Which NFL teams are the most underrated from every division heading into the 2022 season? We take a look at eight teams you shouldn’t sleep on.
Which NFL teams are getting slept on the most in the 2022 season? There are plenty of teams across the NFL deserving of the “underrated” label and we’re going to explore which ones deserve that label in each division.
Some of these candidates are obvious — teams that have just been bad in the last handful of years, rebuilding their roster and coaching staff and perhaps even overhauling the front office. Other candidates for the “underrated” label include teams that have been hiding in plain sight, maybe even making the playoffs or making it deep in the playoffs in recent years.
Being underrated doesn’t guarantee any sort of substantial success this coming season, but we could absolutely see some of these teams come out of nowhere to contend in their divisions or contend for Wild Card spots. Which NFL teams are the most underrated heading into the 2022 season? Let’s take a look at the top candidate from each division.
Most underrated NFL team from the AFC East: New England Patriots
Another NFL offseason means another offseason full of mostly doubt regarding the New England Patriots. The Patriots are annually one of the teams that I think a lot of people underestimate, and 2022 has been no different.
The Buffalo Bills are widely expected to be the favorites to come out of the NFC East. The Miami Dolphins, after two winning seasons in a row and the addition of Tyreek Hill, are expected to be major contenders in the AFC East as well. Even the New York Jets have received quite a bit of positive attention this offseason for a great draft class and free agency period.
The Patriots? What have they really done? They lost JC Jackson. They lost Josh McDaniels. Matt Patricia is apparently calling plays for the offense. Why is this team underrated?
The Patriots, not sure if anyone remembers this, made the playoffs last year. Mac Jones proved to be the perfect fit for this team at the QB position and he was unquestionably the top rookie quarterback in the league last year.
Despite the fact that people have lower expectations for the Patriots in 2022, this team is going to play smart offensively, they will run the ball effectively, they will be great on special teams, and they will be very good on defense.
Even with all of the changes in 2022, the Patriots will once again be a tough team and most people are sleeping on them.
Most underrated NFL team from the NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are typically one of the NFL’s most overhyped teams, but in 2022, I think people are sleeping on them a little bit. The Cowboys are going to be legitimate contenders in the NFL in 2022 and they’re sort of getting treated like they’re just going to contend for the NFC East and then just fizzle out again.
Not in 2022.
Dak Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and the Cowboys have something pretty rare for an NFL team these days — continuity on the coaching staff.
Despite the fact that they were two of the hottest candidates going into the 2022 NFL head coach cycle, both offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn returned to the Cowboys for the 2022 season as teams went in different directions. Although they didn’t receive head coaching gigs in this cycle, both Moore and Quinn are still great assistants and they are both in really ideal roles for the time being.
Can the Dallas Cowboys end decades of championship drought in 2022? That remains to be seen. I’m not sure I’m willing to bet on the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl or anything, but in the NFC, I think they are strong contenders at least to get to the final four.
Dallas has all of the primary ingredients:
- Star quarterback
- An elite WR
- A game-changing defensive star
- Continuity on the coaching staff
The Cowboys undoubtedly have a lot to prove as a team overall, but there’s a lot going for them that I think NFL prognosticators are sleeping on simply due to the fact that they are the Cowboys and they haven’t exactly shown up in the postseason anytime recently.
Most underrated NFL team in the NFC South: Carolina Panthers
I think a lot of people will look at sleeper teams in the NFC South and automatically pick the New Orleans Saints. The Saints do have a lot going for them, including a revamped wide receiver room with a healthy Michael Thomas. There are two primary reasons for the Saints not getting picked over the Carolina Panthers as the NFC South’s most underrated team, though.
- I’m not overly confident in Jameis Winston
- Sean Payton is gone
One of those factors is purely subjective, but Jameis Winston hasn’t done a lot in his NFL career to inspire a lot of confidence either.
I have more faith in Baker Mayfield, which may sound hypocritical based on my stance on Jameis Winston, but Baker has had better success more recently than Winston, whose hot start to the 2021 season could have just as easily been a mirage as anything else.
To be fair, there’s not really a perfect candidate in the NFC South. While I like the Panthers’ roster overall — especially if they are fully healthy on both sides of the ball — I am not confident in their coaching staff led by Matt Rhule.
