Countdown to Kickoff- NFL Season Returns With Bigger Storylines Than Ever

The best part is that the season is starting a tad bit earlier than usual. Thursday night football game is the season opener, and we can all say that the league year starts with a bang. The first match of the year is a duel between the last year champions the Philadelphia Eagles and their bitter rivals the Dallas Cowboys. 

Things are never dull in the NFC East, and with Jerry Jones putting Cowboys' fans on edge once again late in the offseason, we're surely in for yet another crazy year in the league's most divided division. There's plenty more to talk about on the eve of the start of the 2025 NFL season so let's start. 

Can The Eagles Defend The Title? 

It's been two decades since a team managed to repeat as the Super Bowl champions before the Chiefs did it back in 2023. So, with the state of football in 2025 we can say that it is possible to repeat as a champion despite the league's parity. Chiefs were even on the road to repeat before the Eagles put an end to it. Now, the Eagles will try to repeat, and see where they can take their powerful roster from there. The Philly franchise certainly has a chance to do it considering they haven't had any major roster changes coming into the season. Jalen Hurts, Jalen Carter, Lane Johnson, Saquon Barkley, and A.J. Brown is still with the team. The Eagles were hot and cold in the playoffs during the last two seasons, showing that they can be both dominant and lose in streaks with the same roster and similar coaching staff. If Nick Sirianni really learned his lesson from 2023, the Eagles fans are in for a good year. Taking a look at these expert betting picks and predictions for NFL season suggest that the Philadelphia Eagles really stand a chance to win it all again. A good place to start the title defence would be a win against their biggest rivals, the Cowboys, at home. 

Can Chiefs, Mahomes & Kelce Bounce Back? 

The Kansas City Chiefs won 15 regular season games last year, and made it all the way up to the Super Bowl. Yet, they weren't all that convincing winning most of their games via one score difference, with all of their flaws being exposed in the biggest game of the year. Despite the embarrassing Super Bowl performance, the Chiefs are a team to be reckoned with during the regular season. After all, they still have Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce. The latter even got engaged to Taylor Swift during the offseason, which could be an additional motive, or a burden for the entire franchise. NFL Preseason Sportsbook looks good for the Chiefs, predicting that they will have more than 12 regular season wins once again and a secure place in the playoffs come January. While they remain favourites to win it all, the fact that is worrisome is that Kelce already announced that this might be his last year in the league, while Mahomes has had the worst year of his career last season. The AFC West is stronger than ever, and even if Mahomes & Co manage to go all the way it is going to be a hard road ahead. 

Aaron Rodgers Pittsburgh Adventure 

The best quarterback of the last decade is selling his trade in Pittsburgh this season. While far removed from his prime, Aaron Rodgers is still a household name in the league, and the Steelers fans expect a lot from his sole year in the Steel City. Back in the day, Aaron did win his lone Super Bowl against the Steelers but that was more than a decade ago. After a successful decade and a half in Green Bay, Rodgers had a few poor years in New York. Now. Everyone and he himself are expecting a swan song under the tutelage of Mike Tomlin. Can Rodgers avoid the drama that has been following him the last few years, and play as a 4 time MVP once again? It is possible. The Steelers have a solid roster, enough weapons on offense, and a player at the center eager to redeem himself after a torn Achilles that has kept him sidelined for a while during the last year. After leaving Green Bay things haven't gone smooth for Aaron, while the Packers are having a resurgence and now after signing Micah Parsons are in the Super Bowl contention. As far as the Steelers and Mike Tomlin go, they would be happy to have  a winning season and reach the playoffs and see where the road can take them from there. While a storied franchise, the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2016. Before the season starts, one thing is clear in Pittsburgh: they'll either tear the league down, or they're in for  another mediocre year. With Tomlin there is no in between. 

What The Year Holds For Burrow & The Bengals?

It is hard to argue against the pure quarterback talent Joe Burrow was blessed with. He is one of the best to do it in the league. The Bengals front office? Not so much. While having the league leaders across the board with the league's leading passer Burrow in 2024, the league's triple crown receiver in Ja'Marr Chase, and the sac league leader in Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals haven't made it to the playoffs. The individual talent is there, it's just that the team building process is not there. One could argue that the Bengals front office is wasting Joe's prime. They've extended their major stars in Burrow, Hendrickson, Chase, and Higgins, but overall the team is not looking too convincing. They will struggle to go over last year's 9:8 record. Joe Burrow is too good to be missing the playoffs for the third straight year, but no matter how good he plays, and how eagerly he puts himself in the MVP conversations, football is  a team game, and all the lines of the Bengals roster will have to step up in order to win enough games to be relevant in January. 

