The Chargers are a darkhorse AFC squad in 2022

By Chinmay Kulkarni

The NFL has an embarrassment of riches with it comes to young, promising quarterbacks. Unfortunately, these players have all been thrown into the AFC like an insanely biased game of dart, turning it into a future bloodbath resulting in good teams getting unlucky, and those that catch lightning in a bottle. This year’s Cincinnati Bengals were no different, going from a losing team to winning the division and the conference while losing in the Superbowl.

However, I believe the odds of the Bengals reaching another Superbowl soon is highly unlikely, due to the sole purpose of tough competition in nearly every AFC division. Let’s look at some dark horse candidates that might make it to the AFC Championship game.

Los Angeles Chargers

The LA Chargers are a weird team, making some amazing plays at times, and completely biffing it in others. As one of the worst run defenses in the league, teams like the Raiders and Browns had a complete field day on the soft defense. Next season is likely to be a make-or-break year, as rumblings of Brandon Staley on the hot seat start to emerge while wasting Justin Herbert’s talent.

The Chargers must make the playoffs next year despite the extremely tough division with a potentially elite quarterback at every team depending on off-season signings (ahm Aaron Rodgers). However, they seem like the most likely to copy the Bengals formula, and therefore can still catch lightning in a bottle.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are certainly building something, having winning seasons under Tua despite having a questionable show front office. The signing of the next head coach Mike McDaniel seems to have the binary direction of either going extremely well or extremely poorly. However, unlike the Bears who keep hiring defensive minds, their new offensive head coach will need to create schemes to beat both the Bills and improved Patriots and Jets teams looking to better themselves in the off-season.

While I don’t expect the Dolphins to win the division, they’re still relevant as a wild card team provided they beat the plethora of weaker teams resulting from a relatively easy strength of schedule. However, it’s certain that Miami is building something, and more weapons around Tua will strengthen their case.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are historically one of the most consistent NFL franchises, making the relatively seamless transition between Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson. Unfortunately, this season’s struggles can be attributed to the plethora of injuries to the running game as well as defense. However, even with an absent team, the Ravens were the number one seed for a week this regular season. As one of the grittiest and most talented teams in the league, they should have a straight shot to the playoffs with an easy 2022 regular season. The only case against them ”“ their tough division.

Honorable Mention – New England Patriots

It’s even sacrilegious to say that the New England Patriots can’t flip a switch, taking them to a few divisional rounds or AFC Championship games. The first year for Mac Jones is considered nothing less than a smashing success, with the rookie making an appearance in the Pro Bowl after getting smacked around in the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills.

First, the Patriots must surround the quarterback with talent at the wide receiver and running back position. The Patriots haven’t been too keen to draft extreme playmakers at the receiving positions, but taking a younger prospect from the draft to learn and grow with Jones is a pattern with the plethora of other young quarterbacks in the AFC.