America’s favorite sport has arrived once again. While it may not be SDA’s favorite sport historically, everyone can enjoy watching a good game of football. The 2024-25 NFL season is here, and there’s a lot to be excited about. Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs look to turn some fantastic seasons into a true dynasty. Do the Cowboys get over the hump, or has their competitive window closed? And what can we expect from a new-look Houston offense, loaded with young and exciting talent. Answers to these questions will begin to unravel starting tomorrow night, when the reigning champs host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. In addition to the annual Thursday Night Kickoff, the Philadelphia Eagles host the Green Bay Packers on the following Friday night. That game will air on Peacock, while NBC takes the Thursday game, as usual.
Week 1 is full of great matchups as usual. A couple of veteran QB’s in new places will debut on opposing sidelines when Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons host longtime Seahawk Russell Wilson, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The LA Chargers will host the Las Vegas Raiders in a renewal of the 2010s rivalry. The Lions and Rams will match up on Sunday Night Football in a rematch of last year’s NFC Wild Card matchup. This one will be fun to watch, considering the teams essentially swapped their quarterbacks, in the Goff-Stafford trade. The Indianapolis Colts host the Houston Texans fresh off of their run to the postseason, in an AFC South matchup. In the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers will head to New Orleans to battle the new-look Saints, led by Derek Carr.
After all the Sunday action, Monday Night Football holds what could eventually be the game of the year. The New York Jets are coming off a disappointing 7-10 season in which they had to scramble to find good QB play, and they were ultimately unable to find consistency in their signal callers. The reason for this? Former MVP Aaron Rodgers suffered an ACL tear in Week 1, in the first quarter, on the first drive. While it was one of the more hate-to-see injuries in recent history, Rodgers is back. The Jets are back in win-now mode, and with the emergence of their young stars Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Sauce Gardener in their respective sophomore years, Rodgers has the chance to take this squad to the Super Bowl. However, Rodgers won’t be able to ease into his return to NFL action, as he’ll begin his campaign against the San Francisco 49ers who boast the best defense in the NFC, allowing a mere 17.5 points per game. Rodgers will be seeing a lot of Nick Bosa and Chase Young in his face all game.
Week 1 is sure to be exciting, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. So, let’s talk playoffs and meet the contenders. The Chiefs are the clear favorite in the NFL, let alone in the AFC as Patrick Mahomes is beginning to separate himself from the rest of the elite QBs in the league. They are most closely rivaled by the Baltimore Ravens, who play a physical brand of football behind the flashiest, most electric quarterback in Lamar Jackson, oddly enough. Their lockdown defense and ability to make plays down the stretch is what allows them to compete with the Chiefs. The always fun to watch Bengals are back with the same strong passing core, however, they lost their consistent RB1, Joe Mixon, to the Houston Texans in the offseason. Speaking of which, the Texans welcome Mixon into their high-octane offense that is getting former All-Pro Stefon Diggs via trade along with rookie sensation Tank Dell back from his ACL injury, all to provide as elite weapons for last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud. His highly anticipated sophomore season is sure to be a fun watch for all fans of the game. Last but not least among these contenders, the Miami Dolphins who play some of the fastest, most exciting football in the league. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and their new lightning-fast running back De’Von Achane are set to light up the home scoreboard for another year.
On the NFC side of things, the defending champion 49ers are in a position of improvement, which would obviously mean another run at the Lombardi trophy. The giant in their way? The Philadelphia Eagles, who got their shot at the Chiefs in the Super Bowl the previous year, in 2023. Those two powerhouses are a level above the rest of the pack, but you can’t count out the NFC North this year, after young breakout star Jordan Love signed the richest deal in NFL history to remain the QB1 of the future for Green Bay. Justin Jefferson’s Minnesota Vikings may be missing a consistent quarterback, but with a solid defense and a knack for winning close games, you can never count out Viking Country. Maybe the most exciting and surprising team in the NFC this year could very well be the Chicago Bears. After taking Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, Chicago’s front office loaded up on receiving talent, drafting Rome Odunze, and trading for veteran Keenan Allen, to line up around DJ Moore. Oh, and the other team won 12 games last year to win the division. The new-era of the Detroit Lions fully arrived last year, as they powered their way to the NFC Championship game last year. This year’s NFC will look to be one of the most competitive divisions we’ve ever seen. And finally, (not really) America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys looks to compete after lots of noise in the offseason regarding some extensions owed to their star players. GM Jerry Jones is confident that he’s got his squad under control, and with CeeDee Lamb’s four-year $136 million extension inked last Monday, the ‘Boys are back, and are ready for another shot at the postseason.
So who’s gonna take it all? The Chiefs? Probably, but that’s boring. Every team has a shot, and the road to SBLIX, or Super Bowl 59, starts tomorrow night. So if you haven’t, draft your fantasy teams, place your bets(if you’re 18!), and get the chips ready for some watch parties. And for the NFL RedZone fans out there, get ready for eight hours of commercial free football. However you enjoy your football, cheers to a great season.