Why watch the 2024 NFL season? A new season is always an opportunity to discover new things. New players, players who have moved and even rule changes. 2024 is once again a land of novelties, which brings spice to the season.
So here are the 15 good reasons to watch the new 2024 NFL season.
1/ Rookie quarterbacks
There's nothing more exciting at the start of the season than seeing new quarterbacks on the field. The 2024 NFL Draft was particularly rich, with 6 quarterbacks in the top 12: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, JJ McCarthy and Bo Nix.
While only the top two are expected to start the season, at least four are expected to start games in 2024. JJ McCarthy's injury dealt a blow to that overall hype, but it didn't make it go away. As CJ Stroud showed last year, a franchise quarterback can change a franchise, and bring it from the shadows to the light.
Caleb Williams will obviously be the leader, he who has the heavy mission of restoring the Bears' reputation. Well surrounded, he has the chance for a number 1 draft pick to arrive in a team with a rather attractive cast.
2/ Rookies in general
Would you like some more rookies?
The receivers are in the spotlight, with future stars. Marvin Harrison Jr. must revitalize the Cardinals' offense, while Malik Nabers must resurrect the Giants'. Rome Odunze will have less of a spotlight, having ended up with the Bears with Caleb Williams.
But other players also have the pressure of carrying the fans' hopes: JC Latham has to solve the left tackle problem for the Titans, which is also the case for Taliese Fuaga for the Saints. Dallas Turner has to make Danielle Hunter forget, a monumental task.
Having fresh blood and newness is never a bad thing. New is always better “, and the first weeks will offer us something new in each team.
3/ The Houston Texans
In one season, the Texans have become a hot team, so much so that they are now talking about a Super Bowl contender. With two drivers of the hype: quarterback CJ Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans. It's rare to see a team go from the worst team in the league to winning the playoffs in one year, so maybe this is history in the making.
But it's more than just that duo; it's a young, talented and hungry group. In an increasingly competitive AFC, every Texans game will be watched with an enthusiasm the franchise has almost never seen since its inception at the turn of the century.
Tank Dell and Nico Collins embody this new wave, with an “oversized” and “undersized” player who have become one of the most appealing duos in the NFL. Youth is in power, and it's appealing.
4/ AFC South
There's more to the AFC South than just the Texans. Often seen as the least attractive division in the AFC, it now has plenty of reasons to be watched. The Colts have a full roster, stars and a near-rookie quarterback, as Anthony Richardson played so little last season. They should be the Texans' main competition.
But there is also much to look elsewhere. Trevor Lawrence has secured his XXL contract, will he take advantage of it to move up a gear?
On the Tennessee side, it's year two for Will Levis, who will need to confirm with an experienced roster to help him grow. He will also need a competent line, which contains two young first-rounders in JC Latham and Peter Skoronski.
5/ Jim Harbaugh, the return
It's the story of a friend who got together with a new girlfriend, but who finally comes back to say hello 10 years later (it was a long relationship). Suspended in the NCAA, Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL, he who had great success with the 49ers, taking this team to the Super Bowl (lost against his brother).
A fan of the running game, he has under his command one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, an unprecedented situation for him. It is this context that makes the return of the national university champion a real enigma, namely his ability to adapt. A former player of the Chargers, Harbaugh is expected as a savior and will aim to dethrone the Chiefs, who have reigned over the AFC West for a decade.
6/ Saquon Barkley and the stars on the move
When a star changes teams, it's always an event. When a star leaves his team of always for a historic division rival, it's another dimension. Saquon Barkley is now an Eagle, and will discover another environment. For the first time in his career he is not THE star, but a star among others. The cherry on the cake is that he will face the Giants twice, enough to fuel a rivalry that is almost a century old.
Saquon isn't the only star to make the move. Derrick Henry is a Raven, Calvin Ridley is a Titan and Christian Wilkins is a Raider. Again, novelty is appealing, and some of the moves profoundly change our knowledge of the NFL.
