The AFC has been the top-loaded conference in the NFL for the past decade and more. But it’s the NFC that has been bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy home the past two seasons.
With that said, the AFC has seen some fantastic multiple-title runs. Tom Brady’s New England Patriots won three titles in a five-year stretch, while Ben Roethlisberger’s Pittsburgh Steelers won two. Peyton Manning’s wins in Indianapolis and Denver have also come in the past 15 years.
Overall, the score since 2007 is an even 8-8 for both conferences.
Could 2022 be a pendulum swing of championship silverware back to the AFC? With Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and even an improved Mac Jones under Bill Belichick in the conference, there is certainly hope that it could be their year.
However, the title return to the AFC should be unlikely to be thanks to the exploits of these five teams.
5 biggest Super Bowl pretenders from the AFC in the upcoming 2022 NFL season
# 5 Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have isolated the variable. They’ve given Tua enough talent around him so that barring injury, if he doesn’t take a step, they’ll know it wasn’t the surrounding players.The Jets have done the same with Zach Wilson.Have the Patriots done so with Mac?
Tyreek Hill’s addition to a WR room featuring the 2020 NFL Draft’s top receiver off the board in Jaylen Waddle is certainly impressive. However, it doesn’t solve the issue of Bridgewater’s minimal air-yard output.
The Dolphins could be talented enough to sneak into the postseason regardless of who is under center. But a fully healthy Tagovailoa is the only entity that could make Miami a contender in 2022.
# 4 Tennessee Titans
This AJ Brown and Robert Woods duo is going to be a problem https://t.co/sziWcHqS5Y