The NFL season begins in earnest on Thursday when the Kansas City Chiefs begin their quest to win a third consecutive Super Bowl…and accomplish something no team has ever done. The journey begins in Kansas City against the Baltimore Ravens. This will be an ongoing headline throughout the season.
With no games in the books yet, the only news and headlines are preseason activity and final cuts heading into the season. Aside from the Chiefs and all their drama, from kicker Harrison Butker to Taylor Swift, there are many other storylines heading into the season.
Here are my Top Headlines to start the season, in no particular order:
Russell Wilson was named the Opening Day starter: This week, HC Mike Tomlin announced that Russell Wilson had won the QB competition. Unlike the sham in New England between Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye, this seemed like a legitimate competition.
The competition was between Wilson and Justin Fields. For many reasons, this decision makes sense. Fields is more suited to back up the veteran Wilson, and Wilson as a backup would have been problematic in the locker room. And Wilson legitimately played well enough to earn the starting nod; this isn’t just a ceremonial selection for him.
The team has a solid offensive line and a ton of weapons on offense, including TE Pat Freiermuth, WRs George Pickens and Van Jefferson, and rookie Roman Wilson. They also have one of the best tandem backfields in the league with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
Although Wilson’s best days are certainly behind him, he did show a bit of a resurgence last year. His days of passing for over 4000 YDs and 40 TDs are long gone, but he should be able to get you close to 3500 passing YDs and 30 TDs. Last year, he managed 26 TDs with only eight interceptions.
Brandon Aiyuk signs a huge deal with the 49ers: After months of drama, the Brandon Aiyuk saga is over. After seemingly going to as much as half the league, Aiyuk has finally re-signed with the 49ers. They signed him to a 4yr/$120M extension, with $76M guaranteed. This deal makes him the fifth highest WR in the game, which is in line with his talent, and overall a win/win deal for both sides.
Make no mistake about it: the Niners need Aiyuk this season. As solid as QB Brock Purdy has proven to be, and with all the other ancillary talent on both sides of the ball, this feels like their last chance. If HC Kyle Shanahan falls short again, there is a decent chance he gets shown the door. The team has already burnt through Jimmy Garoppolo, drafted and traded away Trey Lance, and is banking on Mr. Irrelevant to lead them to the promised land.
RB Christian McCaffrey can only do so much before falling apart, and the same holds true for Deebo Samuel. With Aiyuk back in the fold, the player this negatively affects the most is rookie WR Ricky Pearsall, who stood to gain playing time with an Aiyuk departure.
Can Joe Burrow stay healthy? Burrow has had two seasons end early due to injuries, and he’s fast becoming an injury risk for the Bengals and all fantasy owners who draft him. A healthy Burrow is lethal and a favorite to get to the Super Bowl, as he already has once. He is seemingly the only quarterback not intimidated by Kansas City or Patrick Mahomes. The only issue is, can he stay healthy?
He averaged 4,500 passing yards and 35 touchdowns in his two healthy seasons. Although he lost Tyler Boyd, he still has one of the best receivers in the game, Ja’Marr Chase. The loss of Boyd won’t hurt Burrow’s stats; it will help Chase and fellow WR Tee Higgans’ stats. Maybe it’s a tad optimistic, but I’m banking on a healthy season for Burrow and a division title for the Bengals.
Is CJ Stroud ready to take the next step? Yes, Stroud is ready to take the next step. He had an unfair amount of riches last season and added WR Stefon Diggs this year. He completed 64% of his passes and surpassed 4000 passing yards. And he threw 23 TDs to go along with only five interceptions. His decision-making in the pocket is second to none, and with so many options, he will invariably get the ball to the open man.
His numbers last season will seem pedestrian compared to the video game numbers he puts up this year. He will challenge 5000 passing yards and 40 TD passes. He is my pick to win MVP and lead the Texans to the Super Bowl.
Are the Patriots the worst team in the league? Can it be five years since Tom Brady was leading the Patriots? To think that a quarter of the time has passed since the 20 years he took the Patriots to nine Super Bowls is crazy. It’s been a quarter of a century since we first saw the greatness of Brady in Foxboro.
