Act Like You Know What You’re Talking About With Wagerbop’s 2022 NFL Futures Preview

The NFL season is fast approaching. You’re deep in baseball mode – or maybe “no sports” mode and are in desperate need of a refresher.

What’s that quarterback’s name? Are they supposed to be good this year? Shoot, who just played in the conference championship games?

We get it. There is so much to follow. One man can’t be a year-round expert in all 4 major sports.

That’s why Wagerbop is back with our annual July NFL futures preview – breaking down the important stuff for all 32 NFL teams – yes, even the crappy ones.

Need a brief review of last year? Division odds? Super Bowl odds? Over/under season win totals? We … got … you!

Immerse yourself back into the world of the NFL today and then impress your friends with your memory as you chit chat about pro pigskin this weekend. Let’s get started!

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams

2021 Results: 12-5. Super Bowl LVI winners.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +125 to win West / +1100 (5th-best) to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 10.5

Story of Last Year: Stafford looked amazing in his first year with LA – throwing for the 3rd-most yards and 2nd-most TDs in football. The Rams lived and died with Stafford’s high volume as he also led football in interceptions thrown.

What to Look for in 2022: The Rams made the Super Bowl in 2019 and many thought it was the beginning of a dynasty until the league adjusted to McVay’s offense. The Rams once again had the upper hand last year after the acquisition of Stafford. Let’s see if McVay can be innovative enough in his 2nd year with Stafford under center to maintain an edge over the league’s defenses.

San Francisco 49ers

2021 Results: 10-7. Lost to Rams in NFC Championship.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +150 to win West / +1600 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: The 49ers were fun to root for in last year’s postseason. Their terrific defense was their strength – allowing the 3rd-fewest yards per game in the NFL. Offensively, the Garoppolo-to-Samuel connection was intact all season long as Deebo went off for 1,405 receiving yards (5th-most in football).

What to Look for in 2022: With Jimmy G out the door – the Trey Lance era has officially dawned in Santa Clara. Top wideout Deebo Samuel is still in contract negotiations which is mildly concerning for SF. Defense should continue to be the strength of the 49ers in 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

2021 Results: 11-6. Lost Wild Card Round to Rams.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +400 to win West / +3500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 8.5

Story of Last Year: The Cardinals began 2021 a perfect 7-0 with dual-threat QB Kyler Murray posting Herculean stats each game. The league then began to figure Arizona out as the Cards were 4-6 in their last 10. Arizona entered their Wild Card matchup with the Rams as large dogs – getting crushed 34-11.

What to Look for in 2022: The clause included in Kyler Murray’s contract extension is the talk of the NFL. Apparently, Murray struggles with focusing on his homework and can’t be trusted to watch film independently. Coverage of this development by the major networks has been very amusing. How Kyler fares in 2022 amid this unique distraction will be interesting.

Seattle Seahawks

2021 Results: 7-10. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +1800 to win West / +15000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 5.5

Story of Last Year: We were reminded time and time again that this is not the Seahawks team of old. Russ was no longer cooking so Seattle decided to move on.

What to Look for in 2022: The Seahawks play in the toughest division in the NFC. They were not winning games last season with Russell Wilson. Without him, Seattle is projected for 5.5 wins – making them preseason favorites to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year.

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2021 Results: 13-4. Lost to Rams in Divisional Round.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: -300 to win South / +700 (2nd-best) to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 11.5

Story of Last Year: Tom Brady balled out in 2021 – leading the league in both passing yards and TDs while posting the 2nd-best QBR. The Bucs found themselves in a 24-point hole in the NFC Championship Game. They battled all the way back before falling 30-27 on a walk-off field goal. Tom Brady’s retirement was announced in the days following this game before it was revealed this was fake news – much to the relief of the Tampa faithful.

What to Look for in 2022: Tom Brady, duh! TB12 is back for his age-45 season. His 2021 stats were among some of the best of his career. Is it possible Brady is peaking in his mid-40s? At this point, can anyone say they hate the guy? It sucks to have to oppose Tom Brady, but he’s hard to root against.

New Orleans Saints

2021 Results: 9-8. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +350 to win South / +4500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 8.5

Story of Last Year: Solid defense kept New Orleans in games last season – ranking 7th in the NFL in yards allowed per game. Inconsistency on offense – especially at the quarterback position – has plagued the Saints ever since the retirement of Drew Brees following the 2020 season.

What to Look for in 2022: Jameis Winston played in 7 games at QB in 2021 – posting an excellent ratio of 14 passing TDs to 3 picks. Winston figures to be the Week 1 starter for 1st-year HC Dennis Allen (following the retirement of 16-year HC Sean Payton). If New Orleans revives championship-form Jameis they could be dangerous in 2022.

