3 teams that could go 17-0 in the 2022 NFL season
Going unblemished throughout an entire NFL regular season is almost impossible to comprehend. The world’s fastest, strongest, smartest, and most talented players are often associated with the NFL, making it both improbable and unlikely that any team could simply waltz through the season unscathed. Yet, four teams have pulled off this miraculous feat.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears, and the 2007 New England Patriots have all run the table. All but the Dolphins, ironically enough, have come up short in the final game of the year.
For the first time in decades, the NFL made a change to their invariable schedule, implementing a 17th game. With another game added to everyone’s docket, achieving regular season immortality has become increasingly more difficult.
Still, despite the long odds, several stacked NFL rosters are in prime position to pull off this unlikely feat. Keep reading as we dive into the three best candidates.
#3 Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have been extraneous for longer than their undying fanbase would like to admit. Over the past two decades, Dallas has recorded just seven double-digit victories in the regular season. In six of those 20 seasons, Dallas lost in the opening round of the playoffs.
Yet, no matter how many times Dallas has disappointed their fanbase, they have continued to hoot and holler in an attempt to bring attention to their brand. This upcoming season, while we don’t view them as Super Bowl threats, Dallas could waltz through the regular season unblemished.
Presently, Dallas has the weakest schedule for the 2022 season. In total, their opponents will have a win percentage of just 46.2% based on last year’s results. As we dive deeper into their schedule, we find countless winnable games. It won’t be a complete cakewalk, as they’ll face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 and the LA Rams in Week 5 but provided they pick up those wins, Dallas should go on a roll, winning practically all of their games by double figures.
#2 LA Rams
It all came together beautifully for the LA Rams last season. Before the start of the year, they brazenly cast their draft picks aside in a trade for Matthew Stafford. In addition to Stafford, LA also got their hands on Von Miller. Despite mortgaging their future, it resulted in a Lombardi Trophy.
Satisfaction and a sense of relief won’t be setting in for LA as they recently paid Aaron Donald, arguably the best player in the entire NFL and the best defensive player in the league, to keep him a happy man.
Heading into the new league year, the Rams will have a target on their backs, but they have the offensive and defensive weapons needed to run through the season. The loss of Von Miller will hurt big time, but LA not only has Donald up front, but they also have Jalen Ramsey on the back end. Stafford has proven that it was the Detroit Lions' fault all along, and Cooper Kupp, the Super Bowl MVP, will be motivated after inking a long-term extension as well.
It won’t be easy, but from top to bottom, the Rams have the best roster in the league and will head into every game this season as the odds-on favorite.
#1 Buffalo Bills
Quietly, the Buffalo Bills have put together one of the best rosters in the entire NFL. After slowly allowing Josh Allen to go through his growing pains, he has now put together back-to-back terrific seasons. In both 2020 and 2021, Allen has thrown for over 4,400 yards, at least, 36 touchdowns, and has led the Bills to double-digit wins.
For Buffalo, their road to the Super Bowl has been impeded during consecutive seasons by the Kansas City Chiefs. With Allen seething and aiming for revenge, his Bills squad could be preparing for a historic year.
This past season, Buffalo was near the top of the leaderboards on both sides of the ball. Allen pushed the pigskin on a nightly basis en route to scoring 28.4 points per game, a league best. Buffalo’s defense was also top-notch, allowing just 17 points per game, third-best in the NFL.
Offensively, Buffalo will be just fine, but defensively, they’ll likely take another step with the addition of Von Miller. Buffalo’s brain trust watched in awe as Miller played a vital role for an LA Rams team that ended the season as Super Bowl champions. The now-33-year-old recorded four sacks throughout the postseason to go along with 14 combined tackles.
The Bills have a treacherous 2022 schedule with games against the Rams and Chiefs highlighted. Still, while it won’t be easy, with an upgraded defensive roster, the Bills can run the table.