With training camps starting, the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills are the teams to beat according to our latest 2022 NFL Power Rankings
Training camps have begun which means the next football season is nearly here. With each of the teams preparing for the start of the year, it seemed to be a good time to once again take the temperature around the league with our latest 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
The common theme in these ranks is the quarterback situation. If a team has one they can win with, they get the respect. If not, they often struggle and then spend the next offseason looking for someone who can change their fortunes.
With that being said, we jump in at No. 32 and look at a team that could be looking for their next star with the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
2022 NFL Power Rankings: Houston Texans primed for No. 1 pick
32. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a mess. Sure, they have several Round 1 picks over the next two seasons thanks to their trade with the Cleveland Browns where they sent Deshaun Watson to Ohio, but do we really trust them to do anything with these picks?
They took two good players in Derek Stingley at No. 3 overall and Kenyon Green at 15, but neither felt like great value at the spots they were chosen. Right now, they have the inside track to the No. 1 overall pick, and if they do land the right quarterback, they could start trending in the right direction. Still, they need much more than that to actually contend — especially on defense.
31. Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks seem to be in rebuild mode, but that might not be their goal. Pete Carroll is in his 70s now, so it’s not like he’s thinking five years down the road. That means they might actually consider players such as Geno Smith and Drew Lock as their best options.
That in itself is bad, but they also have holes on the offensive line, a suspect linebacker corps, and a couple of former draft busts starting at cornerback. This might be a long season for fans in the pacific northwest.
30. Chicago Bears
He might only be entering his second season in the NFL, but Justin Fields should already be considering demanding a trade. The Chicago Bears put him in a bad spot last season when they had him playing behind Andy Dalton in an offense that didn’t play to his strengths.
On top of this, the talent around him was one of the worst in the leagues.
In the offseason, they did next to nothing to make it easier on the young signal-caller. They used their top picks to add to the secondary and added just Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry, and Equanimeous St. Brown as veteran wideouts and Velus Jones as their top offensive rookie.
Oh, and they signed a defensive-minded coach rather than someone who will be able to help a mobile quarterback to take his next step as a passer. This all spells disaster for a talented young player.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars got much better by firing Urban Meyer but the move to hire Doug Pederson is questionable.
Sure, he won a Super Bowl with the Eagles but it wasn’t long after their surprising win that he was out the door. Still, the Jags expect him to be the one to help Trevor Lawrence get it figured out.
While Lawrence is a gifted passer, they overpaid for Christian Kirk as their new No. 1 receiver. Kirk had a solid season in 2021 for the Cardinals, but he’s nowhere near a top target. Throw in the reach at No. 1 for Travon Walker and it feels like this will be another season where the Jags look like the Jags.
28. New York Giants
Brian Daboll has a tough task ahead of him as a first-year head coach with the New York Giants. The former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator found plenty of success with Josh Allen, which means there will be those expecting him to turn Daniel Jones into a complete starter.
As if that wasn’t a tough enough ask, he has to figure out how to get Saquon Barkley to go from an athletic freak who is a bust at running back to a focal point of an NFL offense. This is without even looking at the underperforming wide receivers on the team or the defense that doesn’t have any real leaders on it.
New York has been struggling for years, and it will take a while to fix what Dave Gettleman did — especially when you realize they have a bad roster and no cap space. Not an ideal combination.
27. Atlanta Falcons
When the Atlanta Falcons lost out on Deshaun Watson, they decided to punt on 2022. They sent Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick and elected to roll with Marcus Mariota as their starter.
Mariota, who was a bust of a No. 2 overall pick, will have a hard time getting things turned around since there are no receivers of note outside of rookie Drake London. This offense is a major problem and the defense isn’t much better. Clearly, this team is looking toward the draft in 2023 — as they should be.
26. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions deserve a lot of credit for going big in the 2022 NFL Draft. After landing Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson at No. 2 overall, they traded up from the 32nd spot — one of the picks they landed in exchange for Matthew Stafford — and brought in Jameson Williams from Alabama.
