The college football season has already begun, and the NFL season is soon to follow. We are a few days away from watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of the ’23 AFC Championship Game on Thursday Night Football. With that in mind, right now is the opportune time to preview the 2024 NFL season. What are the key storylines to follow in the NFL? The Sports Beacon has ya covered.
Could the Chiefs three-peat as champions?
It’s really Patrick Mahomes’ world these days, and the rest of us are just living in it. The star quarterback has successfully guided his team in back-to-back Super Bowl victories where his performances earned him consecutive Super Bowl MVP awards. Could football fans see Mahomes take this team to new heights with the offseason additions of wide receivers Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, & JuJu Smith-Schuster?
No team in the rich history of the league has ever won three straight Super Bowls. Not even the Patriots dynasty of the 2000s/2010s decades could accomplish the feat. The Chiefs are already the dynasty of the 2020s decade, but accomplishing this feat would cement their status in NFL history as one of the greatest dynasties of all-time.
Where will the 49ers go from here?
Losing the Super Bowl is tough, but losing two Super Bowls in the past five years to the same team is tougher, just ask Buffalo Bills fans if you want to know about that. I’m not comparing the 49ers to those 1990s Bills teams, but the question must be asked, what can they do to improve and successfully bring home a championship? History is not exactly on their side, but three teams (1970 Cowboys, 1972 Dolphins, 2017 Patriots) have lost a Super Bowl and then won the Super Bowl the next season.
The team managed to re-sign WR Brandin Aiyuk after an offseason full of drama, but OT Trent Williams is still a holdout after failing to report during the preseason. That’s not good news, but the team has had a fairly successful offseason otherwise. They didn’t really lose anyone of note, and they have added DE Leonard Floyd, LB De’Vondre Campbell, and DT Maliek Collins to bolster their star-studded defense.
Will rookie QBs save struggling franchises?
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix each have the opportunity to turn their struggling NFL franchise around in their rookie seasons if they are able to play well. The Bears have longed for a legitimate franchise QB since the days of Sid Luckman, while the Commanders and Broncos haven’t had one to bank on for nearly a decade. Could three rookie quarterbacks shift the balance of power in this NFL hierarchy?
Armed with a trio of playmaking wide receivers (DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, & Rome Odunze), Caleb Williams could be in a great position to succeed right out of the gate. Daniels has a No. 1 WR (Terry McLaurin) to work with, but he will face a tough task overcoming working behind one of the worst offensive lines in football last season. Nix has the most work experience (61 college starts) and the best head coach (Sean Payton) to work with, but the WR talent behind Courtland Sutton is questionable.
Are the Falcons contenders in the NFC?
No team invested more heavily in their QB room this offseason than the Atlanta Falcons, upgrading from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke to Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix, Jr. in an offseason that was full of surprise transactions by the team. On defense, the team traded for EDGE Matthew Judon and signed S Justin Simmons.
Are these additions enough to establish the Falcons as contenders in the NFC South? How about as contenders in the NFC as the top two teams in the conference (49ers, Lions) appear set but the rest of the field (Eagles, Bucs, Packers) looks a little shaky? Time will tell, but there are reasons for hope in Atlanta for the first time in a while.
How will teams defend the Ravens offense?
NFL teams will be tasked with defending QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, TEs Mark Andrews & Isaiah Likely, & WR Zay Flowers this season. Good luck, defenses! Matching up against all these players on defense should present quite a challenge.
This offensive unit is a recipe for success as the Ravens have surely realized that poor tackling habits amongst defenses are becoming commonplace across the NFL. If this team stays healthy, they are well suited to play football in the winter months. Defensive coordinators will lose sleep at night in anticipation of facing the Ravens.
The Sports Beacon 