As the 2022 NFL season nears the kickoff of Week 1, the BetFTW crew is offering up our best outright bets for the new year. Here you’ll find picks and analysis for the top awards handed out at the end of each campaign. You can find our MVP, Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year picks here. Let’s talk about who will be lift the Lombardi Trophy at the end of this season.
No need for a long-winded intro. You already know the contenders. Let’s get right to it.
All odds via Tipico Sportsbook
Los Angeles Chargers (+1200)
Blake Schuster: I just couldn’t bring myself to pick the Bills (+500). I wanted to, I really did. But I just don’t think this is their year—though they may quickly prove me wrong. Instead, I’m going with another up-and-coming team that might not realize just how good it is. Justin Herbert is a stud. Brandon Staley is the type of coach the modern NFL requires. Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler and Mike Williams might be one of the best offensive and overlooked arsenals. And the addition of Khalil Mack on defense absolutely changes that unit.
There’ll be another Super Bowl parade in L.A. this year. Bank on it.
Buffalo Bills (+500)
Prince J. Grimes: I don’t know how else to make this pick other than to take the best team with the best track-record of what it can do. To me, that’s the Bills, though I wish I could get better odds than +500. That’s what makes a team like the Chargers so appealing, because if we’re projecting what they could be, +1200 is incredible. But we already know what the Bills can be; we saw it when they went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs in the playoffs. And I think they got even better in the offseason. So, I’ll roll with Buffalo to take the next step in its trajectory.
Philadelphia Eagles (+2000)
Robert Zeglinski: Do I feel silly picking a team this young to make a Cinderella run to the Super Bowl? Sure! But I like the Eagles’ roster on paper more than my potential foolishness at this relative dark horse pick. A three-headed pass-catching matchup nightmare on offense (A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert, DeVonta Smith). A loaded secondary with Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, buoyed by respective massive mammoth defensive linemen Fletcher Cox and Jordan Davis. Most importantly, in a weak NFC, I think Jalen Hurts takes a step toward superstardom and throws it back to the halcyon days of Nick Foles.
Denver Broncos (+1500)
Charles Curtis: Blake took my pick with the Chargers, so I’ll say this: BRONCOS COUNTRY, LET’S RIIIIIIIIDE. This would be an intriguing pick with Russell Wilson making an offense with a great running game turn into a balanced attack. The defense is already solid on paper, and while playing in the AFC West presents quite a challenge, I’m willing to throw a few bucks on them making a run at least out of the Wild Card spot.
Cincinnati Bengals (+1500)
Cole Huff: Is this me being a homer? Possibly. It’s also possible that the team who won the AFC championship last season did a lot to get better. The Bengals went out in free agency and addressed the O-line issues. Ted Karras, La’el Collins and Alex Cappa all enter as key parts of a revamped line that’ll keep Joe Burrow upright, allowing him to connect with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins—both be even better in years two and three. Safety Jessie Bates is also back on the franchise tag to keep a really good defense intact. Lots to like about this pick even if its unpopular.
Los Angeles Rams (+1200)
Caroline Darney: My esteemed colleague Blake was so close with his pick, but chose the wrong squad. The Rams bring back just about everyone from its Super Bowl winning team in 2022 (though the departure of Von Miller to the Bills hurts), and now that Matt Stafford has tasted that sweet, sweet victory, he’s going to want more. The additions of WR Allen Robinson and LB Bobby Wagner will only help.
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