The NFL is back — but the format of this preview is not (entirely).
In years past, this was a more comprehensive preview of all 32 teams. Now — for a variety of reasons, including the region in which I write — I’ll simply preview each conference with a tilt toward the NFC East (for Washington) and the AFC North (for Baltimore).
But trust me: I still took painstaking efforts to study each team before doing my annual exercise of going game-by-game to predict the season results. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry and some will make you put me on blast for being wrong at year’s end.
Which is fine, as long as you also give me my flowers when I’m right.
Before we delve into the predictions and previews, let’s look at three key questions impacting the 2024 NFL season:
The new-look alignment has generated more discussion than touchdowns in the preseason, the answer is maybe not at all.
But in the preseason, the number of kickoff returns was up to nearly 80%, (compared to 22% last season) and the average return yardage was also up. That’s not to mention the potential for trick plays, which teams understandably would keep under wraps in exhibition play. If nothing else, the kickoff is no longer the go-to time for a beer and/or bathroom run.
The fact that this rookie class of quarterbacks is already being compared to the epic 1983 class tells you all you need to know about the 2024 class.
With J.J. McCarthy out for the season and Michael Penix Jr. and Drake Maye backing up veterans, the draft’s top two picks — Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels — join Bo Nix (incidentally, the first Broncos rookie QB to open a season since top ’83 pick John Elway) as rookie-starting QBs this season.
History says all of these young signal callers won’t succeed. But which?
Of the eight teams to win back-to-back Super Bowls, none returned to the big game the following year and three failed to reach the playoffs altogether.
This is where I point out (again) that the NFL hasn’t had a repeat champion since 2004. After the 2021 Buccaneers failed to pull it off despite unprecedented continuity, it’s starting to feel like an impossible feat. But then again, Patrick Mahomes routinely does the inconceivable so there’s a decent chance this is the last time I ask this question for a while.
OK, folks. Dig in.
