NFL 2022 - The Strangest Season Yet
By Andy Davies
Whilst the status quo has remained for certain aspects, with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs still rolling, the rest of the league has been certainly a lot different to how people expected.
Nobody thought the Miami Dolphins would start 3-0, especially with their first three games being the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills. Whilst they are now 4-3, they would probably be 5-2 or 6-1 had quarterback Tua Tagovailoa not suffered a scary concussion against the Bengals in Week Four.
You would find people few and far between who thought that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers would both only have three wins after Week Seven, especially considering the opponents they have lost to this season.
And you would have laughed and thought someone was crazy if they would have predicted that the Buccaneers would lose to the 1-5 Carolina Panthers and to the 1-4 Pittsburgh Steelers. Tom Brady was the biggest story coming out of the team this offseason, with his retirement and then un-retirement. However, at this current time, he may regret not calling it a day when he did. Last night, he saw his team defeated by the Ravens, giving Tampa a 3-5 record. His private life has taken a sad turn, with him and Gisele reportedly filing for divorce. The team has not won a game since this was reported.
Of course, there are still ten games left for the team and plenty of time to turn things around. This is especially so in a division where nobody has taken the leap. The New Orleans Saints are 2-5, as are the Carolina Panthers. Incredibly, the Atlanta Falcons are top of the NFC South with a 3-4 record – meaning the Buccs have every chance of going to the playoffs if they are able to right the ship.
The Packers, however, are in a more precarious position. Nobody thought they would lose to the New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Commanders in successive weeks. They went into London 3-1 but this run of form sees them two wins behind the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North and with a game played more. The fact they played in London is bound to have had an impact, but that is the same for any of the teams who played in London this year. The Vikings have not lost a game since. Something is not quite right in Green Bay and a lot of it is to do with the loss of wide receiver Davante Adams. Whilst Patrick Mahomes has managed just fine without Tyreek Hill, Aaron Rodgers appears to be missing his former wideout. Odell Beckham would be someone the Packers should prioritise.
There has been a recent trend for teams to give up draft picks to get elite players. We have seen the Los Angeles Rams give up capital to get quarterback Matthew Stafford with effect. The Dolphins gave up five draft picks to get Tyreek Hill. However, the aforementioned Giants and Jets have proved the value of draft picks still exists.
The Jets and Giants were seen by many to have the best drafts in the league, and so far their picks are succeeding. Nobody thought they would be 5-2 and 6-1 respectively. Sauce Gardner has been every bit as good as advertised. Breece Hall suffered a season ending ACL injury against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but he has been a major component of this offense and the success of the team. Jets GM Joe Douglas has seen the value of the position on their offensive scheme through the trade for James Robinson on Monday. Garrett Wilson had 102 receiving yards in Week Two and Jermaine Johnson has also done well when on the field, recording either a sack or half a sack in two of his five games so far.
Saquon Barkley has been a revelation for the Giants, seemingly the favourite for the Comeback Player of the Year award. After a tough few seasons due to injury, Barkley is back to the player we all saw in his rookie and sophomore years. He has so far recorded 726 rushing yards and four touchdowns. This is more than entire of 2020 and 2021 combined, which goes to show the impact injury had on the past two seasons. Seeing the Giants and Jets both have great records after years and years of mediocrity, is something the fanbases have needed.
There is the matter of Russell Wilson. He has not lived up to the $245 million deal or the five draft picks and four players that the Denver Broncos gave up to get him. Rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett shares a lot of the blame, but at the same time, he is not responsible for some of the throws that Russ has thrown. Of course, injuries to Tim Patrick and Javonte Williams have not helped, but he still has Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton to throw to. It is frankly not good enough.
Then, there is the feel-good story of the season. Geno Smith. When Russ was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to Denver, many had the team down as one of the worst in the league. Smith has been a journeyman in the league, mostly as a backup. He had a brief period as the starter last season when Wilson was down with an injury, but never performed in such a way that had people excited for the upcoming campaign. However, he has outperformed his former teammate as the Seahawks currently occupy a 4-3 record. He has thrown for 1,712 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He ranks seventh in the league for passing yards and is tied for sixth when it comes to touchdown passes.
Josh McDaniels has shown that he has not learnt anything about being a head coach since his time in Denver. At the Las Vegas Raiders this season, he has a 2-5 record. This is another team that has performed way below expectations. This is another team that has plenty of admirers going into the season, especially after their appearance in the playoffs in January 2022. Just like the division, the Raiders have disappointed this season. Whilst the Tyreek Hill trade has worked for both parties, the Adams trade has not worked out for either party. The former Packer wideout has so far recorded 509 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. He may still be eighth in the league for receiving yards and joint fourth in passing touchdowns, but something does not seem right.
Rewind two seasons. You would never have thought the two most competitive divisions would be the East ones. The AFC East was dominated by the New England Patriots, with the exception of his year missed through injury, for most of Brady’s time with the team. Josh Allen then emerged and the Bills have not only won the last two division crowns but are also seen as the Super Bowl favourites. They are only level on wins with the Jets and one clear of Miami.
Meanwhile, the NFC East has been even more competitive. Once called the ‘NFC Least’, it was subject to much stick from rival fans. However, this season has seen the division take a massive step. The Philadelphia Eagles are the only undefeated team left in the league in 2022, with a current 6-0 record at time of writing. Along with the aforementioned 6-1 Giants, the Dallas Cowboys are 5-2.
To have two teams with 5 wins and another who are 4-3 in the AFC East and a 6-0, 6-1 and 5-2 team in the NFC East shows the strength of these divisions. To put this in comparison, there are more teams with 5 or more wins in the AFC East than the rest of the conference. In the NFC, three of the best four records in the conference come from the East. Everyone has the AFC West as the division to watch, but so far it is the East divisions that have been must watch television.
This season has been way different to how many expected, making it great for the league and once again showing the reason sports fans love the NFL, the parity. Nobody knows who will win each week the NFL is on, and nothing has changed in 2022.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
A current Sports Journalism masters student, Andy has been writing NFL articles since January 2020. Originally from Wales, Andy also writes for pro football mania and dolphins talk, as well as appearing on podcasts and videos for euro tripz. find him on twitter @andydaviessport.