NFL Season Preview

There are many questions on people’s minds as we head into this National Football League (NFL) season: Are the Kansas City Chiefs going to continue to dominate the league as they have for the past few years? Are the Houston Texans really a sleeper pick for a spot in the Super Bowl? Will the Philadelphia Eagles reach their full potential? There are some big questions out there, and many of them will be answered below:

          Will the Chiefs win another ring?

          The Chiefs are vying for an unprecedented achievement this season, as they hope to become the
first team in NFL History to win three Super Bowls in a row. As the two- time reigning Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs enter this regular season with extremely high expectations, so it was no surprise to me at all when they took down their chief (no pun intended) rival, the Baltimore Ravens, during the first game of the season. My prediction for Kansas City is that they will only lose a handful of games en route to another title this season.

          Are the Texans really competitors?

          In short: Yes, they should be one of the best teams in the NFL this year. With the additions of star
wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon, the Texans are looking as threatening as ever. With the Southern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) looking particularly weak this
year, the Texans are nearly guaranteed a shot at a playoff run, barring any miracle runs by any other teams in their division or injuries to their own core of superstars. Expect the Texans to make a deep postseason run this year, and don’t be surprised if they make it to the AFC Championship Game or even the Super Bowl.

          How great will the Eagles be this
season? 
 
         With the addition of a former Offensive Rookie of the Year, running back Saquon Barkley, to their already star-studded lineup, the Eagles’ already high-powered offense should see a great improvement compared to last season. Along with the Eagles’ offensive improvements, their defense has significantly improved this offseason as well. With the additions of many young players to their secondary (linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties), they shouldn’t be as weak on the defense as they were at the end of last season. Although the Eagles’ roster looks almost unbeatable, they tend to lose games they shouldn’t.
Even so, they should find themselves as one of the top seeds in the NFC with a clear path to a championship—if all goes according to plan, of course.

          How about the rest of the league?

          This section will be a quick synopsis of the teams that are on the rise and the fall. The AFC East is looking especially competitive this year. With the Buffalo Bills losing many key players, most notably Diggs, their streak of four consecutive division titles could very well come to an end. The three teams most likely to win the AFC East division title are the aforementioned Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, and the New York Jets, provided that Aaron Rodgers doesn’t get hurt again. There isn’t much to say about the AFC West, except that the Chiefs will easily win the division, as the Los Angeles Chargers lost too many pieces over the offseason to remain competitive. The AFC North will be another competitive division. The Cincinnati Bengals should return to contention with star quarterback Joe Burrow coming back from injury. The Bengals, Ravens, and Cleveland Browns should all be contending for the division crown. It is saddening that the Steelers won’t be good this season; let’s face it—, a 35-year-old Russell Wilson is not good enough to lead that team to the playoffs. On the National Football Conference (NFC) side of things, the NFC East division is once again looking like a competition between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys for the division title; however, I would put my money on the Eagles. The NFC West is yet again looking like the 49ers’ division to lose, not just for this year but for the foreseeable future. The NFC North was shaping up to be a battle between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers for the top spot, but with Jordan Love set to miss multiple weeks with an MCL sprain, the Lions have a much higher chance at the division title. Finally, the NFC South is looking quite weak this year, so I can see almost any of the teams winning the division. Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first-round playoff game against the Eagles last season, I would not trust that team to win another game of that magnitude, especially as their core group of players continues to age.

          This NFL season is shaping up to be an exciting one, with a full week of games already providing numerous talking points and updates. If the season continues as it has started, it should be one for the books.