4 NFL teams that could surprisingly finish in last place in 2022
Surprising potential last place NFL team no. 1: Cincinnati Bengals
player. 56. Scouting Report. AFC. AFC North. Cincinnati Bengals. 1. Pick Analysis
From AFC Champs to…last place?
It seems extremely unfair to include the Cincinnati Bengals on a list like this because they seemingly addressed the biggest area of need on the roster this offseason — the offensive line.
With that being said, part of the reason some of the teams on this list are included is because of the division they play in.
The Bengals play in the AFC North which is always very competitive year after year, and we saw that last season as just two games separated first and last-place teams.
Why might the Bengals finish in last place?
Well, the Super Bowl hangover can be very real for some teams. The Bengals are still a pretty young squad and they caught fire at exactly the right time in 2021.
Not only is the Super Bowl hangover real, but you’ve also now got potentially two other MVP candidates at the QB position in the division.
I personally think the Cleveland Browns will be a disappointment in 2022, but if Deshaun Watson plays this season, they are good enough on paper to have a better record than the Bengals.
The same can be said of the Baltimore Ravens if Lamar Jackson is able to rebound. Remember, the Ravens last year were just a couple of aggressive calls away at the end of games from having the same or an even better record than the Bengals.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the one team that makes this a tough prediction. Having Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett as your Week 1 starter certainly doesn’t make it feel likely that the Bengals will be the ones to finish in last place.
Still, it’s not impossible that the Bengals could suffer a little bit of a Super Bowl hangover and the Steelers could be better than we think in 2022, as the Patriots were last year with Mac Jones under center.