Desmond Purnell
Dallas — For 206 days, Americans have had to figure out ways to pass by time until the country’s most popular sport returned. The waiting game is finally over. Football is back!
The NFL kicks off its regular season Thursday, September 5th with a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game between The Kansas City Chiefs and The Baltimore Ravens.
Here are some of the top storylines we are watching heading into the new season.
Chiefs Chasing History
*Kansas City 2023 record: 11 – 6 (Super Bowl Champs)
*Kansas City 2024 Week 1: Ravens @ Chiefs
The NFL has been around since 1920. Over those 104 years, never has a team won three consecutive championships. The Chiefs have a chance to become the first. And as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, those chances are legit.
Mahomes was hobbled with a high ankle sprain during Super Bowl LVII in 2023. It did not prevent him from producing three touchdowns passes in a magical 38 – 35 comeback victory over The Eagles. Last season, during LVIII (with a less than average receiver corps) Mahomes rallied his team to a 25 – 22 overtime victory against the 49ers. He seems to always find a way to propel his team to victory!
Mahomes is only 28 years old and very much in his prime. The Chiefs feel they have given Mahomes some upgrades at the wideout position by adding Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (battling a shoulder injury) and Xavier Worthy to the roster.
Andy Reid remains one of the best head coaches in The NFL who has a proven track record of squeezing the most out of his offense. And finally, Mahomes still has his most trusted weapon and perhaps the greatest tight end in NFL history, Travis Kelce. This could possibly be Kelce’s final year in The NFL. No better way to send him off into the sunset (with his megastar girlfriend Taylor Swift) than with The NFL’s first ever three-peat.
Aaron Rodgers Reloaded
*New York Jets 2023 record: 7 - 10
*New York Jets 2024 Week 1: Jets @ 49ers (Monday Night)
There was so much hype surrounding The New York Jets at the start of last year. Aaron Rodgers was viewed as the missing piece to return the Jets into the postseason. Then four plays into his week 1 match up against the Buffalo Bills, the four-time MVP quarterback suffered a heartbreaking Achillies injury. It was like getting up from the dinner table before the meal’s finished. Rodgers only took four snaps under center before his season came to an end.
Fast forward to today. Rodgers is healthy, reenergized, and ready to compete for a Super Bowl. This is NFL season no. 20 for Rodgers. He is now 40 years old. Can his body handle the strenuous demands of an 18-week NFL season? If Rodgers can stay upright, The Jets have a great chance of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Dak’s Final Season in Dallas?
Dallas 2023 record: 12 - 5
Dallas 2024 Week 1: Cowboys @ Browns
The Dallas Cowboys remain The NFL’s Greatest Soap Opera. Team Owner, Jerry Jones said on many occasions, he is “all in” on the new season. But Jerry’s actions are saying, let’s wait and see.
The Cowboys have yet to agree on new contract with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys Quarterback is entering the final year of his current deal.
Last season was one of the best of Dak’s career. He passed for 4,516 yards. Led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes while only throwing nine interceptions. Prescott made the All-Pro Team and finished runner-up in the MVP voting.
The only knock on Prescott is his regular season success does not carry over into the postseason. Prescott played one of his worst games of the season during The Cowboys 48 -32 NFC Wild Card Playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs.
Despite his lack of playoff success, Prescott will be a hot commodity if he hits free agency. He’s expected to become the league’s highest paid player with his next deal. Contract talks remain active between The Cowboys and Prescott.
This isn’t the only topic of discussion surrounding The Cowboys. Dallas’s star wideout CeeDee Lamb recent sign a new $136 million, four-year deal. Lamb missed all of training camp while waiting for a deal to get done. Today is only his fifth practice since returning from his summer long holdout. Will he be in NFL regular season condition for Sunday’s season opener against the Cleveland Browns?
Also, Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s future with the team is uncertain. He is entering the final year of his contract. With so many questions surrounding The Cowboys, all eyes will be locked in on America’s Team this season… just the way Jerry likes it.
2024 Rookie QB’s
The 2024 NFL season will have a strong infusion of rookie quarterbacks ready to make an immediate impact.
The NFL Draft let us know this year’s class of quarterbacks would be special. Six quarterbacks were selected within the first 12 picks.
It was no surprise Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were drafted no. 1 and no. 2 overall by the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders. Williams and Daniels were both dynamic playmakers in college with the ability to beat you with their arm or legs. They are the last two Heisman Trophy winners, and both have earned the starting roles for week 1. Both the Bears and Commanders have storied histories but lately both franchises have lived at the bottom of standings. For the first time in a long time there is legitimate reason for hope in Chicago and Washington and it’s all originating from the potential of Williams and Daniels.
Bo Nix was the sixth QB selected during this year’s draft but it’s possible he may shine the brightest of all the rookies once everything is said and done. The former Oregon standout had a solid preseason on his way to beating out veteran Jarrett Stidham and fourth-year signal-caller Zach Wilson for the starting role with the Denver Broncos. Nix now becomes the first rookie to start for the Broncos since Hall of Famer, John Elway in 1983.
Newcomers Drake Maye (New England Patriots) and Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons) won’t start the season but could be handed the starting job at any point and time this season.
Meanwhile we’ll have to wait to see what type of pro Minnesota Vikings rookie QB, J.J. McCarthy will develop into. McCarthy suffered a right meniscus tear during the preseason opener, ending his season before it began.
Make Kickoffs Great Again
The NFL has implemented a new kickoff rule. Teams got a chance to rehearse the new kickoff set up during the preseason. The NFL is hoping to make kickoffs a more pivotal part of the game while reducing injuries and increasing excitement.
For a standard kickoff, the ball is kicked from the 35-yard line with the 10 kick coverage players lined up at the opposing 40. The return team will have at least nine blockers lined up in the “set up zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line, cutting down on high-speed collisions. Only the kicker and two returners are allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20.
There were only 10 kickoff returns of at least 60 yards in the entire 2023 regular season, down from an average of more than 34 per season from 2001-10 before rule changes to increase player safety started making the kickoff obsolete. That led to the dramatic change this offseason, with the NFL hoping for a significant increase in the rate of returns from the record-low level of 21.8% last season.
* Photo credit - USA Today Sports, Reuters
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