5 Way Too Early Hot Takes for the 2022 NFL Season
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.
We have acquired WR Tyreek Hill in a trade with Kansas City, pending a physical. https://t.co/IaGm9Vm0bt
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.