Andrew Wilsher
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Ladies and gentlemen, after 7 long months, the NFL is officially BACK! The 2022 NFL season gets underway this week with a potential Super Bowl 57 preview as Lombardi Trophy favorites the Buffalo Bills take on reigning champs the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. But there are plenty of other teams who will like their chances of winning it all this season. Can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to the top of the mountain with Tom Brady back under center? How far can Aaron Rodgers take the Packers, especially now Davante Adams has left?
Here at Pickswise, we’ve spoken to some of the sharpest NFL betting analysts around to get their picks and best bets for who will win Super Bowl 57. That’s predictions from five of our NFL experts, all in one place! Let’s dive in and take a look at which teams could be celebrating come February.
All NFL Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jared Smith: Buffalo Bills (+600)
I know it’s not ‘sexy’ to pick the favorite from an odds perspective, but this is who I truly believe will win the Super Bowl this season. First and foremost, Buffalo has the highest preseason power rating at the Westgate SuperBook, which in my opinion is the sharpest NFL shop in the country. That number could change very quickly very early in the season after one or two subpar performances, but for now, they are the top dogs.
The Bills are also tied with the Bucs for the highest odds to make the playoffs at -650, so it’s a near certainty they will be in the dance come January, which means higher potential for opportunities to hedge and middle.
I believe there will also be spots to buy low on some teams once the season gets underway, but for now Buffalo is my choice to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Find out Jared Smith’s best NFL futures bets for the upcoming season
Howard Bender: Los Angeles Chargers (+1400)
Making it through the gauntlet that is the AFC West will be tough, but the Los Angeles Chargers are primed and ready to win Super Bowl LVII in grand fashion. It seems like a longshot at +1400 but those odds are currently sixth-best in the NFL and this team is built to win right now.
The Chargers’ offensive core stays intact and is expected to take things to another level in Year 2 of Joe Lombardi’s offense.
Quarterback Justin Herbert’s trajectory is on the rise, Austin Ekeler and rookie Isaiah Spiller will lead out of the backfield and the receiving corps is loaded with talent as the always reliable Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are joined by the versatile Joshua Palmer and new pass-catching tight end Gerald Everett.
The defense, primarily the secondary, has also improved and will cut its teeth in some tough games early on. With the NFC race looking wide open, we are probably looking at a matchup against a defensive stalwart such as San Francisco, but the high-octane Chargers offense will not be denied.
Read our Los Angeles Chargers team preview for the 2022 season
Andrew Ortenberg: Baltimore Ravens (+2000)
A lot of things went wrong for the Ravens last year, setting them up as a perfect buy-low opportunity for 2022. There’s no way they could possibly be as injured as last season, and Lamar Jackson should bounce back from a down year. Marcus Peters returns after not playing a single snap in 2021, and he’ll help stabilize a secondary that was leaky last season. They signed stud safety Marcus Williams away from the Saints, so I don’t see how their defense isn’t significantly better this time around.
Baltimore’s ground game should also get a big boost with JK Dobbins coming back. And there’s a lot of uncertainty in the AFC North. I expect the Steelers to fall off as they enter a bit of a rebuild, the Bengals may have a Super Bowl appearance hangover and the Browns have a low floor with Deshaun Watson looking at a lengthy suspension.
Who will be kings of the north? Get our AFC North predictions and best bets
Bobby Stanley AKA Prop Holliday: Los Angeles Rams (+1100)
The Los Angeles Rams are looking to become the first repeat winners of the Super Bowl since the 2004 New England Patriots. Lucky for them, their path back to the big game is easier than last season’s. The biggest threats in the NFC are the Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Green Bay traded away Davante Adams and will rely heavily on a group of questionable targets in Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb and Romeo Doubs. I expect GB to focus more on running the ball and playing stout defense, but the latter should be no match for the Rams’ explosive offense. Meanwhile, the 49ers are moving forward with Trey Lance, and while I believe this will pay dividends long-term, it’s a lot to expect of a 2nd-year QB to get this team back to the NFC Championship Game.
Over in the AFC, the Broncos are the talk of the offseason with Russell Wilson making the move to the daunting AFC West. I believe Wilson is primed to have one of the best seasons of his career, but Denver’s defense is one of the most overlooked units in the league. Randy Gregory, Bradley Chubb, Pat Surtain II and Justin Simmons will make Wilson’s transition much smoother than he anticipated. Therefore, I think we will see the Broncos in the Super Bowl in Year 1 of Russ’s tenure, similar to Stafford last season.
Don’t miss Prop Holliday’s Bills vs Rams best player props for the season opener
Chris Euksuzian: Buffalo Bills (+600)
The Bills have very high expectations this year and I expect Buffalo to exceed them. Experience will be key after having three double-digit wins seasons and an MVP favorite in Josh Allen. The Buffalo QB now has significant postseason experience too; besides Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, no one has more playoff starts than Allen in the last three years.
The offense will continue to be explosive regardless of losing one of Allen’s favorite targets in Cole Beasley. The replacement will be the rookie Khalil Shakir out of Boise State, who can play anywhere on the field with his elite speed and route running. Shakir also had as good of hands as any wide receiver in the country last year. Josh Allen will also have his familiar targets in Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox, who combined for over 2,300 receiving yards last year. If that wasn’t enough, the Bills acquired O.J. Howard, who should give defenses trouble all year.
The headlines will talk about the explosive offense, but the defense of Sean McDermott remains one of the best in the NFL. To strengthen this already-stout defense, the Bills added veteran Von Miller (LB) coming off a Super Bowl victory with the Rams last season. The signing should benefit DT Ed Oliver, who will see increased attention of o-linemen paid outside to Miller. This will be the fourth season for Oliver, and I expect him to take the next step in becoming a dominant defensive tackle.
Value comes in all different ways in the betting market. In this case, I expect +650 for the Buffalo Bills to be the highest number available this year. The Bills should be favored in almost every game this season, with a very good chance of having home-field advantage in the playoffs. If you are buying into the Bills, I suggest you grab +650 now before this number drops during the season.
Be sure to check out our full Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Rams predictions
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