Those two could help reshape either side of the ball as they now have someone capable of putting up 10-plus sacks per season as well as a potential 1,000-yard receiver.
While that will help, they’re not going to go too far with Jared Goff under center — but that seems to be something they will address next offseason.
25. Carolina Panthers
Adding Baker Mayfield was a good move for the Carolina Panthers because it will cost them next to nothing. The problem is, it’s rare that a quarterback that costs next to nothing turns out to be the franchise savior that some fans want to make him out to be.
Mayfield has had some good moments in the NFL but he needs to control his emotions and learn to win without external motivators such as media members doubting him.
On top of that, the Panthers roster isn’t great. They’ve improved their offensive line some but outside of D.J. Moore, there aren’t too many reliable options on offense.
Defensively there are holes as well and head coach Matt Rhule hasn’t shown anything to make it seem he will get off the hot seat anytime soon.
24. Washington Commanders
They didn’t pay as steep a price as the Colts did, but the Washington Commanders are trying to convince themselves they can salvage Carson Wentz. That’s not likely to be the case because franchise quarterbacks don’t usually bounce from team to team the way he has the past three seasons.
Washington does have some playmakers on offense at least with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson, and Antonio Gibson. The questions are whether or not their offensive line will give Wentz time to throw and if he can be counted on when it matters most.
Defensively, they have been solid in recent years but the offense could continue to hold them back.
23. New York Jets
Zach Wilson had quite the offseason after an ex-girlfriend accused him of staying a little too loyal to the Cougars. The New York Jets quarterback took all the unexpected media attention in stride which is a good sign since media attention will be the norm in the market he plays in.
New York arguably had one of the best drafts this offseason, landing Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, and Breece Hall in the same class.
They have a lot of talent now, but it’s all young. This might not be their year but they still feel like a team that could end up making a huge leap very soon — provided their young additions develop as they should.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as a head coach, but he might have to pull off some magic this season in order to keep that impressive record going.
While it was time for him and the Pittsburgh Steelers to move on from Ben Roethlisberger (even if he suddenly doesn’t agree), they still don’t know for sure if they have their future starter.
Right now, Mitchell Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett will compete for the top job, and neither inspire a lot of confidence for the 2022 season.
They do still have a strong defense but with players such as Chase Claypool constantly giving opponents extra motivation to try and knock them down a peg, this could be a tough season for the Steelers.
21. New Orleans Saints
Another team going through a huge transition is the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Sean Payton decided to step away after the 2021 season and Dennis Allen is taking his place. The offensive staff remains the same, so they could have some continuity still.
However, we saw when Payton was suspended for Bountygate that it’s not as simple as running his scheme without him.
They struggled that year without him and that was with Drew Brees as a quarterback. This year, they will have Jameis Winston coming off a torn ACL.
The only saving grace for New Orleans is that the NFC is wide open beyond a couple of top-heavy teams, and they play in a division with two teams near the bottom of these rankings, which could also help.
20. Arizona Cardinals
A draft-day trade brought Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals and they’re going to need him with DeAndre Hopkins starting the season suspended. Brown did catch passes from Kyler Murray at Oklahoma, which will help, and Murray is happy after a drama-filled weekend led to him getting a massive contract.
Now, he has to prove he’s worth the $230 million he landed, and there are questions about that exact topic. Murray has been good but consistency has been a concern and he has yet to top 4,000 yards passing in a single season.
They’ll also be relying heavily on Murray and the offense after Chandler Jones left and they did very little to replace his production.
19. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are one of those teams that are just on the cusp. They were 7-9 two years ago followed by 8-9 in 2021. They seem like a team that should have been better with stars such as Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, and Daniele Hunter under contract.
Of course, many will blame Kirk Cousins, but he’s been solid with 16,387 yards and an impressive 124-to-36 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past four seasons for Minnesota.