It just feels a bit like Rhule might have one eye on college football as his NFL career hangs in the balance.
With that being said, I have the Panthers as the most underrated NFC South team strictly due to their roster right now. There’s a lot of young talent here and general manager Scott Fitterer has made some big swings for the fences the last couple of years. It’s hard not to like the potential of an offensive unit that includes Mayfield, Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and role players like Robbie Anderson, Terrace Marshall, Rashard Higgins, and tight ends Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble.
There’s plenty to like on this Panthers’ roster if all of these guys play up to their potential and stay healthy.
Most underrated NFL team in the AFC South: Houston Texans
If you’re a Houston Texans fan, it’s got to feel like there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. The Texans were one of the league’s most exciting teams back in 2019 but in the years that have followed, they have been a complete mess.
JJ Watt was released. DeAndre Hopkins was traded. Deshaun Watson got into a ton of trouble, sat out the 2021 season, and was traded in 2022. With Watson gone, however, things seem to have taken a turn for the better in Houston.
The Texans acquired an absolute king’s ransom for Watson from the Cleveland Browns and could reap a huge early reward from that trade if Watson is suspended for the 2022 season like the NFL apparently wants. As far as draft capital goes, the Texans are sitting pretty. As far as everything else?
It’s a work in progress, but general manager Nick Caserio has done a good job of revamping this roster, almost approaching the rebuild like he was building an expansion team.
The Texans made Davis Mills their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he played as well or better than most rookie quarterbacks last year. The Texans moved on from David Culley this offseason, but retained Lovie Smith as the team’s head coach and Pep Hamilton as the offensive coordinator.
The progression of Mills will be something to watch and keeping that continuity on the coaching staff is extremely helpful for Houston. The Texans have one of the league’s most underrated offensive weapons in Brandin Cooks. They have a rookie running back in Dameon Pierce that could contend for offensive rookie of the year (you know, if it goes to someone besides a QB).
They have a young stud coming off the edge in Jonathan Greenard, and they now have a key building block for the secondary in rookie Derek Stingley Jr., who has been very impressive so far at training camp.
Perhaps most importantly, the Texans have built a solid-looking offensive line, which could be extremely helpful with the development of all the young pieces on that side of the ball.
For the first time in what feels like forever, I think the Houston Texans are weekly must-see TV with all of the intriguing pieces they now have in place.
Most underrated NFL team in the NFC North: Detroit Lions
I don’t know how many times I can do it, but I’m going to keep hyping up the Detroit Lions as one of the NFL’s most underrated teams. After Hard Knocks, I’m not so sure the Lions are going to be overrated anymore. NFL fans that watch the show are going to be enamored by the great personalities on this team, both the players and coaching staff alike.
There’s just a lot to like, even if Dan Campbell is a little over the top at times.
These guys played really hard last year, and now you combine that with a lot of talent coming into the fold on both offense and defense.
Offensively, the Lions did a great job of adding to the offensive line the last handful of years and I think the offensive line they have in place could be one of the best in the NFL in 2022. The area this team has really improved the most is in the playmaker department. Jared Goff has some outstanding weapons to spread the ball to with Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, and first-round pick Jameson Williams whenever he’s healthy and ready to roll.
Not to mention, the Lions have one of the best tight ends in the game in TJ Hockenson and a stud running back in D’Andre Swift who has yet to realize his full potential. The Lions also have a very good RB2 in Jamaal Williams who can give them a potent two-headed monster at that position.
Defensively, the Lions are getting back a healthy Jeff Okudah along with adding 2022 top pick Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions spent a lot of capital the last couple of offseasons investing in that defensive front, and they’ll be fast, physical, and nasty in that regard.
They may not be good enough for a winning record just yet but don’t be shocked if the Lions finish second in the NFC North this year.
Most underrated NFL team in the AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
Finding the most underrated team in the AFC North wasn’t hard at all. I think people are sleeping very soundly on the Baltimore Ravens heading into the 2022 season and they shouldn’t be.
The Ravens won 14 regular season games just a couple of years ago. They won eight games last year and lost a handful of those nine games by one possession or in overtime. The Ravens have a lot going for them that I think will lead to tremendous success in 2022, so let’s look at a few of those factors.
