Football is back! The National Football League (NFL) made its anticipated return this past week, once again reviving football fandom across the country. The reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs kicked the new year off last Thursday, Sept. 7, when they squared off against the up-and-coming Detroit Lions, falling 21-20. It was just the first game of a 16-game action-packed week and the beginning of a 544-game regular season. After another tantalizing offseason, let’s look at some key storylines captivating fans’ attention this season.
Aaron Rodgers has a new home this year. The four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) is going into his 19th NFL season, but it will be the first away from the Green Bay Packers. Now, Rodgers will don the number eight, leading the offense for the New York Jets. After being traded this past offseason, the 39-year-old finds himself in a much better situation.
The team already has two proven young stars on offense with wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall. The team also signed dynamic running back Dalvin Cook near the tail-end of the offseason, adding to their depth there and at other positions. This overhaul on the team’s offense ensures that their signal-caller has the weapons he’ll need to win ball games. Pair this with one of the NFL’s best young defenses, and the Jets may have constructed the recipe to make a run at Super Bowl LVIII (58).
As Rodgers puts down the cheesehead and heads to New York, the Packers enter a new era. Waiting in the wings to replace Rodgers is 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love. It seems odd for a first-round quarterback to backup another quarterback for the first three years of his career, but this story has been told before. In fact, it’s a story that’ll give Green Bay fans a sense of déjà vu.
Way back in 2008, the Packers traded legendary quarterback Brett Favre to the Jets. With the starting quarterback job vacant, a young quarterback by the name of Rodgers stepped into frame. The then 25-year-old, who was drafted to Green Bay three years prior with the 24th selection in the 2005 NFL Draft, was asked to fill Favre’s shoes and the rest is history. Of course, the similarities between these two stories are maddening, but Love will look to write his own story, and the 24-year-old has a nice group of young talent to grow with this season.
Second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs flashed in their rookie campaigns, while three other rookies in receiver Jayden Reed while tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft look to provide reinforcements. In addition to the young guns, respected veterans like running back Aaron Jones and left tackle David Bakhtiari are there to provide the leadership the offense needs. The story is there to be rewritten, but it’s on Love’s shoulders to replicate it.
It’s safe to say the Baltimore Ravens took care of Lamar Jackson this past offseason. It seemed like the sky was falling once Jackson requested a trade due to contract disputes. However, the dust soon settled, and the city could take a breath of fresh air after the former MVP inked a 5-year deal worth $260 million.
Along with the lucrative contract, Jackson received a revamped offense. The first order of business was naming Todd Monken the new offensive coordinator. His new-look offense focuses more on airing the football out and gives Jackson play calling duties. The other improvement includes the team’s receivers. In the past few years, Baltimore owned one of the worst wide receiver groups in the league. Now, things are looking up for Jackson and the offense. Veteran Odell Beckham Jr. and first-round rookie Zay Flowers headline the new cast, and the team’s top wideout Rashod Bateman is back healthy. There’s still much to prove, but the new-look offense should be primetime TV this season.
There’s a ton of other headlines to keep an eye on this year as we start to get into what should be an exciting season. Will the Chiefs repeat and once again reach the league’s summit, or can another team play up to the challenge and hoist the Lombardi Trophy?
