terrible offensive line, the sky is the limit for what he can do with good protection and more time to throw the football.
#1 - Los Angeles Rams win back-to-back Super Bowls
Here is the biggest hot take of the list. I have the Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season in 2022. The feat of winning the big game two seasons in a row hasn't been done in the NFL since the New England Patriots won it in 2004 and 2005, but if anyone can repeat that achievement, it's Sean McVay and the star-studded Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams have lost a few key players from their Super Bowl winning roster, notably tackle Andrew Whitworth to retirement, Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills via free agency, and Robert Woods in a trade with the Tennessee Titans. However, they picked up Allen Robinson in free agency, who will help fill the void left by Woods.
In addition, they retained much of the Super Bowl winning team, with Matt Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald all still in L.A. to hopefully help bring home another Lombardi trophy.
The NFC Conference looks weaker than ever, with Russell Wilson moving from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos, Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons to the Indianapolis Colts, and Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders. All these moves will come as good news for the Rams, as the NFC path to the Super Bowl becomes a lot easier without the aforementioned players to contend with.
