Which NFL teams could surprise and flatter to deceive in 2022?

The 2022 NFL offseason has been one to remember with several players and coaches finding new homes.

Teams that navigated the market wisely have reaped the benefits of being touted as serious challengers for the Lombardi on paper.

However, football isn't played on paper and many teams who are labelled "contenders" struggle to justify the hype surrounding them and underwhelm.

Today, we'll identify three such teams, who seem to destined to falter under the spotlight.

While we're at it, we'll also determine three teams who could shock the NFL landscape this season.

The disappointments

Arizona Cardinals

With only one playoff appearance to his name, coach Kliff Kingsbury is on the hot seat in 2022, following 4 seasons with the Cardinals, with little to no progress being made.

Last year saw the team start promisingly, in which the Cardinals won their first 7 games, the team quickly fizzled out, with their secondary being a cause for major concern, ranking 25th in passing TDs allowed, despite facing the 10th least passing plays.

Their early-season burst was enough to see the club limp into the playoffs, where they were shellacked by the eventual Superbowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, a performance in which QB Kyler Murray was widely criticized for his display, which included throwing a pick-six that many consider having ruined any chances of the Cardinals comeback.

The contract extension that Kyler Murray signed, which is worth over $200 million, also shed light on Murray's work ethic, as one can see with the clause demanding Murray study a minimum of 4 hours of game film, a clause which is unheard of in the NFL landscape.

Finally, with star WR DeAndre Hopkins being suspended for the first 6 games of the season, owing to a violation of the NFL's PED rules, sophomore Rondale Moore will have to temporarily take the reins as Murray's primary target. Moore managed a single TD in his rookie year, with an average of 4.2 yards after a reception, ranking him 126th out of 242 receivers.

Projected record - 8-9, 3rd in NFC West, Playoffs - Missed

Cleveland Browns

The Deshaun Watson trade seems to have backfired for the Browns already, with Watson has being suspended for the first 6 games of the season. This will most likely mean that journeyman QB Jacoby Brissett will be handed the keys to their offense, a less than ideal way to start the season.

Further holes in the offense can be seen in the lack of receiving talent that the Browns have. Aside from Amari Cooper, who had a down season for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, the lack of depth in the Browns' receiving room gives rise to concern.

Furthermore, the abundance in quality of the AFC North and AFC, in general, don't help the Browns' chances of making it into the playoffs. The rise of teams such as the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers means that teams have to be near perfect to simply find themselves in the playoffs.

Finally, star RB Kareem Hunt has requested a trade from the franchise. Trading him would be detrimental to their run game, a core which HC Kevin Stefanski has largely relied upon in his stint in Cleveland.

Projected record - 10-7, 3rd in AFC North, Playoffs - missed

Tennessee Titans

Despite the Titans finishing with the AFC's No.1 seed last season, it was clear that this team had several flaws in them, such as a middling QB and an overreliance on their run game. These flaws came to haunt them in their divisional round defeat by the Cincinnati Bengals.

QB Ryan Tannehill's potential seems to have been maxed out and it is unlikely that the Texas A&M product would be the man to carry the Titans to their first Superbowl victory.

Tannehill was largely at fault for the aforementioned loss to the Bengals, as he threw 3 interceptions in the game, including one in the dying seconds of the game, which allowed the Bengals to kick the go-ahead FG to set up a meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Round.

The lack of progression the team has seen under Tannehill prompted the Titans to draft his eventual replacement - Malik Willis in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft.

With a receiving chart that seems to have declined from 2021 following the loss of star-wideout A.J. Brown, the passing game seems to be in tatters in Tennessee.

Relying heavily on the run game is also not a recipe for success, as could be seen with RB Derrick Henry, who after being used as the offensive backbone of the Titans, broke down midway through last season.

An offense which is RB oriented has its limitations, as can be seen how defenders are more spread out in passing plays, giving more room to the offense, whereas running plays involve the defense crowding themselves on an area of the field, leaving the RB with less room to work his magic.