The first factor is the X-factor of this team — Lamar Jackson. Jackson has certainly heard all of the negative noise surrounding his name in recent years, whether people are out there criticizing his passing abilities, the fact that he is self-represented with no agent, or the fact that his play overall has diminished in each of the last two years.
Although there’s some truth to some of those statements, Jackson has proven himself to be one of the most valuable players in the league when he’s at his very best, and in 2019, we saw one of the craziest seasons you might ever see from an individual player.
Jackson and the Ravens were 32nd in the NFL in passing attempts and 1st in the league in passing touchdowns. Jackson’s efficiency was off the charts.
Unfortunately, that was then and this is now. Jackson and the Ravens are coming off of a down year collectively, but they have reloaded. The Ravens are healthy at running back. The offensive line has been revamped.
Perhaps the most impressive part of this roster — the secondary — is healthy and has a couple of key new faces in safeties Marcus Williams and rookie Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens are going to play fast. They’re going to be tough, and with Lamar Jackson and the massive chip on his shoulder, I think the Ravens are going to steamroll the AFC North.
Yes, that includes the reigning AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
Most underrated NFL team in the NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
It’s tough to really gauge where the San Francisco 49ers are or where they’re going to be as a team in 2022. The 49ers made the NFL’s final four last year and they’ve done that twice in the last three NFL seasons. Just based on that alone, I think the 49ers are one of the most underrated teams in the entire NFL.
The primary reason why this 49ers team is underrated? They’re making a major quarterback change. San Francisco decided last offseason that Jimmy Garoppolo was no longer the franchise QB of the future for them and they made a bold move up the draft board to get North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
The idea of putting an incredible talent like Trey Lance within Kyle Shanahan’s offense? That has the potential to be a big-time pairing considering how innovative Shanahan is, how smart he is about utilizing the players on his roster, and just how gifted Lance is physically. After having a year to digest the playbook, the 49ers are now Trey Lance’s team.
That is probably the most significant contributing factor to the 49ers going from one of the NFL’s final four teams to being a team that most people are sleeping on. Are the 49ers going to make it to the NFL’s final four again? I don’t know about that. If that’s where expectations are set, I think fans are setting up for a letdown.
With that being said, most of the focus in the NFC West is understandably on the Los Angeles Rams, the reigning Super Bowl champions. However, not enough attention is being paid to the 49ers, who have outstanding weapons on offense, and just a really fast defense that is extremely well-coached by coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
There’s a lot to love about the 49ers in 2022, especially if you buy into the Trey Lance hype.
Most underrated NFL team in the AFC West: Denver Broncos
Looking at the AFC West in the 2022 offseason, it’s kind of difficult to call any of the teams “underrated”. At this point, it feels like every team has received their fair share of hype, including the Denver Broncos who made a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson in the 2022 offseason.
The trade to acquire Russell Wilson was certainly one of the biggest moves made by any team in the entire 2022 offseason, but why was it so significant for the Broncos? Well, this is a team that has pretty consistently over the last couple of years been considered a “quarterback away”. The Broncos have made plenty of upgrades to the roster since 2018 and were finally in a position this year to make such a huge move.
General manager George Paton talked about the readiness of the roster to bring in a player like Russell Wilson, and frankly, Wilson wouldn’t have chosen to come to Denver if they weren’t a good enough roster to leave everything he’d helped build in Seattle.
With Wilson in the fold, the Denver Broncos are immediately title contenders but they are in a very tough division with one of the juggernauts of the AFC — the Kansas City Chiefs. This offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers have received a ton of national publicity and hype because of young star quarterback Justin Herbert, and understandably so. The Las Vegas Raiders also made a blockbuster trade of their own, reuniting old Fresno State teammates Derek Carr and Davante Adams.
The Broncos’ move for Russell Wilson certainly hasn’t been buried in the headlines, but as far as being underrated goes, I think a lot of people are trying to downplay the rest of the roster now that Wilson has arrived in the Mile High City. It’s easy to forget that the Broncos have some budding stars on both sides of the ball and with Wilson’s arrival, this team should be back to where it was before Peyton Manning retired.