We are just about a quarter of the way through the 2021-22 NFL season and there is plenty to talk about. This early in the season is truly too early to predict who the real contenders are. At this point last season we all would’ve put the Steelers on the contenders list, but we all know how their season actually turned out. This isn’t about the teams at the very top like Kansas City and Buffalo or the teams at the very bottom like New York or Jacksonville. Instead, this is a look at those teams floating above average thus far and who is going to trend upward, and who just got off to a hot start at’s going to fizzle out.
Contenders
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas is the most talented team in their division and should easily win the NFC East. That’s not saying much when the other three teams do not have winning records currently. Dak Prescott looks like he did before suffering the ankle injury last season. He has the second-best completion percentage in the league, having only throw two interceptions. A lot of their success can be attributed to their offensive line. On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys’ defense has been masters of the takeaway. Trevon Diggs has been balling so far this season. With five interceptions he leads the league with the next defender only having three. This style of play can be attributed to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. You can see similarities to Seattle’s Legion of Boom.
Green Bay Packers
After week one everyone was ready to call Aaron Rodgers washed. Well, he’s proven that’s probably not true at least for this season. After a dramatic offseason and a forgettable week one performance, the Packers are back on track to the playoffs. Since that loss, it has been three straight victories for Rodgers and company. The team bolstered up their defense this week after signing LB Jaylon Smith. Smith was released from Dallas this week after being surpassed by other players. It’s unclear how much time Smith will actually see on the field, but at least Green Bay is thinking about a run. After all of the offseason drama, it has to be comforting to fans to see everyone working towards the common goal of bringing the Lombardi back to Green Bay.
Arizona Cardinals
The lone undefeated team remaining has to be on the contenders list. It’s hard to fully trust the Cardinals because we’ve seen them start hot and fizzle out last season. Quarterback Kyler Murray now has AJ Green and DeAndre Hopkins to throw to while he is still dangerous with his legs. The Cardinals offense has scored at least thirty points in every game this season. Arizona takes on division rival San Francisco in QB Trey Lance’s debut game. This could be a breakout game for Arizona’s defense who has been above average but could also stand to improve especially with players like JJ Watt.
Pretenders
Denver Broncos
Two of Denver’s wins are against the Jets and Giants so they have yet to truly impress. They are coming off a tough loss to Baltimore and the cracks are already starting to show. Pat Shurmur is running another uninspired offense who refused to run the ball. Instead of focusing on why his team lost, Vic Fangio was calling out Baltimore for running a play instead of taking a knee.
Denver got good news this week after QB Teddy Bridgewater was cleared to play after suffering a concussion in last week’s game. The Broncos also catch a break with their schedule. They run into a flailing Pittsburgh team that can’t get out of its own way. Further proof that confidence is low in Denver, oddsmakers are calling it a toss-up.
Seattle Seahawks
In a crowded NFC West, the Seahawks will be the team on the outside. This past week Seattle had a big division win over San Francisco followed by a bigger loss to Los Angeles and that’s basically defined the start of their season. They have struggled to find their identity to start the season and the team was just given crushing news. Russell Wilson is expected to miss four to eight weeks with a finger injury he suffered in the loss to the Rams. In a really talented division that’s just too much time without their best layer to survive.
Cleveland Browns
The expectations for Cleveland have been sky high for the past few seasons and they have fallen short every season. They have star players on both sides of the ball, but they just keep falling short of the big game.
We found out this week that QB Baker Mayfield is playing with a partially torn labrum. He suffered the injury in his non-throwing arm during their game against Houston. The team and Mayfield have said the injury and the brace he is wearing have not affected his throwing ability. However, the numbers do not support that. He is ranked 26th in QBR in the league. With Jarvis Landry still out, it’s hard to believe this offense won’t continue to slip. Their schedule doesn’t help as they play a really good Los Angeles team. Mayfield will have to be able to keep up with Justin Herbert. The Cleveland rush game has been a bright spot. Currently, Cleveland is leading the league in rushing yards, rushing TDs, and rushing attempts.