Projected record - 7-10, 2nd in AFC South, Playoffs- Missed

Surprises

Indianapolis Colts

Following a season that saw the Colts emerging as a potential Superbowl contender, before crashing back to Earth with a late-season collapse resulting in the team missing the playoffs, the hype surrounding Indy seems to have died down.

However, even the most uninformed NFL fans may have noticed a slight change in the Colts' lineup - a new QB.

Former QB Carson Wentz has largely been the scapegoat for the Colts' collapse, with his impulsive decision-making throwing the team into a ditch all too frequently.

Enter Matt Ryan. The Falcons - and NFL - legend led his Atlanta Falcons to a Superbowl berth in 2017, winning the MVP in the process. Following that infamous Superbowl, the Falcons' production took a massive hit which has resulted in Ryan being generally a forgotten QB, despite him being in the upper echelon of players in his position. He was traded to the Colts this offseason, a statement of intent from the Colts signalling their willingness to step up as a contender for this year's Superbowl.

The league's best RB - Johnathan Taylor calling Indianapolis his home certainly does not hurt matter for the Colts, whose offense can be regarded as one of the more complete ones heading into 2022.

Taylor's rise has been aided by arguably the league's best OL, featuring stars like Quentin Nelson, Braden Smith and Ryan Kelly.

Although the defense did take a step back in 2021, I have faith in the unit to rebound, as they were one of the best in 2020 and have added former DPOY Stephon Gilmore and Yannick Ngakoue.

With the AFC South being football's weakest division, the quality of the Colts would mean that they most definitely will win more than lose and would almost certainly steamroll the division.

Projected record - 13-4, 1st in AFC South, Playoffs - 4th Seed

Minnesota Vikings

With the Vikings firing former HC Mike Zimmer, under whom the team seemed to have stagnated over the last two seasons. Incoming HC Kevin O'Connell has been tasked with restoring the shine of The Vikes.

O'Connell oversaw the Los Angeles Rams' offense in 2020 and 2021, winning a Superbowl in the process.

The Vikings have one of the league's most underrated offense, featuring stud WR Justin Jefferson, paired nicely with veteran Adam Thielen. QB Kirk Cousins was better than most people like to give him credit for in 2021, posting 33 TDs for 7 interceptions.

The addition of LB Za'Darius Smith certainly wouldn't hurt the defense, who have also been bettered by the additions of rookies S Lewis Cine and CB Andrew Booth Jr., both of whom are steals in my opinion.

It remains to be seen if the Vikings can recapture their form of the late 2010s and surprise a few in the process.

Projected record - 9-8, 2nd in NFC North, Playoffs - 7th seed

Philadelphia Eagles

A young team, a strong run game, a good defense, a good coach, what doesn't Philly have?

The emergence of the Eagles took everyone by surprise last year, with the team being the best rushing team in the NFL. This saw them entering the playoffs, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This season, the Eagles managed to keep their losses at a minimum while adding stars like WR A.J. Brown thus giving their QB Jalen Hurts a more experienced WR. They also signed LBs Haason Reddick and Kyzir White, along with CB James Bradberry to bolster their defense. Furthermore, they drafted DT Jordan Davis and LB Nakobe Dean, possibly the biggest steal in the entire draft.

The Eagles also retained RB Boston Scott, ensuring their run game, the core of the offense's success last season does not get taken apart.

Their OL is one of the best in the NFL, with C Jason Kelce possibly having a few more good years, OT Jordan Mailata announcing himself to the NFL landscape last season and OT Andre Dillard expected to have a breakout season come 2022.

The rise of GM Howie Roseman is a story for the ages, with the manager being a disgraced member of the Eagles' board last offseason and being scapegoated as the reason for the team's shortcomings in 2020. Now, Roseman enters the 2022 season ranked the 8th best GM by NBC, being credited as the man reinvigorating this Eagles team.

Projected record - 13-4, 2nd in NFC East, Playoffs - 6th seed

Sources - NBC