The 2024 National Football League (NFL) season is upon us. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to win a third straight Super Bowl, while other teams are attempting to make a statement and dethrone the two-time defending champions. However, a lot has changed in the last couple months. From players signing lucrative deals with new teams to teams drafting the next great superstar to coaching changes mixing up the landscape of football, there’s no telling what this season has in store, but it will not disappoint.
If you ask most analysts, they fully expect the Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champs. From drafting to developing, the organization has done everything right during the span of this dynasty. This off-season, they’ve gotten even better. Their once shallow and inconsistent wide receiver room could prove to be one of the better groups in football this season. Second-year receiver Rashee Rice already impressed in week one with a seven catch 103-yard performance and is ready to take a huge leap. Veteran wide receiver Marquise Brown came to Kansas City this offseason and will be a dangerous speed threat when healthy. The most exciting piece to this trio, though, is first-round rookie Xavier Worthy. The 40-yard dash record holder already turned heads last week, scoring two touchdowns in three touches and was clearly the fastest guy on the field. These receivers should add a whole new dimension to the offense, one that had no problem dominating defenses last season.
This rookie class is one for the ages. The amount of rookie talent on the offensive side of the football is unreal. Of the first 15 picks in this past year’s NFL Draft, 14 of them play on offense. The headliners this season are expected to be quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. The Chicago Bears had the pleasure of landing both Williams and Odunze with their first and eighth pick, thanks to a trade last season with the Carolina Panthers. While it wasn’t pretty for either rookie this week, Williams throwing for 93 yards on a 48 percent completion rate and Odunze catching just one ball for eleven yards, they came out on top against the Tennessee Titans. The duo is expected to be one of the next great quarterback to wide receiver tandems in the league due to their ability to make something out of nothing. Harrison Jr. and Nabers are also expected to be future superstars, drafted with the fourth and sixth overall picks respectively. Both seemingly do it all, and when they’re on, there’s almost nothing defenses can do to stop them. Neither found the end zone this week, and Harrison Jr. had his share of struggles especially, but there’s a ton of young offensive firepower this season. It’s only a matter of time before some of these guys break out.
This week was just a start to the chaotic brand of football we will quickly become acclimated to this season. The Buffalo Bills narrowly escaped an inferior Arizona Cardinals team, the New England Patriots began the Jerod Mayo era with a defensive masterpiece in a huge upset loss over the Cincinnati Bengals and teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints looked unstoppable. Whether it be week one jitters, or teams genuinely proving themselves to the rest of the league, there’s still a long way to go before we find out what teams are going to cement themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
