What to Expect From the 2024 NFL Season

It feels like only yesterday that Patrick Mahomes was catapulting the Kansas City Chiefs to a second consecutive Super Bowl. But if you thought that you’d have to wait a long time before the NFL was back in full swing, then think again. The new season is closing in on a league never really takes a break, not when there’s such a lively off-season to keep us all entertained.

So far, we’ve seen some moves that have given us a heads-up as to what we might expect once the season gets underway in early September. Let’s take a look.

San Francisco 49ers: Early Season Favorites

The San Francisco 49ers are fresh off the heels of a Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs. Yet they’ll be confident that they can put that disappointment behind them and come out as victors at Super Bowl LIX next February. The bookies feel the same way, too — with odds of +550, they’ve made the 49ers favorites to win.

That’s no accident. There are plenty of reasons why the 49ers are looking in good shape going into the new season. They have a settled team that won’t be broken up, Brock Purdy is getting better with each game, and they’ve shown in the past that they have the capacity to overcome disappointment and turn it into victory.

Plus, in 2025 it’ll be thirty years since they last won a Super Bowl title, so it’s about time.

Kansas City Chiefs: Hunting Three In a Row

The Kansas City Chiefs won February’s Super Bowl fairly comfortably, but there are doubts abound going into the new season. Admittedly, most of those doubts have to do with history: no side has ever won three Super Bowls in a row, so if Kansas is going to have an all-time season, then they’ll have to break new ground.

Is it possible? With Patrick Mahomes, anything is possible. The bookies certainly think they’re in with a chance, too — they’re +700 to win, which isn’t too far behind the 49ers’ odds. Still, there are plenty of reasons why they’re getting attention in the betting market. From Andy Reid’s long-term commitment to a defense that’s getting better and better, there’s little doubt that the team will feel confident. For that reason, punters wishing to learn how to use a promo code to pick a pre-season Super Bowl winner may well select the Kansas City Chiefs to make it three in a row. If Mahomes and co. can do that, they’ll go down as probably the greatest NFL of all time.

An Interesting First Season For Caleb Williams

There’s a lot of hype about Caleb Williams, who is a shoo-in to be the first draft pick. He’ll certainly be going to the Chicago Bears, who were so convinced by his potential that they didn’t even look at other quarterbacks.

The Bears clearly liked what they saw. Will that translate into success on the field? Not everyone is convinced. Williams has a slightly unorthodox playing style that could make him a hero or might make him a dud. Some commentators have pointed to his worst-ever college game, a 48-20 defeat to Notre Dame, as a warning sign that he might have the capacity for serious errors in his locker.

But that’s not to say we’re writing off Caleb Williams. The athlete has massive potential. But it’ll definitely be interesting to see how he fares in his maiden NFL season.

Some New Rules

Finally, there will be some new rules in tow. The NFL is always making modifications here and there, and the new campaign will see a bunch of subtle shifts, many of which are concerned with player safety. For instance, the hip-drop tackle, a technique that brings a higher-than-average risk of injury, will be banned. There’s a new kickoff rule that is designed to encourage returns. Finally, there’ll be a play-clock system designed to ensure no valuable seconds are lost.

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