Will Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson win MVP?

While Burrow will be raking up the stats come the season start, the team record matters too in the MVP race. During the last few seasons we have a few same names in the MVP race. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson have singled themselves out as the best quarterbacks in the league. Not only that each of them has won an MVP piece during the last three seasons, but they truly are the faces of the league. So, it is no wonder that the bookies such as Stake.com are favouring them to win the coveted prize come the season end. Of course, the likes of Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert are also in the mix, but looking at the league's history, and what we saw in the NFL during the last few years, it will be a three horse race all over again. 

Can Jayden Daniels Build on His Rookie Year? 

The Washington Commanders are entering the season with the highest of ambitions. Dan Quinn has shored up the Commanders roster, and after drafting their QB of the future the future looks bright in DC. Their hope lies in the hands of their sophomore QB, Daniels, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year last season. Furthermore, he was the driving force that led the Commanders all the way to the NFC Championship Game. The pressure is now on Daniels to show the league that he can handle himself now that the league has tape on him. Sophomore slump is also on the books, as not many rookies have managed to build on their rookie years regardless of the draft position. The pressure is on Daniels to perform, as he is already seen as the future of the Commanders franchise after how he performed in 2024. Barring an injury, we can see him doing well in the league this season, considering the Commanders schedule and a messy state of the NFC East, where only the eagles and Washington appear to be competitive this year. 

Chicago Bears Playoffs Aspirations 

Just like every year, the Chicago Bears are entering the league year with the highest of ambitions. While they get disappointed more years than not, maybe this is their year. Some things appear to be different than before. The most important thing is the new head coach, Ben Johnson.  It is in his hands to unlock the quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams has had a shaky rookie year, but Johnson has proven himself as an offensive guru with the Detroit Lions and more of the same is expected of him in the Windy City. Chicago did what the best franchises do in the offseason and added weapons to both their O and D lines. The talent is there on both the edge and in the wide receiver corps, so the result shouldn't be lacking in Johnson's first season as a head coach. Yet, while the expectations remain high, the Bears fans are used to getting disappointed. The pressure is there on Johnson and Williams to get things going from the get go, but also with a small outlook on the year after, as both are still young and have a lot of potential. 

Is There a Place for the Cowboys in The Playoffs? 

The Dallas Cowboys are America's Team, but only in name. Their glory stems from the past, and modern Boys are not up to the standard set by their predecessors. After a few fine regular seasons, last year, the Cowboys reverted to 7-10 after their QB Dak Prescott missed half the season. When healthy, Dak has shown he can play at an MVP level, but the issue with him is that he is paid like an MVP, but rarely elevates his teammates to that level. The year ahead will be a bumpy one for Prescott as Jerry Jones decides to part ways with their HC Mike McCarthy and their best edge in Micah Parsons. Brian Schottenheimer is the new head coach, and the former OC will have a tough job to get the best out of the likes of George Pickens, who is the only Cowboys' offseason acquisition worth mentioning. The Dallas franchise is a team in transition, and with eagles and the Commanders being much better teams, we just don't see the Boys making the playoffs this season. 

Detroit Lions Super Bowl Chances

The Lions have been playing out of their minds these last few years.  They've been amazing in the regular season only to lose in a dramatic fashion come the playoffs. Back in 2023 they were close to the coveted game for the Lombardi trophy, narrowly losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game after holding a 24-7 lead at half time of that game. Last season, Detroit Lions dominated the league in the regular season, only to lose in the divisional round to the Washington Commanders after their injury list expanded beyond what was manageable. While their roster is as good as it was during the last two years of their massive league successes, the big changes have happened at their coordinator positions. Both their OC and DC have gone, with Ben Johnson taking over in Chicago, while Aaron Glenn is with the New York Jets. Dan Campbell is still there, and with Jared Goff behind the centre they can be a force to be reckoned with this year once again and the Super Bowl is not off the books. 

The 2025 NFL season is almost upon us, and these are just some of the storylines to follow in the year to come. We can't say that we haven't missed the game of football, and it is good to finally have it back.