Which NFL teams will find their way into the playoffs in the 2022 season after missing in 2021? We take a look at the likeliest candidates.
The 2022 NFL schedule has been officially announced. Every team now knows the stops ahead on the path to Super Bowl 57.
While some teams have a better shot than others, the parity of the NFL on an annual basis is what really keeps everyone coming back. Most of the 32 fan bases believe their team has a good shot of getting to the playoffs this time of year, with a handful of exceptions, as always.
There are a lot of teams that missed out on the playoffs in 2022 that could make their way there in 2022, however.
Which teams are the most likely to go from the outside looking in to having a ticket to the dance? Let’s take a look at the top six candidates.
New NFL playoff teams in 2022, no. 1: Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders, despite being just 7-9 and 7-10 the last two seasons, have a division title in that timeframe.
A playoff appearance in 2021 would actually be a return to the playoffs for the Commanders within the last couple of seasons, which is hard to believe given they have not even had a .500 record.
The Commanders beefed up the interior offensive line in free agency with the additions of Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner.
Their defensive front is as good as any in football, when healthy.
The receiver room is getting a massive boost from rookie Jahan Dotson, the team’s top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The NFC East had two teams — Dallas and Philadelphia — represented in the 2021 NFL playoffs and if that happens again in 2022, I think it will be Dallas and Washington.
The Commanders need new QB Carson Wentz to step up in a big way this season after watching a 98 percent shot at the playoffs last year disappear as a member of the Colts.
New NFL teams in the playoffs in 2022, no. 2: Los Angeles Chargers
With the amount of hype the Los Angeles Chargers receive on seemingly an annual basis, you’d almost be surprised to know that this team hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2018 season.
Now, entering year three of the Justin Herbert era, the expectations in Los Angeles are high, and not just because the Rams just won the Super Bowl.
The Chargers have an MVP-caliber quarterback.
They have three legitimate Pro Bowl-caliber weapons offensively to spread the ball to in Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, and Keenan Allen.
The Chargers have a defensive-oriented head coach in Brandon Staley who has plenty of pieces to work with.
Staley has been given star cornerback JC Jackson, pass rusher Khalil Mack, and slot corner Bryce Callahan to add to a defense that already had stars on it when he arrived.
Could Los Angeles repeat as Super Bowl champions, but with different teams?
That would be wild.
The Chargers, however, should not be counted out.
New NFL playoff teams in 2022, no. 3: Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have only made the playoffs once since the year of the Minneapolis Miracle.
Remember that?
Kirk Cousins was signed in 2018 free agency to be that model of consistency at the position and just do his part to propel this team to the postseason, where anything can happen.
Unfortunately, he’s now just 1/4 with the Vikings in doing just that.
The Vikings need more out of Cousins, especially given what they have paid and are paying for him. That’s simply put and not so simply done.
The supporting cast may not be perfect every year, and the Vikings get stuck with having to deal with injuries just like every other NFL team. That’s part of it.
The unfortunate thing is, this team has taken on so much change, can you really project them for the playoffs?
I think they are right on the cusp for NFC teams right now. The Vikings could be one of the top teams in the NFL, or they could be picking in the top 10 of next year’s draft and looking to reset at the QB position.
There’s a lot to like about this Minnesota roster if they can stay healthy, and especially with the way this team has heavily pursued upgrades to the secondary, they could be back in business as a playoff team for the first time since 2019.
New NFL playoff teams in 2022, no. 4: Denver Broncos
It’s hard to argue that any team made a better offseason acquisition than the Denver Broncos, who brought in Russell Wilson via trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
Folks in Broncos Country have been saying for the past three seasons that their team is just a quarterback away, and the 2022 season will prove whether or not they were right.
Ever since he came into the NFL, Wilson has helped raise the tide for the Seattle Seahawks and they’ve been pretty consistent playoff contenders with no. 3 under center.
Now, Wilson takes over a talented Denver Broncos roster with weapons galore on offense, an improved offensive line, and a defense that has been one of the best in the NFL over the past few seasons under Vic Fangio.
Even though Fangio is gone, new coordinator Ejiro Evero should be able to keep that train rolling with all of the talented personnel he has at his disposal.
Making the playoffs in the AFC West is going to be brutally tough. Making the playoffs in the AFC is going to be brutally tough, let’s just be real about it.
The Broncos have the quarterback now to get there.
New NFL playoff teams in 2022, no. 5: New Orleans Saints
I will admit — I was very skeptical, but New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis may have pulled off one of the great heists in NFL offseason history in 2022.
The Saints were nearly $75 million in the red against this year’s salary cap going into the offseason. Not only did they manage to get back in the green, but they currently have over $14 million in available space overall.
For those keeping score, that’s +$90 million, roughly, that the Saints have maneuvered to build their roster in 2022.
Incredibly, it hasn’t all just been to maintain, either.
The Saints made a trade to acquire two first-round picks, and instead of moving up for a QB with those picks, they moved up and got two impact starters in wide receiver Chris Olave as well as offensive tackle Trevor Penning.
Olave was a desperately needed secondary threat in the passing game to Michael Thomas, who is coming back from injury in 2022.
Defensively, the Saints really needed to add some help on the back end, and they did just that by bringing in Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye at the safety positions after letting Marcus Williams walk in free agency.
With the return of Thomas, the additions in the secondary, and an offensive line that includes four first-round picks and a second-round pick, I think Jameis Winston can lead this team back into the playoffs.
New NFL playoff team in 2022, no. 6: Baltimore Ravens
Can’t you just feel the comeback brewing for Lamar Jackson?
The former MVP is coming off of undoubtedly his worst season as a pro QB. He completed 64.4 percent of his passes in 2021, the same exact completion percentage he had in 2020.
The biggest differences for Lamar in 2021 compared to previous years?
His touchdown percentage decreased from 6.9 percent in 2020 to 4.2 in 2021. His interception percentage increased from 2.4 percent in 2020 to 3.4 percent in 2021.
He only had two rushing touchdowns in 12 games last year compared to seven rushing touchdowns in 15 games back in 2020.
Essentially, in a crucial year contract-wise, Jackson was as inefficient as we’ve seen him as an NFL quarterback. His insane 2019 season — over 1,200 rushing yards, 43 total TDs, only six interceptions, only 23 sacks — was always going to be near-impossible to replicate, but the 2021 season was hardly even a shell of that.
Jackson knows his contract situation, and I think he’s going to simply will this Ravens team back into the NFL playoffs in 2022-23.
The Ravens made some strong additions in the 2022 offseason, especially during the 2022 NFL Draft where they had one of the best overall classes of players.
Get Jackson someone like Jarvis Landry to come and play in the slot and get this team back into the postseason making noise, where it belongs.