With a new coaching staff, they hope to finally reach their potential. They have the talent to be a winning team, but we need to see it all put together.
18. Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan has escaped a lot of criticism in his career. Don’t take that the wrong way, because he is a very good quarterback, but he’s also been the starter for an offense that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.
Not only that but the team he’s started for since 2008 decided he was worth just a third-round pick so the expectation that he might tear the league up with lesser targets than he had during his struggles from 2017 through 2020 seems to be a stretch.
They do at least have one of the best backs in the game in Jonathan Stewart, so maybe they can lean on him and find a way to win enough to get into the playoffs. They’re a good team but need to prove they can contend with this makeup.
17. Tennessee Titans
A.J. Brown wanted a new deal and the Tennessee Titans balked at the idea. While this was known, it was still a shock to see him traded during the 2022 NFL Draft. They did find a solid replacement in Treylon Burks from Arkansas, but it might be a lot to ask a rookie to step in and replace Brown from day one.
They did make an underrated move in adding Robert Woods, who will help, but overall, their offense doesn’t seem nearly as complete. Having said that, they have surprised us all before — like when they somehow landed the No. 1 seed a year ago, so maybe they end up doing it again. Or maybe, they finally run out of luck.
16. Cleveland Browns
This offseason, the Cleveland Browns went all-in when they traded three first-round picks for Deshaun Watson and then sent Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers. Watson is facing a suspension from the NFL which means the Browns will have to turn to Jacoby Brissett for a while.
The good news for them is that the early portion of the season is manageable — but the longer Watson misses, the tougher the schedule gets. Until we know for sure what his status is, it will be hard to rank this team.
With him, they’re legit contenders. They have elite players on either side of the ball in Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and Amari Cooper. But they need a superstar quarterback to go from a talented team to a contending one.
15. New England Patriots
Bill Belichick hardly ever tastes defeat, which is why the 2020 season felt so weird. But then, he landed Mac Jones in the draft and brought in a bunch of free agents and suddenly his New England Patriots were back in the playoffs.
They might not be back to the level they were with Tom Brady under center but they’re still a strong team that’s insanely disciplined and will never be an easy win for anyone.
They should once again hover around the 10-win mark this season, but with others in the AFC improving, it might be hard to get back in the postseason again.
14. Miami Dolphins
It feels harder to take the Miami Dolphins seriously after Tyreek Hill’s absurd claims that Tua Tagovailoa is a more accurate passer than Patrick Mahomes. Just look at the facts — Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the league right now, and teams are doing all they can to compete with Kansas City due to his ability to score in as few as 13 seconds.
Tua, on the other hand, has sat through nearly two years of speculation on whether or not his team could land Deshaun Watson to replace him.
There’s still time for him to prove he belongs in the NFL and adding Hill is going to help, but let’s not compare him to a league MVP until he proves he’s the answer for his own team.
Looking beyond what Hill said, this team isn’t bad overall. They have two great receivers in Hill and Jaylen Waddle and their No. 3 guy, Cedrick Wilson, is also a solid option. Throw in Mike Gesicki and an improved running game and they could make some noise.
13. Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams was a huge addition for the Las Vegas Raiders who suddenly boast an explosive offense. The one thing they were missing in 2021 was that No. 1 wideout, and with Adams there, the sky is the limit for this team.
Defensively, they’re banking on the addition of Chandler Jones and Denzel Perryman to allow them to slow done some of the high-powered offenses they will face in the AFC West — and they will need this to happen because they’re a good team but after Russell Wilson joined the Broncos, they might be the worst in their division.
That’s a testament to how good the West is, rather than a shot at Vegas.
12. Philadelphia Eagles
Nick Sirianni is an interesting dude. The Philadelphia Eagles head coach seemed incredibly uncomfortable in his opening presser, then raised some eyebrows when he started playing Rock, Paper Scissors with potential draft picks to test their competitiveness.
