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ESPN staff
We've deed the midway constituent of the 2022 NFL season. Nine weeks down, 9 to go. The archetypal fractional was filled with surprises, from teams connected unexpected playoff tracks to struggling seasoned quarterbacks. But a batch tin inactive hap implicit the 2 months remaining successful the regular season.
So we asked 17 of our NFL analysts for their champion prediction for the remainder of the play and however it volition play out. Will we spot shocking part winners and playoff teams? Will franchises we considered contenders successful the preseason yet get connected track? Will violative stars station immense numbers implicit their last 8 oregon 9 games -- oregon adjacent participate the grounds books? And which of the league's apical teams volition triumph it each successful February?
Let's foretell the 2nd fractional of the season, starting with a fantastic decorativeness for 1 of the game's apical pass-catchers.
Jump to:
Division winners | Turnaround teams
Surging WRs | Big-play RBs | QBs rising
Super Bowl contenders
Surging receivers
Tyreek Hill volition interruption the NFL's single-season receiving yardage mark
Hill leads the NFL successful receiving yards by 237, signaling 1,104 implicit the Miami Dolphins' archetypal 9 games. He is averaging 0.1 less yards per crippled than Calvin Johnson did during his historical 2012 campaign, erstwhile helium acceptable the single-season receiving grounds with 1,964. Hill is already connected way to reset the record, but Johnson's full came successful a 16-game season, truthful Hill has the further payment of a 17th crippled successful the expanded schedule.
Defenses person nary reply for the speedy Dolphins wideout, and Hill volition interruption the grounds earlier the extremity of the season. -- Field Yates, NFL analyst
George Pickens volition decorativeness arsenic a top-20 phantasy receiver successful the 2nd half
The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie had the team's fourth-most targets (43) anterior to the Week 9 bye, down Diontae Johnson (76), Chase Claypool (50) and Pat Freiermuth (48). But by trading Claypool to the Bears, Pittsburgh is signaling that it's acceptable to grow Pickens' relation successful the offense.
This season, Steelers backmost Kenny Pickett has a 92.2 QBR erstwhile targeting Pickens. And 26.9% of his catches person gone for 20-plus yards, tied for 3rd astir successful the NFL among players with astatine slightest 40 targets. I deliberation Pickens adjacent has an extracurricular changeable astatine Offensive Rookie of the Year. -- Eric Moody, fantasy/betting writer
Kadarius Toney volition pb the Chiefs successful catches of 20-plus yards the remainder of the way
The caller Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver should look arsenic backmost Patrick Mahomes' apical heavy threat, reminding everyone wherefore the Giants selected him successful the archetypal circular of the 2021 NFL draft. He volition supply the Chiefs with immoderate of the explosive elements missing successful their passing crippled since Hill was traded to the Dolphins.
The Chiefs are presently tied with the Dolphins successful passing plays that summation 20 oregon much yards (36), but Toney volition instrumentality the big-play discourtesy to different level. Mahomes volition upwind up being precise pleased astir this pre-deadline trade. -- Jason Reid, Andscape elder NFL writer
Surprise part winners?
Jets volition triumph the AFC East
Yes, the New York Jets (6-3) volition bushed retired the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots for the part title. They haven't won their part since 2002, and ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) is giving them conscionable a 9.6% accidental to bash it. But New York is 4-0 connected the roadworthy and has 1 of the champion defenses successful the NFL.
I deliberation backmost Zach Wilson tin support the mistakes to a minimum, allowing the Jets to propulsion retired 1 of the closest divisions successful football. -- Damien Woody, NFL analyst
Falcons volition triumph the NFC South
Despite their mediocre show successful Thursday night's nonaccomplishment to Carolina, I similar the Falcons to look here. Atlanta continues to transcend each expectations, with its discourtesy presently eighth successful expected points added and 1 of lone 4 to people astatine slightest 2 touchdowns successful each crippled (Chiefs, Bills and Eagles). Sure, a struggling defence could beryllium the team's Achilles' heel, but the cardinal present for 4-6 Atlanta is simply a rest-of-season docket that is arguably easiest successful the league.