Carolina Panthers

2021 Results: 5-12. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +1000 to win South / +15000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 6.5

Story of Last Year: A 3-0 start morphed into a 5-12 season as Carolina lost 7 straight to end 2021. When the dust settled, we looked back and realized their 3 early wins were against the Jets, Saints, and Texans. We then felt embarrassed for getting our hopes up.

What to Look for in 2022: This impending quarterback battle, man! Panthers GM Scott Fitterer acquired former 1-1 pick Baker Mayfield for all the change in the Fitterer family minivan cupholders. This creates a 3-way battle between Mayfield, (last year’s quarterback) Sam Darnold, and Matt Corral. It’d be hilarious to watch Mayfield fail again, but it’d also be super cool to watch him lead the Panthers to a 14-3 record and a first-round bye.

Atlanta Falcons

2021 Results: 7-10. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +2800 to win South / +20000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 4.5

Story of Last Year: Very forgettable. The Falcons savvily avoided news coverage by failing to win back-to-back games and also refusing to lose more than 2 in a row. They were never a postseason contender nor a favorite for a high draft pick.

What to Look for in 2022: Honestly, more of the same. The Falcons’ 4.5-win total set by Vegas is the lowest in the league. Their franchise QB “Matty Ice” is now in Indy. The only team receiving longer preseason odds to win their division in 2022 is the Houston Texans.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers

2021 Results: 13-4. Lost to 49ers in Divisional Round.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: -175 to win North / +1000 (3rd-best) to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 10.5

Story of Last Year: Aaron Rodgers continues to do Aaron Rodgers things. The Pat McAfee Show regular held the best QBR in the land last year while throwing for the 4th-most TDs. His top wideout – Davante Adams – racked up the 3rd-most receiving yards in football before saying sayonara and heading to Vegas. Green Bay nabbed the 1st-round bye in the NFC but came out flat in the Divisional Round – losing 13-10 in an ugly one to the 49ers.

What to Look for in 2022: The Pack are fortunate they play in a weak division because they wouldn’t be preseason faves in many of the divisions around football. The departure of Davante Adams is absolutely cause for concern in Green Bay. Nobody knows how the Packers offense is going to look this year. Rodgers will turn 39 during the 2022 season. For how much longer can Green Bay count on him to carry? If not for the 4 (nearly) free wins versus the Bears and Lions they can count on, we might be looking at another Seattle Seahawks situation here.

Minnesota Vikings

2021 Results: 8-9. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +265 to win North / +4000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: About what we expected from Kirk Cousins – good but not great. He was prone to some horrible passing games. At his best, though, Cousins was hooking up with Justin Jefferson a lot – as the then-22-year-old was 2nd in the NFL in receiving yards. Minnesota balanced this air attack with Dalvin Cook who rushed for the 5th-most yards in football.

What to Look for in 2022: Minnesota’s defense was complete trash in 2021 – allowing the 3rd-most yards per game in the league. At this point, we know what we’re going to get out of Kirk Cousins. We need to monitor the Vikings’ use of Dalvin Cook as it appears Minnesota is trying to ease off the throttle with their 26-year-old back.

Detroit Lions

2021 Results: 3-13-1. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +1000 to win North / +15000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 6.5

Story of Last Year: First year HC Dan Campbell was tasked with rallying a depleted Lions franchise to victory. He did not succeed until Week 13 in a shootout win over the Vikings. One bright spot for Detroit was rookie wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown who played in all 17 games – catching 90 passes for 912 yards and 5 TDs.

What to Look for in 2022: Hoping that the 2nd season of collaboration between HC Dan Campbell and his QB Jared Goff will prove more fruitful than the first. Detroit added Aidan Hutchinson (DE, Michigan) and Jameson Williams (WR, Alabama) in the 2022 Draft.

Chicago Bears

2021 Results: 6-11. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +1100 to win North / +15000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 6.5

Story of Last Year: Chicago still managed to beat my Lions on Thanksgiving even though the Bears sucked in 2021. Justin Fields’ transition into pro football was not a smooth one.

What to Look for in 2022: This Bears’ offense will go as far as Justin Fields can carry them. Defense was certainly not the problem in 2021 as Chicago allowed the 6th-fewest yards per game to opposing offenses.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

2021 Results: 12-5. Lost in Wild Card Round to 49ers.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +135 to win East / +1800 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 10.5

Story of Last Year: Yeah, Dallas won their division but nobody trusted them to make a deep postseason run … and our distrust was justified as the Cowboys were ousted by the 6-seed Niners in the Wild Card Round. This makes 26 years (and counting) since Dallas has last played in a conference championship game.

