With the NFL returning in September, we’ve looked back at the data from previous campaigns to reveal what fans can expect this time around.
With five different Super Bowl winners in as many years, there is all to play for ahead of the new term and here is our NFL 2022 season preview:
Which games will be the most one-sided?
The second week of the season could deliver one of its most uneven match-ups when the Baltimore Ravens host the Miami Dolphins. Games between these two have seen an average winning margin of almost 22 points; the highest of any combination this season with at least five previous iterations in the last decade.
In week three, we see the New England Patriots’ visit the Arizona Cardinals for what has been the least even intra-divisional encounter over the last 10 seasons, with a near-17 point average margin.
Which games will be the closest?
The Dallas Cowboys could be responsible for two of the three closest games this season. When they have met the Minnesota Vikings, the two teams have been separated by an average of just 3.4 points, while their encounters with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have usually been settled by a five-point margin.
Who is on the longest winning streak?
The Denver Broncos will have two opportunities this season to end the longest current winning streak in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs have beaten them 13 times in a row; one more than the second longest streak, enjoyed by the New England Patriots over the New York Jets.
How many teams will make the playoffs again?
Over the last 20 years, there have always been at least two different teams in the divisional play-offs from the previous season, and usually more. In three quarters of those seasons – 15 out of 20 – we have seen at least four teams in the final eight who didn’t get that far last time.
Even the reigning Super Bowl champions are not guaranteed to sustain another challenge. Only five of the previous 20 seasons have seen them reach the conference championships, while almost half – nine – failed to even make it to the divisional playoffs.
Which teams have the best play-off record?
There are nine teams who have reached the divisional playoffs at least seven times in the last 20 seasons. Despite missing out for three years in a row, the New England Patriots still have the best record with 14 appearances, including their five Super Bowl wins.
The next best record is that of the Green Bay Packers with 11 appearances and they are one of only two teams – the other being the Kansas City Chiefs – to have reached the divisional playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
Only two teams have failed to reach any of the last 20 divisional playoffs; the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins.
Punters can also check out our predictions for each NFL division this term:
AFC East preview
AFC North preview
AFC South preview
AFC West preview
NFC East preview
NFC North preview
NFC South preview
NFC West preview
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