The team now doesn’t have HC Bill Belichick either, and the team is in total disarray. Their o/u in Las Vegas is sitting at 4.5 wins, coming off a year where Vegas only had them at 6.5 wins (they went 4-13). And they are the longest shot on the board to win the Super Bowl…that’s right, effectively dead last. They were basically at the top of that last for two decades. The mighty have truly fallen.
They have chosen to go with journeyman QB Jacoby Brissett over no.3 pick Drake Maye. HC Jerrod Mayo doesn’t seem to be on the same page with OC Alex Van Pelt or GM Elliot Wolf, and the entire operation appears to be the blind leading people who are blind. With all that being said, I can’t see back-to-back four-win seasons.
Will the Detroit Lions take the next step? The Lions were so close last season, but their fate, in small measure, was due to their head coach, Dan Campbell. His bravado can help the team in many ways, but he can hurt them badly in actual game-time decisions. His decision last season to continuously go for a 2-point conversion to win instead of simply kicking the extra point and playing for the tie was mind-boggling. It cost them a win and hurt them in their playoff seeding.
Ultimately, he will again be a detriment to the team and cost them in a big spot. The team now has to contend with an improved Green Bay Packers team, with QB Jordan Love entering elite status and a Chicago Bears team on the rise. The Bears are loaded on offense, and rookie Caleb Williams will be their first QB to pass for over 4000 YDs. The window appears to be closed for the Lions before it ever opened. They will be a huge disappointment this season and possibly miss the playoffs.
Will the Dallas Cowboys FINALLY make a deep playoff run? The short answer is no. They have been one of the league’s best regular season teams, going 12-5 each of the last three seasons but collapsing in the playoffs. Owner Jerry Jones has to be frustrated with HC Mike McCarthy. Jones just committed $136M to WR Cee Dee Lamb and still has to decide on QB Dak Prescott.
The leash feels short, and if the Cowboys come out of the gate sputtering, McCarthy will be in jeopardy. (Calling Bill Belichick?). And with Washington on the rise, this could be the beginning of a teardown for Big D.
Will Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels lead their teams to the playoffs?: One of these teams will make the playoffs. Williams will lead the Bears to a playoff berth. The team is currently ranked no.16, in the top half. And their Vegas odds to win the Super Bowl are sitting at 35/1. Some of that is due to the hype of Williams, but it is well-founded. The division does have Green Bay and Detroit, but I can see the Bears making their lives miserable. Vegas has their o/u set at 8.5, and there is a real chance that 9-8 can get them into the playoffs.
Although Washington’s odds are much longer, as they are the 27th-ranked team and 120/1 longshots to win it all, Jayden Daniels is one of the most dynamic players to enter the league in a while. Vegas has their odds set at 6.5 wins, and I do think seven or eight wins are a real possibility. Getting to nine or 10 will be extremely tough for them.
Do the Jets have enough to make the playoffs?: This answer all comes down to one thing…whether or not QB Aaron Rodgers can come back healthy throughout the season. Not only do I believe the Jets will make the playoffs, but I think they have enough to win the AFC East. And surprisingly, Las Vegas agrees with me. The Jets are the favorites to win the division at +160. Buffalo is behind them at +195, and Miami is sitting at +210. And to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, they are sitting only behind Kansas City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Houston.
Is this the LA Rams’ last kick at the can? Thankfully, other than the 49ers, the rest of the division is mediocre, so much will depend on how much and how quickly Seattle and Arizona can rebuild their teams. Arizona has quarterback Kyler Murray back, while Seattle has a regressing and aging Geno Smith at quarterback. The Rams have their own aging quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who has discussed retirement.
There is a change of guard at QB in the NFC, with names like Jordan Love, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and even JJ McCarthy. Even Jared Goff has proven legitimate in Detroit…and let’s not forget that Jalen Hurts led the Eagles to the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. The Rams are sitting as the 14th-ranked team with 30/1 odds of winning it all. They should be able to go over their 8.5 win total and get to 10-7, making them a playoff team. And finally, they still have Sean Mcvey, one of the youngest and best coaches in the league. One thing is certain: they are yesterday’s news and absolutely being overlooked.
