It’s never too early to start looking ahead toward the 2022 NFL season. Football will be here before we know it, both on the college gridiron and in the pros. The marathon battle for the Lombardi Trophy begins on September 8 with Thursday Night Football featuring the Bills and Rams. Could that be a potential Super Bowl preview? It’s quite possible.
For now, it’s time to discuss which team will represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVII – scheduled for February 12 in Glendale, Arizona. There is no completely dominant team on paper and there is plenty of depth, which should make things very interesting. Let’s take a look at the odds and the best bets to be made.
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+300)
Green Bay Packers (+450)
Los Angeles Rams (+500)
San Francisco 49ers (+750)
Dallas Cowboys (+850)
Philadelphia Eagles (+1100)
Minnesota Vikings (+2000)
Arizona Cardinals (+2000)
New Orleans Saints (+2200)
Washington Commanders (+3000)
Tom Brady is back, which means the Bucs should be back in contention. In fact, they are favored to be in the Super Bowl for the second time in the span of three seasons. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers also appear to be hanging around in the upper echelon of the NFC even though Davante Adams is gone. The defending Super Bowl champion Rams are the third favorites in the conference, followed not too far behind by blue-bloods in the 49ers and Cowboys.
The Rams are obviously the champs until someone eliminates them this coming season. Any defending champion can say that, of course, but in the Rams’ case, it really means something. After all, they should be a great team once again. An offense led by Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp will hopefully have a healthy Cam Akers on board for a full season, which wasn’t the case in 2021. Von Miller is gone, but you still have to love a defense that includes Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey to go along with a linebacker corps that will remain stout with Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner. At longer odds than Tampa Bay and Green Bay – teams that aren’t getting any younger – I’ll roll with L.A. to repeat in the NFC.
The Cardinals are being discounted because of how they finished last year (4-6 in their last 10 regular-season games and lost right away in the playoffs). But a 7-0 start can’t be swept under the rug. When this team gets hot, it can really go on a roll. Most of the roster is intact heading into 2022, and even though DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for six games, fellow receiver Hollywood Brown has arrived to pick up the slack. Plus, Hopkins will be back when it matters.
Although J.J. Watt is a shadow of his former self on the field, his leadership skills can’t be underestimated. Arizona has flat-out winners on both sides of the ball, so even if it doesn’t compile the best regular-season record in the NFC, it could make some major noise in the playoffs.
Pickswise is the home of free expert NFL Picks and NFL Odds. Be sure to check out all of our season previews and NFL Futures Bets leading up to the 2022 NFL season.
