Eight storylines we didn’t see coming at the start of the 2022 NFL season
Remarkably, the NFL regular season is behind us. It has been packed with plenty of storylines, many of which I certainly did not see coming when the regular season started. In this article, I will rank and discuss eight different storylines that nobody saw coming.
8. Philadelphia Eagles finish with 14-3 record and NFC #1 seed
The Eagles turned some heads last season when they won six of their final eight games to clinch a Wildcard berth, after having started the season 3-6. This season, there were heightened expectations after key offseason additions and the anticipated growth from Jalen Hurts. However, this team was only projected for 9 or 10 wins and teams such as the Buccaneers, Rams, 49ers, and Packers were all expected to have a better shot at the NFC’s top seed.
For the Eagles to win 14 games and come away with the #1 seed is a testament to the development of Jalen Hurts and the well-rounded roster their front office has put together. Now that Hurts is getting healthier and the team will have the bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, it should come as no surprise if the Eagles are able to advance to the Super Bowl.
7. It was the worst scoring year since 2017
With all the rules that have been implemented to benefit quarterbacks and offenses, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that NFL scoring would be on the rise.
This year, however, scoring was way down with teams averaging only 21.9 points per game. For reference, just last year, teams scored an average of 23.0 points per game. In 2020, teams averaged 24.8 points per game.
The league had the least amount of scoring this year since teams averaged 21.7 points per game back in 2017. There are plenty of theories as to why scoring is down so much, and it will take some time to fully understand why when the league has clearly pushed for more offense.
It would be even more surprising to see scoring down for a third straight year in the 2023-24 season, and I would fully expect that the league takes a look at the root causes of the issue and tries to counteract it in some way.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers win NFC South with 8-9 record
The Buccaneers deserve credit for coming back from a 14-point deficit in Week 17 versus the Panthers to clinch their third straight playoff berth and second consecutive NFC South title. When it mattered most, Tom Brady delivered. Nonetheless, looking at the regular season as a whole, it has been a massive disappointment for the Buccaneers.
If the Buccaneers played in almost any other division, outside maybe the AFC South, they would not have come close to a playoff berth. In games outside of their division, the Buccaneers were just 4-7. This is a team experts pegged as the favorite to come out of the NFC before the season started, but the team never looked quite right all year and is now a home underdog versus the Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs.
We know that Brady can flip the switch when the lights are the brightest, and it would not be shocking to me at all if the Bucs find a way to win multiple playoff games because I have seen this story before. With that said, it does not take away from the fact that the regular season for the Bucs was a massive failure.
5. Minnesota Vikings finish with 13-4 record, but a point differential of -3
In my years of watching the NFL, I have not seen a team quite like this year’s Minnesota Vikings. For a team to finish with a 13-4 record and negative point differential seems near impossible. To accomplish this feat, the Vikings went 11-0 in one-score games.
For context, only five other teams since 2010 have even won nine one-score games. One can speculate whether the Vikings are truly clutch, or if their success in close games has been pure luck. My hypothesis is that it is a bit of both.
I do not think the Vikings are as talented as most teams in this year’s playoffs, but they have shown they can find ways to win games and should not be counted out in the NFC.
4. Seattle Seahawks make the playoffs
There was no expectation for the Seahawks to compete for the playoffs this year. Pundits expected four or five wins out of them, but no more.
As it turned out, the Seahawks finished with a 9-8 record and snuck into the playoffs with the Lions defeating the Packers on the final night of the regular season. Of course, much of the reason for the diminished expectations coming into the season was the departure of Russell Wilson.
This left Geno Smith and Drew Lock competing for the starting quarterback job. It was Geno Smith who won the job, and he never wrote back. Geno finished the regular season with a 69.8% completion percentage and 4,282 passing yards, which broke Russell Wilson’s franchise record.
I am not bullish on the Seahawks in the playoffs, particularly with the 49ers being their first-round matchup. However, the Seahawks accomplished more than I could have ever imagined. Pete Carroll, Geno Smith, and this entire team and organization deserves to be applauded.
3. NFC East has three playoff teams
Coming into the season, the NFC East was considered by many to be one of the league’s weakest divisions. As it turned out, it might be the league’s strongest division. With the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants all advancing to the playoffs, the NFC East has three playoff teams. It should also be noted that it was looking like the NFC East was going to have four playoff teams for quite some time; that is, until the Commanders collapsed after their impressive 7-5-1 start.
Either way, no other division in football has more than two playoff teams. If I would have told you that the AFC West, NFC West, or even AFC East had three playoff teams, it would have been believable; but, for the NFC East to be the division that features three teams in the playoffs is truly a stunner.
2. Los Angeles Rams finish with 5-12 record
It is very difficult for teams to win back-to-back Super Bowls, with no team having done so in the 21st century except for the 2004 and 2005 New England Patriots. The Rams lost key pieces like Von Miller and Robert Woods that would make it difficult for them to repeat.
Add on the injuries to star players like Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald, and it was a recipe for disaster for a team that is very top-heavy. One would think that the Rams should be much improved next year because they still have star players at just about every position.
However, there are rumors that Sean McVay will not stick around as head coach of the Rams for another year and it would seem reasonable to think that there could be significant ripple effects if he does, in fact, leave. This miserable season for the Rams is a reminder of what can happen when injuries pile up for a team that is loaded with stars and lacks depth.
1. Denver Broncos finish with 5-12 record, with Russell Wilson as a below average QB
After their 4-11 start, the Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett two weeks ago. They then proceeded to split their last two regular season contests to finish the season 5-12. Prior to the season, experts picked the Broncos to compete with the Chiefs for the AFC West crown and predicted this team to win at least 10 games. That seems like a distant memory now.
This Broncos team was also selected for seven nationally televised games, which is clear evidence that the schedule makers thought this team was going to be both elite and exciting to watch. Of course, much of the reason for the hype around the Broncos was because of the acquisition of Russell Wilson. However, Wilson has been just as responsible for the team’s failures as Hackett or any player on the team.
In a year when many Wilson supporters thought he would show everyone that he was most responsible for the success that was sustained in Seattle for so many years, Wilson finished with a QBR that was 27th among quarterbacks and almost as many interceptions as touchdowns. Wilson, who was considered to be a lock for the Hall of Fame when the season begun, is now perceived as being on the outside if he does not improve in the seasons to come.
Wilson’s collapse, coinciding with the disastrous season for the Denver Broncos, ranks as my number one surprise storyline of this NFL season.