What to Look for in 2022: One last hoorah for this Cowboys’ core. If it doesn’t work out this season, Jerry Jones should realize that Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and a mediocre defense which ranked 19th in yards allowed last year is not a championship recipe.

Philadelphia Eagles

2021 Results: 9-8. Lost in Wild Card Round to Buccaneers.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +160 to win East / +2500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: The Eagles refused to quit – nabbing the 7-seed on the final week of the season. Jalen Hurts was fun to watch, but his erratic play made the Eagles very prone to off-nights. This was evidenced when Philly went into Tampa on Wild Card Weekend and was down 31-0 after 3 quarters.

What to Look for in 2022: This is a make-or-break year for Hurts. Philly might need to move on if the Alabama-product can’t string together consistent, strong performances. Also, did you notice the Eagles’ logo is the only one facing left in the entire league?

Washington Commanders

2021 Results: 7-10. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +500 to win East / +7000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 7.5

Story of Last Year: The drama surrounding the name change was more exciting than Washington’s on-field play in 2021.

What to Look for in 2022: Washington picked up Carson Wentz this offseason – a man they believe can carry the team deeper into the postseason than their former QB Taylor Heinicke. This will make the Commanders moderately entertaining to watch as the 2022 season gets underway.

New York Giants

2021 Results: 4-13. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +800 to win East / +12500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 7.5

Story of Last Year: Terrible. Awful. Afterthoughts.

What to Look for in 2022: There’s a QB battle brewing in the Big Apple between Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. Neither gunslinger will make the Giants a contender, but the nation is probably pulling for Taylor after the unfortunate way he lost his Chargers job.

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs

2021 Results: 12-5. Lost in AFC Championship to Bengals.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +175 to win West / +1000 (3rd-best) to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 10.5

Story of Last Year: Riding Patrick Mahomes until he keeled over. The Chiefs had a so-so running game and a terrible defense. Mahomes ranked 4th in both passing yards and passing TDs in 2021 because he had to. Kansas City’s playcalling became very predictable in high-leverage spots. Everyone knew Mahomes was going to roll out and try to throw on his last drive against the Bengals in the AFC Title game.

What to Look for in 2022: Mahomes is the best QB in the AFC, but this preseason is easily the most uncertain of the young gunslinger’s career. He lost Tyreek Hill. Also, his defense sucks. Also also, Andy Reid’s play calls aren’t working as well as they used to. KC is still a solid ball club but not everyone is high on them in 2022 like they were in year’s past.

Los Angeles Chargers

2021 Results: 9-8. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +220 to win West / +1400 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 10.5

Story of Last Year: Justin Herbert was incredible – announcing his emergence into the upper echelon of quarterbacks with 5,014 passing yards (2nd-most in football). Much like the Chiefs, LAC had tremendous quarterback play without much in the way of a running game or a defense. The Chargers tried to out-Chief the Chiefs and they failed.

What to Look for in 2022: Can Herbert step back up to the plate in 2022 and prove last season was no fluke? Vegas is projecting both KC and LAC for the same number of wins. It is elite talent like this which makes the AFC West the best division in the conference.

Denver Broncos

2021 Results: 7-10. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +260 to win West / +1600 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 10.5

Story of Last Year: Pedestrian results in a tough division are better than terrible results in a tough division. The Broncos’ defense ranked 8th in yards allowed per game while their offense sputtered its wheels all season long.

What to Look for in 2022: Russell Wilson, baby!

Las Vegas Raiders

2021 Results: 10-7. Lost in Wild Card Round to Bengals.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +650 to win West / +3500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 8.5

Story of Last Year: Derek Carr playing just well enough to get his team into the postseason – no worse, no better. Oh yeah, and also a ton of controversy.

What to Look for in 2022: Geez, I don’t even know … probably watching to see who else gets busted for illegal or immoral things.

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts

2021 Results: 9-8. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: -120 to win South / +2200 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: Jonathan Taylor became a fantasy football god with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 TDs. It was ultimately not enough as the team absolutely collapsed down the stretch – squandering a 9-6 start to finish 9-8 and miss out on the postseason by 1 game.

What to Look for in 2022: Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan now lines up under center for the Colts – giving this team a completely new look. Ryan’s presence is enough for Vegas to name Indy the preseason favorites of the AFC South, but is a 37-year-old QB without any rings really anything to get excited about?

Tennessee Titans

2021 Results: 12-5. Lost in Divisional Round to Bengals.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +170 to win South / +3500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: Derrick Henry was on a historic pace before a broken foot put him on the shelf. Even without their stud running back, the Titans still managed to finish 12-5 and nab the lone 1st-round bye in the AFC. Tennessee then fell victim to the classic “coming out flat after a bye” pitfall as they got beat at home by the Bengals 19-16 in the Divisional Round.

