The NFL season is almost upon us.
Here come 32 teams, 18 weeks, 14 playoff berths and one champion.
Even as the Patriots head into Year 1 of a rebuild that will keep them out of contention for the foreseeable future, intrigue and parity still abound across the league. How will it all play out?
The Herald’s Patriots beat writers make their 2024 NFL predictions.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
The best quarterback in the division, the most proven coach and a winning division record every season since 2019. Give me the Bills over a 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers and weakened Dolphins defense.
New York Jets
The Bills are giving Josh Allen a cast of offensive playmakers reminiscent of the pre-2007 Patriots. Allen will try to do too much. The Jets are built to win as long as Rodgers stays healthy. – Kyed
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals
A healthy Joe Burrow makes all the difference for a Bengals team that has since fortified its offensive line and went 9-8, despite missing Burrow for seven games last year. – Callahan
Baltimore Ravens
If Zay Flowers can take a second-year leap, he’ll be the best wide receiver Lamar Jackson has ever played with. Even if he can’t, adding Derrick Henry to this offense could be dangerous. – Kyed
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars
Surprise! One of the most unpredictable divisions in football figures to finally have a steady favorite in Houston, but a healthy Trevor Lawrence and a refortified Jaguars defense knock the Texans into the Wild Card race. – Callahan
Houston Texans
Quarterback C.J. Stroud proved he’s for real in 2023, and now he gets to throw to Stefon Diggs on top of Nico Collins and Tank Dell. – Kyed
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is still the quarterback. Andy Reid is still the coach. So long as those two remain in place, and the Chiefs aren’t moved from the division, I’m picking them to win the West. – Callahan
Kansas City Chiefs
Put money on the Chiefs to win the AFC West for as long as Mahomes and Reid are paired together. – Kyed
AFC Wild Card
Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers
Surprise! Jim Harbaugh does it again in Year 1, restoring a hard-luck franchise into a competent team. Los Angeles also has the benefit of facing the Broncos and Raiders a combined four times within a last-place schedule. As for the Texans and Ravens, both make hard charges at their respective divisions before settling for a Wild Card berth. – Callahan
Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
Joe Burrow is back healthy, making the Bengals contenders once again. The Bills should dip a bit after losing so much offensive firepower, but Allen and Co. can still lead them into the playoffs. And the Dolphins lost some key pieces but retooled while bringing down their salary cap with some shrewd moves. – Kyed
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
Several preseason warning signs surround this team, including internal dysfunction from a year ago and underlying numbers that suggest they Eagles enjoyed a bit of good luck in 2023. That said, the talent is the talent. And if it’s between Philly and Dallas, which has both its coach and quarterback in contract years, give me the birds. – Callahan
Philadelphia Eagles
Ask the Patriots how talented the Eagles looked in their joint practice together this summer. The Eagles are absolutely loaded on offense with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith and Saquon Barkley. – Kyed
NFC North
Green Bay Packers
The most overlooked team in the entire NFL. Jordan Love is a burgeoning star, the skill-position talent around him is rapidly improving, and the Packers made a necessary coaching change, installing ex-Boston College coach Jeff Hafley as their new defensive coordinator. All of these factors will combine for a massive leap over the Lions in the division. – Callahan
Detroit Lions
Yes, Jared Goff is still the quarterback, but this is a team that should keep improving as players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Penei Sewell, Aidan Hutchinson and Jack Campbell get better with age. – Kyed
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are all in with Kirk Cousins, Matthew Judon and other newly signed veterans. Because of how wretched the rest of the division projects to be, Atlanta’s offseason work pays off in a division title, but little else come January. – Callahan
Atlanta Falcons
It’s a weak division, and the Falcons added Kirk Cousins, Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons to a team that already had plenty of talent. – Kyed
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks
My favorite sleeper team this season. Mike MacDonald is a master defensive coach with a track record of stopping the Shanahan-style offenses that litter this division. Offensively, Seattle have has requisite pieces to surprise under new coordinator Ryan Grubb. The Seahawks will be flying at the start of their new era. – Callahan
San Francisco 49ers
Say what you will about head coach Kyle Shanahan’s inability to win it all, but he gets his team to the postseason year after year. – Kyed
NFC Wild Card
Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams
The 49ers and Lions should still be plenty dangerous from their Wild Card positions come playoff time, while the Rams edge a feisty Cardinals team for the last spot here. Los Angeles boasts the better quarterback and coach, though Arizona – especially if rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. stars right away – is a fair sleeper pick to make a run at the postseason. – Callahan
Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams
It’s been a bizarre offseason for the Cowboys, who refuse to give their star players extensions, but they’re too talented to miss the playoffs outright. The Packers have a bright young quarterback in Jordan Love who will carry them to a wild-card berth, and Sean McVay’s Rams always overachieve. – Kyed
Super Bowl matchup
Packers vs. Ravens
Twelve years after Baltimore won an all-time Super Bowl in the Superdome, the Ravens head back to New Orleans for a classic matchup with Jordan Love and Co. And once again, Baltimore prevails.
Lions vs. Chiefs
Turn away, Patriots fans. The Chiefs are going for a three-peat, and as long as long as Mahomes keeps playing like Mahomes, they’ll do it against a Lions team that’s uber-talented but doesn’t have the coach or quarterback to topple KC. – Kyed
MVP
Bengals QB Joe Burrow
Burrow just concluded the first normal training camp of his career at full health. He has the weapons, the best offensive line he’s ever played with and edges Patrick Mahomes here for his first MVP. – Callahan
QB Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes has been the NFL’s best player since Tom Brady retired, but he’s won just two MVPs. He picks up his third while leading an offense that features an aging Travis Kelce and speedy but undersized and unproven wide receivers. – Kyed
Offensive Player of the Year
Egales RB Saquon Barkley
Barkley is playing behind the first decent offensive line he’s had since high school. Seriously. High school. Meanwhile, the Eagles are without a proven third receiver, meaning more catches and touches are coming his way. – Callahan
Jets WR Garrett Wilson
Wilson has 178 catches and 2,145 yards in two seasons while catching the majority of his passes from Zach Wilson. Give him Rodgers, and Wilson might match that in 17 games. – Kyed
Defensive Player of the Year
Cowboys DE Micah Parsons
Let’s ride with the favorite here. Parsons is as dangerous and athletic an edge rusher the NFL has seen in a generation. After three straight Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods, Parsons takes his game to another level in Year 4 with this award. – Callahan
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby
Crosby keeps managing to get better and better, and this is the year he gets recognized with some serious hardware for another double-digit sack season while leading the NFL in tackles for loss. – Kyed
Coach of the Year
Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur
LaFleur proved he could coach an elite offense without Aaron Rodgers this year. This season, he shows he can take a team to the Super Bowl. – Callahan
Atlanta’s Raheem Morris
The league loves to reward coaches who can improve their team from one season to the next. The Falcons were 7-10 in 2023. If they can score a playoff berth with an NFC South title, Morris is likely to win the award. – Kyed
Comeback Player of the Year
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers
With Burrow taking MVP, Rodgers has a clear path to winning this award. Browns running back Nick Chubb is another solid candidate, though Cleveland has insisted it will work him in slowly this season, which should depress his total stats and make him a runner-up come February. – Callahan
QB Joe Burrow
We’re expecting big things from Rodgers this season, but Burrow, a serious MVP candidate, should be even better as he returns from a wrist injury that shortened his 2023 campaign after 10 games. – Kyed