The NFL preseason is finally back underway, with the Las Vegas Raiders beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-11 in the annual Hall of Fame Game to get new head coach Josh McDaniels’ tenure off to a winning start, and excitement is quickly growing for the regular season —which starts with the Vince Lombardi Trophy holders the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills at the SoFiStadium on September 9th.
While those two franchises are good options to win the Super Bowl if you’re looking for something of value to spend your Betfair welcome offer bet 10 get 30 on, there are several sides that could cause upsets this season. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at four franchises who might surprise a few in the 2022 campaign — not by necessarily winning Super Bowl LVII, but by exceeding expectations.
Las Vegas Raiders
Speaking of the Raiders, they make our underdog list. Despite bringing in McDaniels from the New England Patriots, where he served as offensive coordinator since 2012, and one of the best wide receivers in the sport Devante Adams, the Raiders are tipped to finish bottom of the AFC West.
The Vegas-based franchise finished second to their rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, to make the playoffs last season, and although both the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos have both improved this offseason as well, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Raiders up there behind the Chiefs again this year.
Minnesota Vikings
After two years of missing the playoffs, finishing 7-9 and 8-9, the Minnesota Vikings could be one of the most improved franchises going into this season. Mike Zimmer was fired after eight years as the Vikings’ head coach and former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has come in in his place.
With a good offensive line that includes quarterback Kirk Cousins and WRs Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and some much-needed improvements to a defense that ranked 30th last year, the Vikings look to be on the up and are being backed as second favorites in the NFC North.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins sent shockwaves through the NFL when they made the pre-draft trade for Tyreek Hill —giving the Chiefs first-, second- and fourth-round picks in the 2022 draft and fourth– and sixth-round picks in next year’s for one of the best wide receivers in the game.
It’s a big gamble to give away so many picks, but Hill offers such a threat to the Dolphins’ previously poor offensive line and he could help improve the promising Tua Tagovailoa as he goes into his third year. New head coach Mike McDaniel is arguably another risky move by the Dolphins, but they could grab second over the Patriots in the AFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles
Another franchise that reached the playoffs last season, the Philadelphia Eagles finished second to the Dallas Cowboys (9-8) before losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-15 in the Wild Card playoffs.
The NFC East is looking like one of the worst divisions this coming season and an Eagles side on the rise could take full advantage. Jalen Hurts, going into his third year, appears to be improving season-on-season and with the arrival of A.J. Brown alongside DeVonta Smith, the 24-year-old has two good targets.