The Falcons' toughest crippled volition beryllium a Week 16 travel to Baltimore, but each different matchup is against a squad with a losing grounds (Bears, Commanders, Steelers, Saints, Cardinals and Buccaneers). Tampa Bay remains the favourite to look arsenic the part champ, but it whitethorn beryllium a situation for the Bucs with a much-tougher schedule. -- Mike Clay, phantasy writer
2:35
Field Yates dissects Justin Fields' caller emergence and recommends phantasy managers instrumentality with him for the duration of the season.
Seahawks volition triumph 12 games, assertion No. 2 effect successful the NFC
Quarterback Geno Smith's show is not a fluke, backed by a morganatic moving game, weapons connected the extracurricular and a QB-friendly system. And the Seattle Seahawks' defence has settled down implicit the past month, allowing little than 220 passing yards and 19 points per crippled successful the team's past 4 outings.
Seattle is already astatine 6-3, and its last 8 opponents connected the docket are a combined 30-37. The signifier is acceptable for the Seahawks to gain home-field vantage for the divisional round. -- Jeremy Fowler, elder NFL reporter
Quarterback up-and-downs
Jordan Love volition commencement astatine slightest 2 games for the Packers
I don't cognize if Aaron Rodgers is going to similar it, but I'm reasoning the 3-6 Green Bay Packers -- erstwhile mathematically eliminated from the playoffs -- request to unit themselves to not care. Per ESPN's FPI, Green Bay has an 8.3% accidental to marque the playoffs close now. They don't cognize whether Rodgers volition beryllium backmost adjacent season, and it's improbable they tin get him to archer them his intentions.
And they request to cognize what they person successful Love, their 2020 first-round pick. Love has lone 1 commencement since getting drafted astatine No. 26, and helium has lone 71 vocation throws. -- Dan Graziano, elder NFL reporter
Justin Fields volition decorativeness arsenic a top-five phantasy QB
The Bears backmost is presently sitting astatine No. 7 -- astir 30 points down the existent fifth-ranked backmost successful Jalen Hurts. But however tin you not emotion Fields' newfound confidence, arsenic good arsenic the Claypool summation to the Bears' offense. He is QB1 implicit the past 3 weeks, averaging much than 30 phantasy points per game. -- Anita Marks, fantasy/betting analyst
1:26
Field Yates breaks down wherefore Ezekiel Elliott isn't a prime phantasy enactment close now.
Both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers volition miss the playoffs
We privation to judge successful these legends and their teams -- the Bucs and Packers led the NFL successful preseason chances to marque the playoffs via ESPN's FPI -- but the grounds that they could some travel up abbreviated is growing. The Bucs person a accidental due to the fact that of a anemic part (71.1% to marque the postseason), and we conscionable saw yet different awesome Brady comeback past Sunday, but I volition instrumentality the NFC South tract implicit Tampa Bay. And the Packers look to beryllium successful excessively heavy of a spread astatine 3-6, struggling successful aggregate areas of the game. -- Doug Kezirian, betting analyst
Getting blistery astatine the close time
Buccaneers volition triumph six of 8 games, assertion the NFC South
I'm looking for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to marque a tally -- fueled by Tom Brady and the passing crippled -- and yet triumph 10 games this season. Despite a 4-5 commencement amid a disappointing scoring discourtesy and a defence that's showing its age, the Buccaneers tin inactive jell and rally down the GOAT.
As wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin get connected the aforesaid leafage with Brady, and arsenic the discourtesy evolves to amended acceptable what No. 12 wants, ticker the Buccaneers rip done the amazingly adjacent NFC South to look arsenic a playoff squad erstwhile again. ESPN's FPI is inactive giving Tampa Bay a 68.2% accidental to triumph the division. -- Matt Miller, NFL draught analyst
Chargers volition triumph out
Quarterback Justin Herbert volition pb the Los Angeles Chargers connected a 10-game winning streak to extremity the season, giving them an AFC West rubric and a location playoff crippled successful January. The archetypal triumph is already successful the rearview mirror, aft a 20-17 triumph against Atlanta connected Sunday.
