As 2022 winds down, Sports Illustrated is looking back at the themes and teams, story lines and through lines that shaped the year.
In the NFL, the year started with a bang: a playoff classic between the Chiefs and Bills, then a Super Bowl between a true Cinderella in the Bengals against a fascinating case study in roster-building in the Rams. Off the field, we had Tom Brady’s retirement (and unretirement), the Russell Wilson trade, players unfollowing their teams on Instagram, players taking psychedelics and more turbulence in Washington.
Plus, the biggest story of the year was Deshaun Watson’s trade to the Browns, his suspension stemming from more than two dozen lawsuits detailing graphic accounts of sexual harassment and sexual assault, and his eventual return to the field. His year is covered several times in the list below.
Here are 25 of SI’s best stories, in chronological order to tell the story of the year:
• Thirteen Seconds: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Have Just Enough Time to Win Instant Classic (by Greg Bishop, Jan. 24): A dispatch from the Chiefs-Bills divisional round playoff game, capturing the scene everywhere from the field to the Mahomes family suite.
• Joe Burrow’s Rise to Stardom Wasn’t As Easy As He’s Made It Look—Just Ask His Parents (by Conor Orr, Jan. 28): They watched him as he languished at Ohio State, as he was carted off with his knee in shambles. Now, Robin and Jimmy Burrow are watching their son on the verge of a Super Bowl.
• How Tom Brady, the Person and the Process, Made Greatness Seem Routine (by Greg Bishop, Feb. 1): Before many athletes and teams followed his lead, Brady was redefining what it took to be the best, on and off the field. A column, of course, reflecting on the GOAT’s career after announcing a retirement that didn’t last.
• In Reshaping the Rules, Have We Written Devin Hester—or Future Hesters—Out of Football? (by Mitch Goldich, Feb 8): This year’s Hall of Fame voters have to consider a player who was the best ever at doing something we don’t see much of anymore, and who may be the last of his kind. This piece is part Hester profile, part obituary for the kickoff.
• SoFi Stadium Went Up—and Then Everything Changed (by John Gonzalez, Feb. 9): Crushing traffic, soaring rents and residents forced out. The home of Super Bowl LVI brought prosperity to Inglewood, but at what cost?
• He Pledged to Live on the Roof During a Bengals Losing Streak (by Conor Orr, Feb. 11): And he did, for 57 nights atop his restaurant in the cold of autumn. But that’s only part of the story. The twists and turns of life after Jeff Lanham came down ...
• How the Rams Got Away, Found One Another, Then Found a Way (by Greg Bishop and Conor Orr, Feb. 14): The story of how the Super Bowl champions came together is beyond belief—even for those who lived it. The inside stories behind the Rams’ run.
• The Rams’ Best Players Stepped Up in the Biggest Moments to Win Super Bowl LVI (by Albert Breer, Feb. 14): Sean McVay talks about the contributions of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald as the team captured a championship.
Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated
• Aaron Donald’s Life at the Top (by Greg Bishop, March 9): His legacy as an all-time great secured, the Rams superstar savored a Super Bowl victory—even as a decision on his future loomed.
• How the Broncos and Seahawks Negotiated the Russell Wilson Trade (by Albert Breer, March 14): This is the inside story of how a 2018 pro day, an out-of-the-way Indianapolis bar and a valet ticket contributed to an NFL megadeal.
• ‘This Whole Thing Has F---ed Me Up’ (by Jeff Pearlman, March 29): When the Raiders’ Henry Ruggs III drove 127 mph into a stranger’s car, a man living in a nearby garage rushed into the fiery chaos. Tony Rodriguez did not, ultimately, save Tina Tintor—and that haunts him to this day.
• Why Pass Rushers Will Rule the 2022 NFL Draft (by Conor Orr, April 21): With offenses operating at never-before-seen levels across the NFL, led by a crop of quarterbacks seemingly plucked from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this year’s draft offered a chance for defensive coordinators to load up on what they need most: pass rushers.
• Inside Hue Jackson’s Tanking Allegations Against the Browns (by Gary Gramling and Conor Orr, May 3): “The first thing I’d think was ‘Holy s---, this is, like, a tank bonus.’” The NFL has cleared the team, but internal Browns documents viewed by SI raise questions.
Photo Illustration by Bryce Wood; Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports; Jason Miller/Getty Images
• After the Browns Signed Deshaun Watson, a Blast Radius of ‘Emotions and Anger’ (by Alex Prewitt, May 9): What happened when Cleveland traded for a QB accused of sexual assault? At support centers, where calls and donations immediately skyrocketed, “it’s clear that it’s stirred up a lot of emotions and a lot of anger.”
• Josh McDaniels Explains All the Lessons He’s Learned (by Albert Breer, June 3): The new Raiders coach opens up about his experiences with the Broncos and Patriots, as he and longtime friend Dave Ziegler start something new in Las Vegas.
• Edit. Erase. Dissociate. Understanding the Art of the Unfollow. (by Michael Rosenberg, July 1): A common practice these days: an NFL star gets annoyed at his team and scrubs said team from his social media accounts. What’s that about?
• Stefon and Trevon Diggs: How the Brothers’ Unbreakable Bond Was Forged (by Alex Prewitt, July 7): An unstoppable wide receiver and an unbeatable cornerback, the Diggs brothers have become the best of the NFL’s best. Just ask, they’ll tell you.
• Aaron Rodgers Talks Gratitude, Reconciliation With the Packers and His State of Mind (by Albert Breer, Aug. 8): Before the season, the four-time MVP opened up on what he’d learned the past two years and why he was excited to be back in Green Bay for 2022.
• What Do Athletes Get From Ayahuasca, Mushrooms and Ecstasy? (by Julie Kliegman, Aug. 12): Aaron Rodgers and Kenny Stills are among the few who have spoken publicly about their use of psychedelics for mental health purposes. But a future where the treatment is more widespread across sports may not be so far away.
• Garo Yepremian: The One-of-a-Kind Story Behind the ’72 Dolphins’ One-of-a-Kind Kicker (by Jon Wertheim, Oct. 24): You know about the blooper in Super Bowl VII. You might not know about the man. Yepremian’s journey navigating the highest level of a sport he’d never even seen, let alone played, a career defined by comedy and tragedy, and a life defined by triumph.
• Why Ousting Dan Snyder Is Complicated (by Andrew Brandt, Oct. 26): Our business of football analyst writes about ways the franchise could rid itself of its owner, including the same manner the NBA forced Robert Sarver to sell the Suns.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
• The Upside-Down World of Long Snappers (by Alex Prewitt, Nov. 16): Folded over, firing spirals through their legs, they’re as overlooked as they are essential. Inside the evolution, politics and economics of football’s specialest specialists.
• The Night Flipper Anderson Set the NFL’s Single-Game Receiving Record (by Joseph Salvador, Nov. 17): The Rams receiver’s record has stood for 33 years. His quarterback is still laughing about it—for more than one reason.
