NFL 2024-25 Season Preview

  

🏈🏈🏈🏈

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

The new NFL season gets under way officially later today when the Baltimore Ravens visit the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. It is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won in Baltimore to qualify for the big game. 

So let me give a quick prediction for that game now, and then follow up with a preview of the upcoming NFL season.

For tonight's game, I predict that the Chiefs will win, but it should be tight. The Ravens will surely want revenge, as well as to prove to themselves that they can beat KC. And remember, the Chiefs got off to a relatively poor start last season. People may forget that, since they ultimately got back to the Super Bowl, and became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls in about two decades. But they may very well be more vulnerable at this point than people think.

Still, I expect them to pull this one out, at least.

My pick for tonight's game: KC Chiefs

Now, let me give my predictions for each division for this regular season. At a later time, I will try to give my predictions for the playoffs, including the Super Bowl.

First, since we are starting the season with two AFC teams, below are my picks for each division in the AFC.

Here goes:

Projected Standings:

AFC West:

1. Kansas City Chiefs - Yes, I am of the belief that KC remains the team to beat in this division, until someone finally knocks them off. Doubt that either the Raiders or the Broncos pose really serious challenges to KC's divisional supremacy, and the Chargers, under Harbaugh, will probably need a bit of time to gel.

2. LA Chargers - Almost put San Diego. Need to be careful. The Chargers are a decent team, and they should improve, possibly even dramatically, under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. However, they probably still need a season or two before they really challenge Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs for supremacy in the AFC West. 

3. Las Vegas Raiders - It felt a bit like the Raiders were a hot and cold team last season. Expect them to have a similar kind of a season, while making some inroads and maybe even contending for a playoff berth. 

4. Denver Broncos - It feels like the Broncos have struggled ever since winning the Super Bowl the better part of a decade ago. Expect that trend to continue through this coming season.

AFC North:

1. Baltimore Ravens - I hesitate with this pick. The Ravens have a tendency to be kind of an up and down team, and rarely seem to enjoy consistency playing at an elite level among the top tier teams for more than two or three seasons or so. Still, they impress me with a dangerous offense featuring Lamar Jackson, who still ranks as one of the most dynamic and dangerous qb's in the league, as well as a tough defense, which is kind of Baltimore's football identity.

2. Cincinnati Bengals - Like with the Ravens, this one is a risky pick as well. Yet it feels a bit more simple and straightforward: with Joe Burrows, the Bengals are a serious contender for a playoff berth or even a division title, and can find themselves back in the Super Bowl, as they did a few seasons ago. If health problems persist, this franchise might miss the playoffs again altogether.

3. Cleveland Browns - They showed some promise last season. But they tend to be hot and cold during a typical season, and last year was no different. Frankly, they are the kind of difficult team to pick, because it would not surprise me much if they either were a serious contender this year, or if they win up crashing and burning their way to another forgettable season. 

4. Pittsburgh Steelers - Like with the Browns, I could see this team soaring and surprising people, or sinking and missing the postseason. Still, I expect that they should finish at or near the bottom, because this division just feels so stacked. 

AFC South:

1. Houston Texans - Yes, it just feels like they have a ton of momentum on their side. With the success from last season and the general buzz around them, I figure they will come in with a lot of confidence, and that should translate to success this season.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars - Still the second best team in this division, I think. The Jags seem to be knocking on the door to being one of the better (though not quite elite) teams in the league. If the Texans slip at all, expect Jax to step up to the plate and fill that vacuum.

3. Indianapolis Colts - The Colts have surprised me at times in the past few seasons. It feels like they could and maybe should be a relatively serious contender for the playoffs this year, although they still might not get there.

4. Tennessee Titans - This team feels like they need some major adjustments simply to compete within this division. I just do not see them standing out in any significant way, and expect them to be at the bottom of the standings at season's end.

AFC East:

1. Miami Dolphins - Yes, I am picking the Dolphins to overcome the Bills and finally win a division title this season. They really came close and were knocking on the door last season. 

2. Buffalo Bills - They have been masters of the AFC East house since the demise of the dynasty Patriots. But the Fins are a serious challenge, and I expect Miami to get the better of Buffalo this time around. But I still believe that Buffalo is a playoff team.

3. New York Jets - Nope. Still not buying Aaron Rodgers guarantees/promises of a Super Bowl run by Gang Green. Now don't get me wrong: I would love to be wrong on this. The Jets are my second favorite team, admittedly, and not my very favorite. Still, seeing them actually in a Super Bowl in my lifetime would really be something special. But I had strong suspicions that the end results would not live up to the hype last season. And while many Jets fans are a lot more cautious this time around, I really am not sure that Gang Green will make that wild of a swing in terms of results. After all, this team has not qualified for the playoffs in almost a decade and a half, which qualifies as the longest current drought in the NFL. Let's focus on seeing them get there first, before we talk about the Super Bowl. 

4. New England Patriots - New coach, new quarterback, and new expectations. Unfortunately for fans in New England, I don't expect this team to have wildly different results from the kind of season that they endured last season. Hard to imagine them even avoiding a last place finish.