While his approach was unorthodox, he proved that he knew what he was doing by taking the Eagles to the postseason following a slow start to his rookie campaign. Now, they added some beef to their defensive line with Jordan Davis and brought in A.J. Brown to compliment DeVonta Smith.
The one question left is whether or not Jalen Hurts is their guy. Should he develop into a legit starter, Philly could become a problem.
11. Dallas Cowboys
One of the hardest teams to figure out is the Dallas Cowboys. They have a lot of talent — even after losing Amari Cooper, Randy Gregory, and Cedrick Wilson — but they just don’t inspire confidence.
Something about their approach is off — whether it’s that they have no urgency, or that there’s just a lazy country club atmosphere as Troy Aikman once famously said.
Dallas should be the favorites in the NFC East as long as they have Dak Prescott and their defense did improve vastly in 2021. They would be wise to use Tony Pollard over Ezekiel Elliott but since the owner is way too involved with the on-field aspect, that will never happen.
As long as Jerry Jones is around, they could be a good team but might not ever have the right focus to win it all.
10. San Francisco 49ers
Anytime the San Francisco 49ers are counted out, they wind up surprising us all. Last year, for example, they were third in the NFC West at 10-7 but then knocked off the 12-win Dallas Cowboys, shocked the 13-win Green Bay Packers, then nearly beat the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
Overall, Kyle Shanahan doesn’t have the most impressive record as a head coach (39-42) but when they’re healthy, this team is dangerous. Now heading into 2022, they’re turning to Trey Lance who could very well take them to the next level.
Lance has more upside than Jimmy Garoppolo, so if they were right in selecting him at No. 3 overall, they could be a contender for the next decade.
9. Baltimore Ravens
In an unexpected move, the Baltimore Ravens sent Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals and will now feature Rashod Bateman as their No. 1 wideout. Of course, Mark Andrews is still going to be the top target for Lamar Jackson — since he loves to throw to the tight ends.
Baltimore missed out on the postseason a year ago due to several injuries at key positions and as long as they can stay healthy this season, they should be back in the race for the AFC North title. one thing that may help in the effort to stay healthy is the improvement of their offensive line.
The Ravens added Tyler Linderbaum to play center in the draft and signed Morgan Moses to start at right tackle, shoring up two of their biggest weaknesses.
8. Denver Broncos
There were rumors for a couple of years that Russell Wilson and the Seahawks were headed toward a split. Then in the 2022 offseason, it finally happened as he was traded to the Denver Broncos.
They did lose Noah Fant in the trade which was less than ideal but there are still more than enough pass-catchers for Wilson to light it up in his new home.
Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Albert Okwuegbunam all had success with Teddy Bridgewater and should be even better with Wilson.
On defense, they added Randy Gregory which should help them get after the quarterback — and with Derek Carr, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes in their division, this is going to be very important.
7. Los Angeles Chargers
In his first two seasons in the NFL, Just Herbert has thrown for 9,350 yards with 69 touchdowns against 25 picks. He’s been a complete stud but unfortunately for the Los Angeles Chargers, it hasn’t been enough for them to find much success.
They were 9-8 in 2021 but just missed the postseason and are now 15-17 with Herbert as the starter. L.A. did retain Mike Williams while also adding Gerald Everett at tight end which should help. But what’s most important is the improvement they made on defense.
Los Angeles not only signed J.C. Jackson, who had 17 picks the past two seasons for New England, but they also landed Khalil Mack in a trade with Chicago. Mack might not be the stud he was a few years ago, but as the No. 2 pass rusher across from Joey Bosa, he could have a huge season.
6. Green Bay Packers
With Davante Adams in Las Vegas now, the Green Bay Packers are putting even more on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers. What’s making the pressure even greater on him is the lack of a true replacement.
Green Bay added Sammy Watkins in free agency and Christian Watson in the draft. Outside of that, they will be counting on Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard.
