AFC West on top of NFL divisional power rankings, plus 2022 travel miles tracker and stars missing from OTAs
Hello and happy Wednesday to all. John Breech is busy agonizing over his big prediction for the Bengals’ season (more on that below), so I, Cody Benjamin, am here to guide you through all the latest from around the NFL.
This is the Pick Six Newsletter. Now let’s get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don’t want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)
We’ve got AFC North predictions, holdout updates, and much more:
- Today’s show: Projecting AFC North win totals
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John Breech joined Will Brinson on Wednesday’s “Pick Six NFL Podcast” to predict records for all four AFC North contenders in 2022. Some highlights:
- Breech isn’t shy about projecting another big Bengals season, suggesting their worst-case scenario in 2022 is a repeat of their 10-7 finish of 2021, when they ultimately advanced all the way to the Super Bowl.
- Brinson sees the Ravens as a good value bet to win the division, especially after they went 8-9 in 2021 despite tons of injuries.
- The guys agree that it’s almost impossible to bet on the Browns at this point, with a potential Deshaun Watson suspension looming; Breech believes the suspension will be “longer than shorter,” and Brinson feels an over bet on their projected 9.5-win total is unwise with Jacoby Brissett possibly on track to start under center.
Catch the entire episode (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.
2. Holdout tracker: Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield among no-shows
Big names across the NFL are steering clear of organized team activities (OTAs) for various reasons. Can’t keep track of them all? Tyler Sullivan has you covered with a rundown of all the notable players no-showing their respective practices:
3. Insider notes: AFC West headlines divisional power rankings
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CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora has ranked all eight divisions from first to worst ahead of the 2022 season. Not surprisingly, after such a busy offseason, the AFC West headlines the pecking order:
Do I really need to belabor this point? Did you pay attention to the offseason? And yeah, the Chiefs still reside here. And they have been good for at least the AFC title game since Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes started hanging out on a regular basis. Any of the other three teams may be able to make a case for most improved, and I don’t think anyone would blink if at least three of these four are in the expanded postseason. I’m gonna go ahead and crown ’em here.
- AFC West
- AFC North
- NFC West
- AFC East
- NFC South
- NFC North
- AFC South
- NFC East
4. 2022 travel miles tracker: Buccaneers get brutal schedule
Wondering which teams have to travel the farthest (and the least) this coming season? Wonder no more, because John Breech has you covered with a full rundown. Tom Brady’s squad gets the biggest hurdle when it comes to traveling this year, as he notes:
The Buccaneers will be traveling a total of 26,562 miles this season, which is more than the Steelers, Ravens and Lions will travel combined this season (23,052 miles). The Buccaneers’ biggest trip in 2022 will be a flight to Munich in November where they’ll play the NFL’s first game in Germany. On that flight alone, the Buccaneers will rack up more travel mileage than six teams will for the entire season. The flight to Germany and back will cover 9,992 miles, which is almost fitting, because Tom Brady holds roughly 9,992 NFL records.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Steelers will be traveling just 6,512 miles for the entire season. This year will mark the fourth time since 2014 that the Steelers have traveled the fewest miles, and it’s probably worth noting that in each of the three prior years (2014, 2016, 2017), they ended up winning the division.
5. Burning questions for AFC and NFC North
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The new season is fast approaching, and there are lots of big questions to be answered in the AFC and NFC North.
NFC North (Cody Benjamin):
- Bears: Can QB Justin Fields overcome his supporting cast?
- Lions: What’s going on at QB for the long term?
- Packers: How will Aaron Rodgers thrive without Davante Adams?
- Vikings: Can Kevin O’Connell eclipse the team’s wild-card ceiling?
AFC North (Bryan DeArdo):
- Bengals: Can they match last year’s success?
- Browns: Where will Baker Mayfield end up?
- Ravens: Is there enough help for Lamar Jackson?
- Steelers: Who will be the Week 1 starting QB?
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Steelers’ new GM, Garoppolo trade update
Hungry for more headlines? You came to the right place:
