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Last year, the Cincinnati Bengals managed to go from worst in their division in 2020-21 to first place in 21-22, and even made it all the way to the Super Bowl before falling just shy of the title to the Los Angeles Rams. It’s not something that happens all the time, but going from worst-to-first is also not as rare of an occurrence as you may think. Nearly every year we’ve seen it happen, and in some instances, it happens with more than one team.
Today’s Question of the Day is...
Which team is most likely to go from worst-to-first in their division in 2022?
Here are our options, with last year’s record in parenthesis:
- New York Jets (4-13)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-9)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14)
- Denver Broncos (7-10)
- New York Giants (4-13)
- Detroit Lions (3-13-1)
- Carolina Panthers (5-12)
- Seattle Seahawks (7-10)
The Ravens seem to be the most obvious pick after starting last year hot and having a very good shot at making the playoffs before losing their last six and having Lamar Jackson out for the final stretch of the season. They also have the best odds of the bunch at (+185) to win their division and are slight favorites over the Bengals (+195) to win the AFC North currently, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook.
With that being said, I wouldn’t count out the Broncos, and the fanboy in me would also argue that the Lions could have a decent shot, though I think it will take at least another year to overthrow the Packers.
The Broncos made it a point to get their quarterback trading for Russell Wilson this offseason and have decent odds (+250) to win their division, but they’ll have a tough time with the Chiefs (+175) and Chargers (+225).
Another team I could see making a decent leap is the Jaguars, but mostly because of them being in a weaker division. The Colts are the current favorite and now have Matt Ryan to lead them, and the Titans have been consistently solid, so it will be extremely tough for the Jaguars to make the jump to first place, but I like their chances more than most of the other teams on this list.
Your turn.
Poll
Which team is most likely to go from worst-to-first in 2022?
This poll is closed
-
2%
Jets
(27 votes) -
34%
Ravens
(415 votes) -
1%
Jaguars
(16 votes) -
18%
Broncos
(226 votes) -
0%
Giants
(8 votes) -
40%
Lions
(488 votes) -
0%
Panthers
(8 votes) -
0%
Seahawks
(8 votes)
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