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3 Most Surprising NFL Teams

November 6, 2022 By khansa

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Perhaps more than any other league, the NFL sees teams go from worst to first on an annual basis. The ability of a franchise to reinvent itself during the course of one offseason and give a fan base renewed hope is what keeps fans engaged and passionate. Since a lot of games go down to the wire, it is not an exaggeration to say that a play here or there separates mediocre teams from great ones.

There are few teams that were not on the radars of fans or those sports betting in August but who have come out of nowhere to put together strong NFL seasons. We will take a look at the three most surprising.

New York Jets

While hope does spring eternal for the Jets each year, many fans are resigned to the notion that it won’t lead to anything promising. However, the 2022 edition has proven to be a resilient bunch and has taken a step forward under second-year head coach Robert Saleh. After an injury-plagued challenging 2021 campaign, the Jets’ defense appears to be clicking with an infusion of young and healthy talent.

Kwon Alexander, Carl Lawson, and Quinnen Williams anchor a front seven that is difficult to push around. With the fourth overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, New York selected cornerback Sauce Gardner, who looks to be a cornerstone player in the secondary. The swagger that the Jets are playing with, in tandem with their uptick in productivity, has them competitive in games on a weekly basis. They really can compete this season.  

The injury to promising rookie running back Breece Hall will test New York as the season progresses, but the foundation of a young offensive core has been established.

New York Giants

We remain in the Big Apple to find another surprising NFL team. It was difficult to predict what type of season the New York Giants would have under new head coach Brian Daboll. The main priorities for the season were to evaluate whether or not quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley were long-term fits for the team. This would be an important decision due to the lack of salary cap flexibility the Giants had.

As it turns out, Daboll has been able to maximize the talent on the roster and inspire a level of confidence New York had been missing. This started from the very first regular season game, as Daboll decided to go for two points against the Tennessee Titans with the game on the line.

The Giants still have a ways to go to improve the talent on their team, but the attitude around the team is on the upswing. 

Seattle Seahawks

During the preseason, the Seahawks were a popular selection to finish with the NFL’s worst record. They had just traded longtime quarterback Russell Wilson and appeared to be headed toward a tumultuous season with an eye on a top draft pick.

Their campaign has not materialized that way, as Seattle’s offense has been one of the most shocking stories in the league this year. Journeyman quarterback Geno Smith has done a great job leading the Seahawks’ offense and has quieted the conversation about investing a top draft pick in a signal caller.

Head coach Pete Carroll deserves a lot of credit for maintaining the same level of enthusiasm with this group as he had during Seattle’s heyday with Wilson and their “Legion Of Boom” secondary.