What to Look for in 2022: Ryan Tannehill is back under center for Tennessee. His job is not to pass for 400 yards each game – it is to simply provide enough of a passing threat that the defense can’t stack 11 men in the box against Henry. Tannehill has proven his skills are adequate for this job.

Jacksonville Titans

2021 Results: 3-14. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +700 to win South / +12500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 6.5

Story of Last Year: The hilarity that was Urban Meyer’s NFL coaching career.

What to Look for in 2022: I think the entire football community will be rooting for Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville to win as many games as possible – thereby making Urban Meyer look as bad as possible.

Houston Texans

2021 Results: 4-13. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +3000 to win South / +25000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 4.5

Story of Last Year: People kept forgetting they played in the NFL.

What to Look for in 2022: Houston got rid of their best player. So now they’re actually worse and projected to finish with fewer wins than the team still recovering from the most damaging NFL coaching stint in history.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

2021 Results: 8-9. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +160 to win North / +2200 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: A Lamar Jackson ankle injury caused him to miss key games down the stretch and Baltimore couldn’t hang with the big boys – falling out of postseason contention.

What to Look for in 2022: Will 2022 finally be the year that Lamar puts it all together and leads his team deep into January? He’s certainly fun to watch, but is he a winner?

Cincinnati Bengals

2021 Results: 10-7. Lost in Super Bowl LVI to Rams.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +190 to win North / +2200 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 9.5

Story of Last Year: So fun to watch! The Bengals shocked us all by winning 10 games. Then they shocked us again by beating the Raiders, and then the Titans, and then the Chiefs! Cincy went on to give the Rams a run for their money in SB LVI – losing 23-20 – ending the best Cinderella run in recent memory.

What to Look for in 2022: Half of the NFL fans out there say the Bengals will never be able to replicate their 2021 success. The other half believes that Joe Burrow is special and a natural-born leader. I guess we’ll see …

Cleveland Browns

2021 Results: 8-9. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +275 to win North / +3000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: N/A (Vegas is waiting to post a line until we have more clarity on the Deshaun Watson situation)

Story of Last Year: Baker Mayfield continued to lose big games and the Browns never got any traction – falling out of postseason contention.

What to Look for in 2022: Never before have we seen more question marks surrounding a team in July than this year’s Browns. At this point, it’s not a question of if Watson will be suspended – rather how long.

Pittsburgh Steelers

2021 Results: 9-7-1. Lost to Chiefs in Wild Card Round.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +1000 to win North / +9000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 7.5

Story of Last Year: The rebuild has started. I mean, c’mon, they tied with the winless Lions.

What to Look for in 2022: The rebuild continues.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

2021 Results: 11-6. Lost to Chiefs in Divisional Round.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: -225 to win East / +600 (best) to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 11.5

Story of Last Year: The Bills emerged from the shadows and mugged the New England Patriots – robbing them of the right to be named the most feared team in the AFC. Buffalo went toe-to-toe with Kansas City in the Divisional Round – losing in overtime which quickly prompted the league to change to OT possession rules.

What to Look for in 2022: Some still maintain the Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC but Vegas sides with the Bills. Take it all in, Bills fans. Your team has never received this much respect from the football community in my lifetime.

Miami Dolphins

2021 Results: 9-8. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +450 to win East / +4000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 8.5

Story of Last Year: All I remember is that their coach couldn’t hack it.

What to Look for in 2022: Tua now has a brand new shiny toy in Tyreek Hill who has not been shy about bashing his former teammate Patrick Mahomes. It’s unfortunate that the Dolphins don’t have KC on the schedule in 2022 because that would be a grudge match worthy of our time. Maybe in the postseason …

New England Patriots

2021 Results: 10-7. Lost to Bills in Wild Card Round.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +500 to win East / +5000 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 8.5

Story of Last Year: New England did just enough to qualify for the postseason but were brutally reminded that they are no longer a “big boy” in the AFC. You know that 47-17 loss to Buffalo in the Wild Card Round has been eating at Bill Belichick this entire offseason.

What to Look for in 2022: Is Mac Jones the answer or should New England look elsewhere? C’mon Patriots!? How hard can it be to find another franchise quarterback to lead your team deep into the postseason for 20 straight years?

New York Jets

2021 Results: 4-13. No postseason.

2022 Bovada Division Odds / Super Bowl Odds: +2200 to win East / +12500 to win SB LVII

2022 Bovada Proj. Win Total: 5.5

Story of Last Year: No story – and they play in New York. That’s saying something.

What to Look for in 2022: I won’t be looking. The Jets are the 2nd-least interesting team in the NFL behind Houston.