The long wait is over.. we are less than 24 hours away from primetime football as the current Super Bowl favorites are heading to LA to face off against the defending champs. Lets get this out of the way.. these rankings are going to look drastically different in 7 days. We can use all the offseason tools available but it's impossible to see how everyone will mesh, especially after the amount of moves we saw the past couple months. We had our team of writers dish out their top 16 teams and averaged it all out to give you the official NFL Preseason rankings for 2022.
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#1 Buffalo Bills
The current Super Bowl favorites according to Vegas head into the season on top of our power rankings with an almost unanimous #1 ranking from the Upside Play team. Josh Allen is also the current favorite to take home MVP honors, and after the overtime debacle in the playoffs last year the 26 year old QB will have a little more than a chip on his shoulder. They’re O-line is looking deeper than ever, and their defense is viewed as a top 5 unit in the league. This team will be must watch TV in 2022.
#2 Los Angeles Rams
The defending champs come in at #2 on our list with a plethora of star power coming back after a magical playoff run, capping off with a Super Bowl win in front of their home fans.. All 200 of them. Jokes aside, this team looks to continue to be a wagon in 2022 despite losing playoff leaders Von Miller and presumably Odell Beckham Jr. The defensive star power is still there with massive playmakers in all 3 levels of the field: Aaron Donald, Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey. Matt Stafford has reportedly been dealing with elbow concerns but if Cooper Kupp can even slightly replicate the season he had last year this team will be a problem coming out of the NFC West.
#3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are in a weird scenario this year where they are clearly the front runners to take the NFC South (-263) and NFC Conference out right, but have some major question marks across the field. Starting with Interior O-Line, we’ve seen them lose both starting guards last year in free agency, and now starting center Ryan Jensen is out for a huge chunk of time with a preseason injury. The good news is their WR group is loaded, Brady is back, and Tampa boasts one of the best D-lines in football. This team might have some holes but if we learned anything over the past 20 years.. Don’t fade Tom Brady.
#4 Los Angeles Chargers
Every team in the AFC West re-tooled and brought in a star or two, but none currently look as complete as the Los Angeles Chargers. Justin Herbert is poised for a MVP caliber season and new defensive additions Khalil Mack and JC Jackson are ready to take this team to the next level. If this interior defensive line is legit and they can stop the run (3rd most yards allowed in 2021) then the Chargers will be legit contenders to make a deep run in year 2 for head coach Brandon Staley.
#5 Cincinatti Bengals
The run we saw from Joe Burrow and these Bengals last year was remarkable, and nearly ended with a ring to go with it. They bring back a clear cut top 3 WR room in the NFL, a much better offensive line, and Jessie Bates finally back in the secondary after a holdout. When a super bowl team improves at their biggest weaknesses it's only fair to rank them high, the AFC North is going to be a very strong division for the 3rd year in a row.
#6 Baltimore Ravens
This Ravens team has a lot to prove heading into the season as they were decimated by injuries last year in nearly every position imaginable. Lamar Jackson is playing for a massive contract (which he’s negotiating himself) and will hopefully be able to rely on Mark Andrews / Rashod Batemon. This team will rely heavily on the run regardless with a stout O-line and deep RB room. They also boast one of the top secondary units in the NFL, expect some grind 'em’ out games from this physical Ravens squad.
#7 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have a legit case for “most complete NFL rosters” heading into 2022. They had major additions all over the field this offseason, highlighted by AJ Brown, James Bradberry, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They added in a stellar draft pick-ups with CIA certified weapon Jordan Davis headlining the class and a potential major steal in Nakobe Dean falling to them in the 3rd round. This Eagles team has the potential to make a deep run this year, the x-factor looks to be without a doubt Jalen Hurts. If their QB1 makes the leap we could very well be watching Philly play in late January / early February.
#8 Kansas City Chiefs
I’ve poked my head around other rankings lists this week and the Chiefs are typically showing up a lot higher than what you see here. Mahomes has a brand new cast of receiving weapons outside of Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman. They also have had 2 big time departures in the secondary that they will need to fill instantly. Kansas City also happens to play in by far the best division in football, and credit where it's due they added two huge defensive pieces in the first round of the draft. Just like Tampa Bay it’s hard to count out KC as long as their O-line & Patrick Mahomes stay healthy.
