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The NFL kicked off the 2024 regular season in dramatic fashion, with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Baltimore Ravens by a toe on Thursday night in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. Friday, the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles met in the first NFL game in Brazil. The Eagles won, but worse for the Packers, quarterback Jordan Love suffered an MCL injury that will likely sideline him multiple weeks.
The action continues Sunday with 13 more games before Monday night’s showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets.
One of the greatest things about the National Football League is the element of unpredictability. So much can change from year to year, and seasons themselves can resemble roller-coaster rides for some teams and fans. That’s why every week and every game features such high stakes.
There’s no shortage of compelling storylines as Week 1 of the NFL season unfolds. Here are five that we’re watching in particular. (Find the NFL Week 1 schedule here.)
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1. The dynamic kickoff
The opening kick of every game will look dramatically different Sunday thanks to changes the NFL instituted this offseason to this age-old play.
The NFL’s new alignment was designed to eliminate the high-speed, violent collisions that led to concussions and other serious injuries, and also to return this element of the game to relevance. Now, the 10 members of the kicking team’s coverage unit will line up at the opposing 40-yard line while at least nine members of the receiving team line up between their 30- and 35-yard line and two men line up in the shadow of their goal line as returners. The kick must land in the “landing zone” (between the receiving team’s goal line and 20-yard line), or the ball will be placed at the 40-yard line. If the ball lands in the end zone for a touchback, the ball will now be placed at the 30 rather than the 25.
We received a sneak peek at the changes during the preseason, when just more than 70 percent of kicks were returned (a spike from 54 percent in the 2023 preseason). NFL officials hope the increase in returns carries over into the regular season. There’s one belief that this new format could also lead to longer returns. But no one really knows.
Some around the league believe teams will deem the risk of surrendering long returns under the new coverage formats too great and thus opt for the conservative approach of kicking the ball out of the end zone even if it means conceding an extra 5 yards.
That certainly seemed to be the case based on what we saw in this week’s first two games. Kansas City settled for touchbacks on all six kickoffs Thursday night, never letting Baltimore even attempt a return. The Ravens, meanwhile, kicked three touchbacks and two shorter kicks, which led to Chiefs returns of 29 and 28 yards. Friday night, the Eagles settled for kicking touchbacks on five of their seven kickoffs. The Packers’ touchback-to-return ratio was identical.
Will this trend continue? We’re about to find out.
2. Lofty expectations for Lions and Texans
Just about every team has a healthy degree of optimism this time of year. They’re all undefeated. And many of them believe that if things break just right, they’ll find themselves in the playoffs come January. Then reality sets in. Then teams must prove whether they can effectively respond to pressure.
Teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals are no stranger to this pressure and how success can increase that weight. Then you have those new to success — squads that have finally achieved relevance after lengthy toils, or that seemingly have arrived ahead of schedule. The Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all fall under this category to some degree.
The Lions in three seasons under GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell morphed from woeful into dangerous. The Texans achieved instant success behind first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Buccaneers test-drove Baker Mayfield as the successor to Tom Brady last season and the scrappy 2018 No. 1 pick helped direct them to a division title and the playoffs.
Last season’s achievements were nice, but now more is expected of all of these teams. They must prove 2023 was no fluke and that they are built to contend, deliver deep playoff runs and legitimate shots at a Lombardi Trophy.
Jim Harbaugh will coach an NFL regular-season game Sunday for the first time since 2014. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
3. New coaching eras
Some teams weren’t so lucky in 2023, and their shortcomings led to a winter of firings, hirings and regime changes.
Sunday, seven teams will have new head coaches pacing the sidelines: the Atlanta Falcons (Raheem Morris), Carolina Panthers (Dave Canales), Los Angeles Chargers (Jim Harbaugh), New England Patriots (Jerod Mayo), Seattle Seahawks (Mike Macdonald), Tennessee Titans (Brian Callahan) and Washington Commanders (Dan Quinn). Their owners and fans hope that these new leaders can turn their franchises around and usher them into eras of long-lasting success. The Las Vegas Raiders, who removed the interim tag off Antonio Pierce’s title after his nine-game stint, hope for the same.
Some squads, like the Falcons, could quickly rebound. Atlanta already had a roster full of young, tough players, and then it signed one of the top free agents in quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins’ arrival, along with Morris’ strengths as a leader, motivator and teacher, could propel the Falcons toward NFC South contention. The Titans believe that Callahan — the Bengals’ former offensive coordinator — and a series of aggressive offseason moves could position them to make a leap similar to Houston’s in 2023. Other teams, like the Panthers, Raiders, Patriots, Seahawks and Commanders, could be in for multiyear rebound processes.
Sunday’s games could provide insight on just how close (or how far) these new coaches and their teams have to go.
4. Caleb Williams’ debut
Speaking of new eras, the Chicago Bears on Sunday prepare for a fresh start of their own as top rookie Caleb Williams makes his official debut as heralded franchise savior. The former USC star inherits a team that general manager Ryan Poles worked aggressively to upgrade this offseason. If he is as good as advertised, Williams could make the Bears rather interesting.
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Weighty expectations await Williams. The Bears have used 36 different starting quarterbacks since 1992 and hope he finally ends the carousel. Regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects to enter the league in some time, Williams carried himself with poise and confidence during the preseason and has been highly effective learning and directing the Bears’ offense. Will all of that translate seamlessly in regular-season games?
In 2011, Panthers No. 1 pick Cam Newton set the record for the most passing yards (422) in a player’s NFL debut, passing for two touchdowns and rushing for another. Three years ago, Jacksonville Jaguars No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence arrived on the scene with a 332-yard, three-touchdown, three-interception debut game. How will Williams fare? (Titans at Bears, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
5. 49ers’ post-Super Bowl response
The Chiefs kicked off the Week 1 action, and the 49ers — their latest Super Bowl victims — wrap it up with a home game against the much-hyped Jets.
The Niners have endured a rocky start to the season, as wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams both waged contract holdouts until recently agreeing to new deals. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who had been slowed by injury, was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list after being shot during an attempted robbery. He’ll miss at least the first four games. Running back Christian McCaffrey has battled a calf injury, and tone-setting linebacker Dre Greenlaw is on the physically unable to perform list while still recovering from an Achilles rupture suffered in the Super Bowl.
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On the eve of Week 1, the 49ers emerge from a summer of crises
The 49ers remain one of the most talented teams in the league, but rebounding from a Super Bowl loss traditionally proves challenging. Since the Buffalo Bills’ three consecutive unsuccessful returns to the Super Bowl from 1991 to ’93, only the 2018 Patriots have managed to return to the game (and win it) after losing it the prior year. Given the hurdles already faced this preseason, the 49ers could be in for a slow start. Brock Purdy and company will try to prove otherwise when they face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets on the national stage. (Jets at 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET Monday.)
(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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