For most quarterbacks, this wouldn’t be enough, but Rodgers will likely have another MVP-candidate season. Throw in the fact that they added two first-round picks on defense to an already stout unit and Green Bay will probably once again finish with around 13 wins.
5. Kansas City Chiefs
Losing Tyreek Hill will be interesting for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was their big play threat while Travis Kelce was the one operating in the intermediate part of the field.
They brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster, who could be a better player in Kansas City than he was in Pittsburgh, but he doesn’t give them what Hill did.
With that being said, as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, this team has a real chance. He’s not only one of the best passers in the game, but he never gives up — just ask the Bills about how hard it was to finish them off in the postseason.
The division is much tougher this season but the Chiefs are still the favorites to come out on top.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
No team had as quick of a rise as the Cincinnati Bengals did in 2021. One year after Joe Burrow’s rookie season ended in a torn ACL, the Bengals turned into the hottest offense in the NFL. Burrow and his former collegiate teammate Ja’Marr Chase were on the same page from Week 1.
Chase ended up winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and the Bengals found themselves in the Super Bowl. They nearly pulled off the upset over L.A. as well, but their offensive line woes held them back.
The front office addressed this in the offseason by bringing in La’el Collins, Alex Cappa, and Ted Karras. Those moves could be enough to push them over the top as they aim to repeat as AFC champions.
3. Tampa Bay Bucs
For part of the offseason, it appeared the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be trending in the wrong direction. Tom Brady had announced his retirement and there was no clear successor behind him. Then, the seven-time Super Bowl winner decided he wasn’t done and came back.
As long as Brady’s there, Tampa Bay will be a contender. He might not have his good friend Rob Gronkowski any longer but with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage at receiver, he will have more than enough players to distribute the ball to.
Defensively, they lost a couple of big names such as Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul but got younger with Logan Hall and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. They’ll once again be a great team and it helps that their division isn’t that competitive.
2. Buffalo Bills
No team had a more frustrating end to the season than the Buffalo Bills did in 2021. They won the AFC East for the second season in a row following an 11-6 campaign. They then lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Kansas City Chiefs, despite an unbelievable performance from Josh Allen.
The Bills quarterback was unstoppable and continued to take his team down for one score after another, giving Buffalo a 36-33 lead after throwing his fourth touchdown pass of the night. With only 13 seconds left, it appeared they had the game won but then the defense let them down twice.
Not only did they allow Kansas City to get into field goal range but they also couldn’t get the ball back for the offense as Allen had to watch as they were defeated.
This led to a rule change for overtime, which is still terrible — the perfect answer is in the NCAA overtime rules but the NFL refuses to admit this and acts as though they know better. As for the Bills, they also went out and improved the defense by adding Von Miller and Kaiir Elam.
Throw in the fact that Gabriel Davis broke out as a star in the playoffs and they still have Stefon Diggs and this team could be one of the most exciting — and well-rounded — in the league.
Time will tell if it’s enough, but for now, they look like the top team in the No. 1 team in the AFC and come in at No. 2 in these 2022 NFL Power Rankings.
1. Los Angeles Rams
The reason teams such as the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns were willing to give up so much for new quarterbacks this offseason likely had a lot to do with the Los Angeles Rams and the success they had after making a bold move of their own.
Head coach Sean McVay wanted to get someone who he could truly win with, so he sent Jared Goff and two Round 1 picks to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford. The result was exactly what he hoped for as the Rams wound up winning it all.
Of course, they didn’t only win due to the presence of Stafford. They also had an elite defense led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey and also added some great veteran options in Von Miller and Odell Beckham, Jr. during the season.
While they hardly have any draft picks due to these trades, they still continue to make moves — like signing Allen Robinson in free agency to join Cooper Kupp. They also landed Bobby Wagner, who will instantly improve their linebackers corps.
Entering the 2022 season, the Rams are still the team to beat. And what makes them dangerous is the fact that if they don’t think they’re good enough to win it all, they will sell future assets to land their missing piece during the season.