7/ Jordan Love
Like Aaron Rodgers before him, Jordan Love had to wait several seasons before becoming a starter for the Packers. After an attractive season in 2023, and after signing an XXL contract, Love now has a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
With a roster full of young players on the rise, Jordan Love must do better this season, and face the Lions eye to eye. Not impossible, but far from easy. The attack as a whole is highly anticipated, and confirmation will be as always more complicated than the blossoming. With great power comes great responsibility.
8/ The Lions
Despite having competed in the entirety of the modern NFL, the Lions waited until the winter of 2024 to win a second playoff game in franchise history. A new feeling is blowing on the shores of Lake St. Clair: hope.
Jared Goff has found his system, and the Lions' new guard has taken the NFL by surprise, much like the Texans. Jahmyr Gibbs is explosive, Sam LaPorta is one of the best tight ends in the league, while defensively Aidan Hutchinson justifies his status as the No. 2 overall pick. A few months after staring the 49ers in the eye in the NFC final, the Lions are now favorites.
They managed to confirm, and can now focus on one goal: winning the Super Bowl.
9/ The Jets
Sometimes, reheated food is still good. The Jets were the most anticipated team of 2023, led by multiple MVP Aaron Rodgers. The former Green Bay quarterback lasted 4 snaps before his season was cut short. Cruel for the Jets, cruel for football.
But the Jets still have one of the best rosters in the league, and still have Aaron Rodgers. While the hype has lost some of its luster, it remains one of the biggest puzzles of the season for a team that has been in the shadows for decades.
10/ The Falcons and Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins, in addition to being a shrewd financial negotiator, is a talented quarterback. On Atlanta's side, there is hope that he is the missing piece of a promising offense.
With a top-five offensive line, Kirk Cousins must become a mentor capable of developing a group of promising young players: runner Bijan Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Drake London. If Cousins finds an environment close to what he had when he arrived in Minnesota, this time he will have to take a step forward for a franchise that has been in decline since the Super Bowl defeat.
While the defense looked like it was in the red, the late additions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons helped the defense shine again as well. This team is now the NFC South favorite, the end of a long drought?
11/ The new eras
For the first time this century, Bill Belichick is no longer the Patriots coach. And for the first time since 2010, Pete Carroll is no longer the Seahawks coach. It's a huge page turning for both franchises, who haven't had a Super Bowl victory without both of these men.
OJ Mayo (Patriots) and Mike MacDonald (Seahawks) have a tough task. The former must breathe new life into a franchise that has become mediocre, while the latter must allow a full roster to finally reach its full potential. Two venues, two atmospheres, but in any case, two particularly intriguing teams to follow.
12/ Surprises
Every year, August is the month of certainties. And every season it shatters. The 2023 Texans were supposed to play in the top 5 of the draft, like the Giants and Seahawks in 2022. However, these three teams managed to qualify for the playoffs. These same Giants who failed to confirm in 2023.
Sometimes all it takes is a quarterback who blossoms, a coach who restores momentum, or a more favorable schedule to have a season that is much better than expected. The NFL is played over 17 games, not 82 or 162, and each game is of paramount importance.
13/ The new “kickoff” rule
It's rare to see a rule shake up a sport as much as the kickoff rule has this season. No more long rides, but a duel on a close zone, which completely changes the organization of special teams.
This new rule will give rise to tactics, talents, and risks at the beginning of the season also giving rise to a lot of confusion. If it is still too early to judge if this rule is good, it has the merit of trying to re-energize an action that has become too unattractive for several seasons now.
For the record, this action comes from the XFL, proof that the multiplication of leagues also brings innovations.
14/ The cover of DNA of Sports
Instant self-promotion. Like every year, the DNA of Sports team is with you this season, with a more comprehensive program than ever: match debrief articles, debrief and preview podcasts every week, news articles, etc.
And of course, match commentary every Sunday at 7 p.m. on M6+!
Not to mention draft coverage starting in September to be ready for next spring. For over a decade, we have been on an adventure together, and 2024 will be a new opportunity to bring you this undoubtedly thrilling season.
15/ The Pro Bowl
No, but I might as well end on a humorous note.
