With the NFL season kicking off this week, this season could be one of the best in decades. Teams are looking to make Super Bowl history, win divisions with new players and prove critics wrong. Now is the time to look forward and try to see how this season will end up and who will have a great year.
Going into the season there are usually teams that are going to be playoff teams, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, but each year a few teams come out of nowhere to surprise fans by making leaps in the regular season.
The Atlanta Falcons have a chance to break out this season through the upgrades on their roster. Ever since the departure of former MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, the Falcons have struggled to find a signal caller that can lead them to the playoffs. In order to remedy this issue, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a $180 million contract. Although coming off an injury, Cousins will undoubtedly improve the passing game and turn a unit that only put up 222 yards per game into a top passing offense in the NFL.
Not only did the most important position in the sport get an upgrade, the Falcons also brought in star edge rusher Matthew Judon through a trade with New England and former second team all-pro safety Justin Simmons to form an extremely talented defense. Under new head coach Raheem Morris, it would be shocking if the Falcons didn’t win the NFC South and possibly go further into the playoffs.
Outside of a Super Bowl victory, the second most coveted honor for most players on the gridiron is the NFL MVP. To win MVP, there is a solid blueprint on the type of season a player has to have, usually involving having the best record in the league and having great individual statistics. Take, for example, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the MVP last season. Jackson led the Ravens to a league best 13-4 record behind a monstrous 3,678 passing yards, 821 rushing yards and a total of 29 touchdowns.
A player that has a great opportunity to mimic this type of success is Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Being a quarterback, Allen has a huge advantage at winning the award as the last player to win MVP that wasn’t a quarterback was running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. The reason Allen could take home the honor this year is that he will have to do more work than ever if the Bills will be successful.
With the Bills losing key pieces wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, safety Jordan Poyer and center Mitch Morse, this is the least talented team Allen has had around him in years. With all the expectations for the Bills to take a step back, if they can replicate or improve on last season with a 13 win campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Allen come home with the honor of MVP.
This season, there are dozens of teams looking to come home with the Lombardi Trophy, but they may be disappointed to find a familiar foe standing in their way. This year the Super Bowl will be played in New Orleans and it will feature a dynasty chasing history and a team trying to make their own.
The Chiefs making it to the AFC championship game is an inevitability, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading his team to the game every year he has been a starter. On the other side of the field, the Detroit Lions have only recently discovered success under head coach Dan Campbell, who led them to its first playoff win since 1992. Had the Lions kicked field goals in the NFC championship game last year, that could have been the Super Bowl for the season prior.
Instead, the Lions will play the Chiefs this year in Super Bowl LIX. There are a myriad of factors that go into who wins the Super Bowl but one of the biggest is experience. The Chiefs have played in four of the last five Super Bowls, winning three. This experience will help the Chiefs complete NFL history, winning the Super Bowl 27-20 for their third consecutive championship.
The 2024 season looks to be one of the best in years, with several teams looking to prevent a Chiefs three-peat. Make sure to tune in every Sunday to watch the story unfold.
Jasper Greuel is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Jasper about his column? email him at jg453620@ohio.edu.
