What to look out for in the 2024 NFL season
The 2024 National Football League season kicks off tonight as the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens. With a load of talented draft picks entering the fray, roster shakeup around the league and top-level stars returning from injury, this season is poised to be competitive and intense.
There are 31 teams who are trying to knock the Chiefs off their throne, as Patrick Mahomes’s squad have won the last two Super Bowls. However, it may not be an easy task. Kansas City bolstered the weapons at its quarterback’s disposal, drafting speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy and signing two other WRs in Marquise Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster. They could become the first team in NFL history to win three titles in a row.
Realistically only four or five teams can truly challenge for the trophy. I would argue that the Ravens, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are those teams who can give Kansas City a run for their money. Each team is equipped with a great coach, a talented quarterback, weapons on either side of the ball and a unique approach to winning football games.
There are other storylines all across the league, though.
Take, for instance, Caleb Williams. The former Oklahoma University and University of Southern California quarterback is beginning his NFL journey with the Chicago Bears. The Bears most recently had Justin Fields at the helm but never gave him the proper tools to succeed. They’re trying to rectify the mistakes of the past by giving Williams a bevy of talent to work with. Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen was signed as well as running back D’Andre Swift. Chicago also drafted star WR Rome Odunze, who helped Washington University make the College Football Playoff in his final season. Couple that with improvements on the offensive line and the system is in place for Williams to revive a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020.
We’re also seeing the return of coach Jim Harbaugh to the league. He most recently won the national championship in college football with the Michigan Wolverines, but had coached in the NFL previously with the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 making one Super Bowl appearance. He is now going to try and make the Los Angeles Chargers a contending team. Justin Herbert is a talented quarterback and if Harbaugh gets the best out of him they could be a surprise this year.
Perhaps the biggest storyline, however, is Aaron Rodgers’s return to play. He tore his Achilles just minutes into his debut for the New York Jets last season, leaving them in a hopeless position. Now that he is healthy, the Jets want to become true contenders. Their defense is solid with star cornerback Sauce Gardner making highlight reel plays on the weekly. If the team stays healthy they can make waves in what could be Rodgers’s last ever season.
The division that the Jets compete in, the American Football Conference East, is wide open this season. The Buffalo Bills lost their star WR Stefon Diggs and the Dolphins, while talented, aren’t the run away favorites. I would keep my eye out for who might win this division because it is a three-horse race and could shake up the landscape for the AFC Playoffs.
The National Football Conference North is another division to keep tabs on. Minnesota finds themselves on the outside looking in after losing QB Kirk Cousins, but the Lions, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears all could make the playoffs. Jordan Love is looking to continue his great form after leading the Packers to the playoffs last year in their first season sans Aaron Rodgers. The Lions, as mentioned, are a high level Super Bowl contender but will be pushed by other teams in this division.
Speaking of Cousins, he’s one of many star players to find a new home this season. He‘ll be applying his trade for the Atlanta Falcons, a franchise who have desperately needed offensive firepower. WR Drake London and tight-end Kyle Pitts haven’t had a good QB in their short time in the NFL and the addition of Cousins could be good for them (and for their fantasy football owners).
As mentioned, Diggs is going from Buffalo to the Houston Texans. Second year QB CJ Stroud had an immaculate rookie season and another high level weapon could make his team sneaky dark horses come playoff time.
Russell Wilson went from Denver to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are another team who have been in need of a talented QB for years. Wilson will have Fields, another new signing, breathing down his neck but efficient QB play could take a good team and make them great.
Elsewhere in the league, the Eagles added running back Saquon Barkley to the mix. He has played his entire career at the New York Giants up to this point but he crossed division rivalry lines to give Jalen Hurts and his offense another wrinkle to work with. Even though they lost center Jason Kelce to retirement, the roster is still deep and talented enough to be champions.
When it comes to rookies to look out for, there is loads of talent especially on the offensive end. Jaylen Daniels, of the Washington Commanders, could rival Williams for best rookie QB. WRs Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers are expected to light up the stat sheet with their new teams, the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants. If any fantasy managers are reading, I’d recommend trading for them before the season starts because their value will skyrocket.
It is impossible to predict how any NFL season will turnout, but these are just a few stories, teams and players to tune into. My personal “bold predictions” for the year are that the Eagles will win the Super Bowl, Caleb Williams takes Chicago back to the playoffs and things fall flat for the Jets despite all the hype around Rodgers.
