The NFL is officially back. With free agency, the NFL Draft, training camp, and the preseason in the books, it’s finally time for the 2024 NFL regular season to begin.
What should you be watching for when the season gets underway? Here are the top storylines to pay attention to in 2024, beginning with whether a certain team in the AFC West can make history this year.
5 Best NFL Storylines To Watch in Week 1
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs Start 3-Peat Try
The Kansas City Chiefs became the ninth NFL team to win consecutive Super Bowls when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58. They were the first club in nearly two decades to capture back-to-back trophies.
However, no NFL franchise has ever won three straight Lombardis.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid are already ticketed for the Hall of Fame, but Kansas City could become one of the league’s greatest dynasties by hoisting another Super Bowl trophy next February. They’re the betting favorites (+500) entering 2024.
The Chiefs will kick off this season with an AFC title game rematch against the Baltimore Ravens, who boast two-time MVP Lamar Jackson but lost star defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald over the offseason.
Settle In for the Prime-Time Slate
BAL vs. KC will get things started on Thursday night, but it’s hardly the only prime-time matchup worth watching in Week 1.
Friday brings the NFL’s first-ever South American game, a Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles contest in São Paulo, Brazil. We’ll get playoff memories on “Sunday Night Football” when Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams travel back to Detroit to face Jared Goff and the Lions.
Finally, Week 1 concludes when Aaron Rodgers returns to the field for the New York Jets as they face the 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Week 1 is the best NFL slate of the season, and the league ensured we’ll be watching a few barnburners in prime time.
3 First-Round QBs Will Start on Sunday
While Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. won’t play in Week 1 (barring an injury) and J.J. McCarthy is out for the season, three other first-round rookie quarterbacks will be on display on Sunday afternoon.
Caleb Williams is first up in the Chicago Bears’ 1 p.m. ET game against the Tennessee Titans. The USC product made a few jaw-dropping plays during the preseason, looking like every bit the magician his college career suggested he’d be in the NFL. Surrounded by the best offensive environment for a QB drafted first overall in recent memory, Williams is set up for a special rookie season.
The late-afternoon window will feature Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix’s pro debuts — and neither will have an easy assignment on Sunday.
Daniels will be pitted against Todd Bowles’ blitz-happy Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Nix will face Macdonald’s dynamic defense when Denver plays the Seattle Seahawks. Both play-callers probably relish the idea of scheming against a rookie signal-caller in Week 1.
C.J. Stroud vs. Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson only attempted 10 passes before leaving with an injury when the Indianapolis Colts faced the Houston Texans in Week 2 of the 2023 season. He was on injured reserve when Indy lost the AFC South title to Houston in Week 18.
So, Week 1 is shaping up as the first genuine test between Richardson and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, who became the youngest NFL quarterback to win a playoff game in February.
Games like Jacksonville Jaguars-Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals-Buffalo Bills will be fun, but Texans-Colts looks like the must-watch contest of the early window.
Joe Burrow Returns
Joe Burrow was hampered by a calf injury during the early portion of the 2023 season, then went down for good after suffering a wrist injury in Week 11. Burrow briefly played during the preseason, but Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots will represent his first real action since last November.
Whether Burrow will have his best wide receiver on the field remains anyone’s guess. Ja’Marr Chase continued his hold-in on Monday, watching practice in street clothes with the regular season just six days away.
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