Yes, ESPN's FPI gives Los Angeles a specified 3.6% accidental to triumph the division, and they are favored by the exemplary successful lone 5 of the last 9 games. But this is simply a talented roster, and I expect Herbert to instrumentality his crippled to different level arsenic the squad gets healthier successful the 2nd half. He tin adjacent enactment unneurotic a coagulated MVP case. -- Mike Tannenbaum, NFL analyst
Raiders volition decorativeness with astatine slightest 8 wins
Maybe adjacent nine, if things spell truly well. Either way, the Las Vegas Raiders are poised for a second-half resurgence. There's nary crushed their grounds should beryllium arsenic atrocious arsenic it is close present (2-6). Their long-standing violative enactment contented has been remedied, arsenic they fertile 16th successful walk artifact triumph complaint and sixth successful tally artifact triumph rate. And the discourtesy wide is inactive producing, ranking 12th successful violative expected points added per play.
The lone occupation is the defense. But thing turns astir a atrocious defence similar below-average quarterbacks. With the inexperienced Sam Ehlinger and struggling Russell Wilson adjacent up, I expect the Raiders' defence volition look astatine slightest a small amended successful the coming weeks. -- Seth Walder, analytics writer
Big-play moving backs
Christian McCaffrey volition pb each RBs successful scrimmage yards successful the 2nd half
McCaffrey accounted for 39.2% of the San Francisco 49ers' scrimmage yards successful their Week 8 triumph implicit the Rams aft being successful the gathering little than 2 weeks (149). Coach Kyle Shanahan is intelligibly going to trust heavy upon his caller moving backmost going forward, and the 49ers, contempt their injuries, fertile sixth successful yards per play (5.9).
If CMC stays healthy, his combined rushing and receiving endowment successful this violative strategy makes him the front-runner astatine the position. He already has 881 scrimmage yards. -- Stephania Bell, phantasy writer/injury specialist
Tony Pollard volition pb the Cowboys successful rushing the remainder of the way
Pollard upgrades the Dallas Cowboys' moving game. We tin spot it connected the tape. He brings much velocity and much explosive-play ability. The 2019 fourth-round moving backmost has led the team's backfield successful rushing successful 4 of the past six games (though Ezekiel Elliott did miss Dallas' Week 8 matchup), and his 6.2 yards per transportation this play is much than 2 yards amended than Elliott's mean (4.1).
Elliott outcarried Pollard successful the 7 games they were some progressive successful the archetypal half, 109-67, but look for Pollard to officially surpass Elliott arsenic the superior shot bearer successful Dallas successful the 2nd half. -- Matt Bowen, NFL analyst
Super Bowl contenders?
Eagles volition decorativeness the regular play astatine 17-0
I deliberation the Philadelphia Eagles tin tally the array and decorativeness the regular play undefeated. Just look astatine their schedule. Five of the Eagles' last 8 opponents person a grounds nether .500.
Philadelphia is presently the third-ranked squad successful ESPN's FPI. The exemplary favors the Eagles successful 8 of 9 remaining games -- each by much than a touchdown. The 1 projected nonaccomplishment is simply a roadworthy travel to Dallas successful Week 16, but it's a winnable crippled for Philly. -- Jordan Reid, NFL draught analyst
Andy Reid volition look his aged squad successful the Super Bowl
Philadelphia faces the shade of Christmas past successful Reid, present Kansas City's coach. The Eagles and Chiefs are among the apical teams successful each of their conferences and person matching 40.1% chances to scope the Super Bowl via ESPN's FPI (tied for the highest).
How bash they get there? I spot Ravens QB Lamar Jackson tormenting Steve Spagnuolo's defence until Mahomes Magic comes to the rescue successful the AFC Championship Game, portion the Eagles gaffe past the Niners successful overtime successful the NFC rubric matchup. That sets the signifier for the Super Bowl, wherever Reid's Chiefs meets the Eagles -- the squad helium went 130-93-1 with implicit 14 seasons arsenic their coach. -- Sal Paolantonio, nationalist NFL correspondent
Ravens volition triumph the Super Bowl
The Baltimore Ravens person a 5.9% accidental to triumph the Super Bowl, via ESPN's FPI, but I deliberation they tin triumph it all. John Harbaugh volition go the archetypal manager since Joe Gibbs to triumph championships with 2 antithetic quarterbacks, and Lamar Jackson past goes connected to reset the backmost declaration market. -- Seth Wickersham, elder NFL writer
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