We all know that while franchises can be great consistently over the years, some rise and fall. With old veterans leaving and new blood coming in all the time, NFL teams have the potential to improve with every passing year. 

With this we have to anticipate which teams we may see improvements in as we enter the next season. Not only is this ideal to get an idea of who will be higher up in the ratings in the coming season, but it is also important for NFL betting too. 

We need to know what to expect of the franchises as time goes on, and who we can expect to end up as a favorite instead of an underdog in the coming seasons. 

Sure, making these guesses (and guesses are what they are) do not guarantee accuracy, but they do give us an idea of what to expect, and within the first few weeks of regular season we usually get an idea of how right our ‘guess work’ was.

What Is In Store For 2022-2023?

With all this and more in mind, we want to consider who might take us by surprise in the next regular season. There is no doubt that there will be more surprise successes in the coming year, which have changed within many franchises over the off season and during the draft. 

So, we have compiled a list of the 5 teams that we anticipate could surprise us in the 2022-2023 season. 

Who Has the Potential To Surprise Us This Year?

After the Super Bowl in February 2022, we have had much time to consider what might happen next. Of course, the draft was filled with potential successful prospects, but there is more than that. 

Teams may have players off on injury, some may have made trades for high value players, the draft has had an impact and so, there are many teams that could repeat the Bengals’ dark horse potential in the next season. 

The following are the franchises we think may give us a shock.

The Miami Dolphins

The biggest addition that the Dolphins have made in the off season has been Tyreek Hill. Hill is a very impactful wide receiver in the league, and he could really help to develop Tua Tagovailoa. 

However, he cannot forget their head coach either. He played a big part in the 49ers deciding to move Samuel all over the offense last year, which was a fairly effective strategy, for the most part at least. 

He is just skilled at finding success. They also signed Wilson from the Cowboys as a wide receiver, and signed new guards too. 

 The New Orleans Saints

Here we have Jameis Winston, he was a 1st pick, and last season he had 5 to 2 on his starts as well as throwing 14 touchdowns. 

He played selectively with his deep shots, unlike when he played with the Buc’s in 2019. He is not exactly a top-rated quarterback, but he has potential, and he has shown some good things before his injury last season.

So, the Saints have Winston going for them, but they also took on some new blood and have beefed up their secondary too. Who knows what will happen next.

The Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings also have potential. Many wonder if O’Connell will be the next McVay or Shanahan. 

The Vikings were not exactly bad last season, in fact they were more mediocre, having gone 8-9. So, many they did just need to have a little bit of new leadership to keep things fresh and progressing. 

The coach has already built a rapport with Cousins – the quarterback, and he is lucky enough to be supported by one of the most brilliant running backs in the NFL. 

If we consider that the Packers might go downhill a bit then the Vikings may have a chance to get ahead.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

Tomlin never got a record for loss in all his 15 years as the Steelers coach, but it would seem that people are expecting that this year. Their over/under win total is down as being 7.5, yet the over is for + money. So, this is worth taking note of. 

Last year the Steelers did make the playoffs as they went 3 to 1 closing out the regular season. Sometimes it felt like they were winning without Roethlisberger so much as lifting a finger, which makes us wonder if Trubisky or Pickett might be an ideal upgrade for the team.

The Las Vegas Raiders

Finally, we have the Raiders, they finished in 2nd place last season having a 10 to 7 record. They made it to the play-offs, but for some reason the bookkeepers think they will finish in last for the division Championships this year. 

The Broncos and Chargers have made great additions that could make them better competition, however we can’t deny that the Raiders have had a pretty good off season too! 

They brought Carr and Adams back together and beefed up their defense. 

If you consider the possibility of every game of the Raiders schedule, it could easily end being 9-8 or something like that, but we won’t know for sure until it happens.