#9 San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers and Eagles find themselves in eerily similar situations this year.. Except the Eagles have a more than competent O-line. Trent Williams might be the best lineman in football but make no mistake, this is not last year's overly physical unit. Trey Lance will take the keys in Kyle Shanahan and has a hell of a receiving core to work with. Despite injuries in the secondary most writers predict SF to have a top 5 unit in football this year including one of the best linebacking trio’s we’ve seen in recent memory. The 49ers are one of those teams that can win 11 or lose 11 this year, it will depend on their young QB and ability to fight in the trenches.
#10 Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos had one hell of a offseason, finally finding a competent QB after trading for Russell Wilson in March. They also bring in plug and play defensive starters in DJ Jones and K’Waun Williams (shout out SF). Randy Gregory helps solidify what should be a nasty pass rush as he plans to play opposite of Bradley Chubb. This team might not have the same star power the rest of the AFC West has, but they’re deep. Their secondary should be vastly improved as Pat Surtain looks to make the jump, which they’ll need against this loaded division.
#11 Las Vegas Raiders
What a massive offseason for this Raiders team. Not only did they bring in a new GM / Head Coach combo, but they shocked the world landing both Davante Adams and Chandler Jones. As monumental as all that seems this team still has a long way to go, specifically with their O-line and inexperienced secondary. The Raiders are going to flash brilliance this year offensively. Derek Carr brought a much worse team to the playoffs last year, this team shouldn’t be taken lightly by anyone.
#12 Indianapolis Colts
The only team from the AFC South to make an appearance on this list is the new look Colts who narrowly missed the playoffs last year after a humiliating week 18 loss to the 3-14 Jaguars. Carson Wentz is out, Matt Ryan is in. Jonathan Taylor is the hottest commodity fantasy football has seen in recent memory, Michael Pittman is coming off a breakout year, but the biggest question mark lies within the defense. They lose Matt Eberflus as he is now calling shots in Chicago, and their veteran secondary will have a lot to prove early. The Colts are one of those teams that can beat anybody and lose to anybody.
#13 Green Bay Packers
I'd like to start by saying I had the Packers much higher than this, but we're a democracy. This is by far the shocker of our list, and we’re ready for some backlash. This defensive unit is going to heavily rely on Rashan Gary up front and a secondary that performed much better than expected last year. Aaron Rodgers obviously will have to build chemistry fast with some new weapons after the departure of both Davante Adams and Marquez Valdez-Scantling. Green Bay has a friendly schedule and a back to back MVP, our whole team is slightly concerned with the “Top 5 defense” label they’ve been given but this is more than likely a playoff team.
#14 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys usual preseason buzz that never comes to fruition has been completely drowned by the Eagles and their massive offseason. Still, Vegas has the boys as the favorites to take the NFC East crown. Dallas has gone all in with the CeeDee Lamb / Michael Gallup receiving duo as they moved on from Amari Cooper. Their offensive line is injury riddled and looks pretty suspect at the moment, the apparent fix is 40 year old Jason Peters who was recently cut by the Bears. If Trevon Diggs can ballhawk again and not give up 1,000+ yards this year the Cowboys should be in business.
#15 Minnesota Vikings
This Vikings team seems so dangerous on paper, and then you look at their defense. The front 7 looks a lot more deadly this season with the addition of Za’Darius Smith who is rehabbing off a back injury that cost him all of 2021. They gave up the 3rd most yards per game last season and were awful against the pass. Seasoned vets like Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith will need to show they have something left in the tank if this team wants to improve. The good news is they have one of the best receiving duos in the league with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Add a healthy Dalvin Cook and a totally not average Kirk Cousins and this team is an over magnet.
#16A Miami Dolphins
Miami made a plethora of moves this offseason and now are looking like one of the fastest teams in football. New signal caller and first year head coach Mike McDaniel has a great track record of utilizing speed, so it’s safe to say this offense will be one of the more exciting ones in 2022. Terron Armstead and Tyreek Hill are the two headlining additions, and the secondary they bring into the season are filled with studs. This feels like a playoff team if they can get above average play from the man under center.
#16B New Orleans Saints
This feels disrespectful for what looks like a very deep Saints squad that has veterans all over the field. If Jameis plays like he did Pre-ACL tear then this can be a scary team in a rather lackluster NFC. They bring in big names with Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye (Maybe) at safety and big WR additions with Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry. This is a sneaky team that should easily contend for the NFC South crown.
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- Ryan Mobley / Upside Play
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