The Craziest NFL Season in History: Recap and Review by Suvir S.

As the NFL postseason begins and the NFL regular season wraps up, many teams have had surprising seasons. Whether they came as a positive or a negative, so many have defied expectations.

Image Source

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have been exceptional this year. They currently only have one loss on their record, and it was a tight loss with questionable calls. The Eagles were good in 2021, sneaking into the playoffs, but this year they took the next step. The Eagles fantastic off-season has been the key to their success. They started the offseason by trading their first-round pick for star wide receiver AJ Brown. A.J. Brown's importance to Jalen Hurts becoming the most improved player in the NFL cannot be overstated, as he's the first 1,000-yard receiver for the franchise since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. The Eagles have the No. 2 scoring offense in the NFL and haven't finished with a top-two scoring offense since 1949. Brown finished the season with 1500 yards and set the Eagle's franchise record. As Jalen Hurts prepares to come back for the playoffs, the Eagles look to secure a first-round bye.

AFC West

The AFC west looked to be the best division at the beginning of the year. Every team has gotten miles better and looked to be playoff locks.

The Broncos started the season with a bang, by trading for Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, tight end Noah Fant, quarterback Drew Lock, and defensive end, Shelby Harris. This massive haul was seen as a win-now move for the Broncos, who hadn’t made the playoffs since their Super Bowl win in 2015. But the season has been a disaster from start to finish. In the first game of the season, the Broncos had a chance to win, but poor clock management from 1st-year coach Nathaniel Hackett and missed throws by Wilson caused the Broncos to collapse in the final minutes. That was the case for the first half of the season, as they started 3-10. But then it changed for the worse. The Broncos weren’t even competitive. From losing by 40 to the injury-riddled Rams on Christmas to firing Hackett, the Broncos are going to look toward next season.

The Las Vegas Raiders have been similar to the Broncos. They have become the masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

With less than four minutes to go in Thursday's tilt with a Rams team that entered the week losers of six straight, the Raiders led 16-3. But the Raiders did what the Raiders have continually done this season—blow the lead. Thursday marked the fourth time this season that the Raiders have blown a double-digit halftime lead. No team has ever done that before.

The Raiders continue to be their own worst enemy. Vegas turned the ball over twice and committed seven penalties for 94 yards, and head coach Josh McDaniels admitted to reporters after the loss that those unforced errors have plagued the team all season. The Raiders have been able to stay competitive but never finish the job in the 4th quarter.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings finished off the regular season with a win against the Chicago Bears, ending the season with 13 wins and 4 losses. After starting the season 8-1, the Vikings looked poised to make a Super Bowl run. The Vikings have been connecting on all cylinders and unlike the Raiders, have been able to close out games. The Vikings are 9-0 in games decided by eight points or less. That’s an NFL record for the most consecutive wins in one-score games to start a season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has continually shown why he is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league, and young wideout Justin Jefferson is becoming one of the best receivers in the league, ranking top 5 in receiving yards every year of his career. The Vikings have been spectacular and look forward to a matchup with the young and hungry New York Giants on Sunday.

Overall, this NFL season has been one of the craziest and wildest ever. Many teams and players have created some of the most viral and incredulous moments. But overall, this has been an amazing season full of shocks and surprises, and we can only hope that the playoffs have that much excitement.