Opinion: 8 Questions Before The NFL Kicks Off in 8 Days

Disclaimer: It is just over a week before the NFL kicks off another season. Here are some questions about the upcoming year and my subjective answers. These answers do not reflect the opinions of Total Apex or its owners.

Will the New Kickoff Rule Play a Role in the Outcome of Games?

Photo byDave AdamsononUnsplash

Answer: No.

NFL coaches are known for having incredible poker faces during the preseason. This year, they flinched and showed their hand. With the average kickoff return near the 27-yard line, coaches found a much safer bet in kicking the ball through the end zone. Coaches gladly will place the ball at the 30-yard line and give up 3 yards rather than risk injury or a big play.

Which One of the 6 First Round Quarterbacks Taken in This Year’s Draft Will Have the Best Year?

Answer: Bo Nix.

Caleb Williams has a defensive head coach in Matt Eberflus, and he plays in the shadow of Butkus, Singletary and a city that still dreams of “The Monsters of the Midway, Ditka and ‘da’ ’85 Bears. If NFL defenses don’t cool Williams down, the wind off Lake Michigan in November will certainly chill the bones of a SOCAL kid. He will be the answer to the decades long quarterback dilemma in Chicago. But not this year.

Jayden Daniels will be an incredible quarterback for Washington. But not this year.

Drake Maye will start the season on the sideline. Time will only tell if he is the next Brady. But not this year.

Michael Penix Jr. is stuck behind Kirk Cousins. Daniels will have a big impact in 2025. But not this year.

J.J. Mcarthy may have the best opportunity with the talent that surrounds him. Unfortunately for Minnesota, he is injured and out for the season. He will be a problem for NFL defenses in 2025. But not this year.

What sets Nix apart is not his poise or his processing. Even his experience (61 college starts) is not what separates him apart from the rest of the pack. It’s Sean Payton—a play-calling wizard with a Super Bowl pedigree, who understands quarterback play (see Drew Brees) and will have the Broncos back in the playoffs in 2024.

Will the Miami Dolphins Advance to the AFC Championship Game for the First Time Since 1992?

Answer: No.

The Dolphins just extended head coach, Mike McDaniel, through the 2028 season, and he has proven himself to be brilliant football mind and leader of men. The Dolphins have one of the better quarterbacks in Tua Tagovailoa and a multitude of weapons including Tyreek Hill, one of the best receivers in the league. They have shown they can put up points and can stop other teams from scoring points.

So, what is the problem?

The Dolphins swim in the AFC with sharks like the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, who possess their own shark, Patrick Mahomes. If the defending champions do not feast upon the fish, the dynamic Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens lurk in the skies above waiting to swoop in for a playoff run of their own. Then there is the AFC East, where the likes of Josh Allen and Aaron Rogers each circle Miami twice.

Is There Any Hope for an NFC Team to Dethrone the AFC?

Answer: Yes.

The Detroit Lions are poised to pounce in 2024. When Dan Campbell arrived in Detroit in 2021, the Lions were doing what the Lions have always done. Lose. With his competitive fire and old school hard knocks he has turned the franchise around. The Lions have a solid starting quarterback in Jared Goff, and an elite WR in Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions can score at will.

It is the defense, however, that may have opponent’s offensive coordinators hearing roars in the middle of the night. With the unbelievably athletic Aidan Hutchinson and several players returning from injury, this may be the unit that has the Lions celebrating in February.

Will the New York Jets Play a Different Tune on Broadway in 2024?

Answer: Yes….and No.

Yes. Aaron Rogers is your starting quarterback. Yes, Lloyd Christmas, I am telling you that you have a chance, for all the ‘Dumb and Dumber’ fans out there. Breece Hall is a beast and if Mike Williams has some juice left, the Jets could push the throttle all the way up and rise to new heights.

No. If Rogers gets hurt again, the pattern is full. If Williams can’t stay on the field, grounded. If Nathaniel Hackett still can’t hack it, the flight is canceled. The Jets need everything to fire on all cylinders for there to be dancing on Broadway in 2024.

Who Will Have the rights to Shedeur Sanders or Travis Hunter?

Answer: New England Patriots

Jarrod Mayo, welcome to the seat once warmed by the great Bill Belichick and welcome back to the future. For the better part of the 2000’s Belichick and Brady dominated the NFL landscape. Both are retired and the Patriots now look more like “The New Kids On The Block”– stuck in the late 1980s than the Patriots of recent memory.

The Patriots need to determine if Drake Maye is the heir to the Brady dynasty. If he isn't, the Patriots could pursue one of the greatest athletes to ever grace the grid-iron, in the 2-way star out of Colorado, Travis Hunter. If they do not believe he is the next franchise quarterback the Patriots will have the opportunity to draft his teammate, son of Prime-Time Deon Sanders, Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, also out of Colorado.

Who Will Win the Most Valuable Player?

Answer: Patrick Mahomes

Until it is proven that Mahomes is indeed human, the award is his. In every way, Mahomes is the undeniable best football player on the planet. Each week, the highlight reel is filled with passes that defy imagination and execution—no-look, underhand, behind-the-back—Mahomes makes them all.

Mahomes is simply a pleasure to watch and that is exactly what NFL defenses do each week. They watch him throw darts and literally run circles around them.

Who is the Super Bowl Champion?

Answer: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs will make history this year and will win their third straight Super Bowl. The Chiefs have a historic quarterback (see above) and a historic, first ballot Hall of Fame coach, Andy Reid who have shredded every challenge that has been thrown their way.

The Chiefs are the undeniable champions of professional football until someone can find an answer to the remarkable run the Chiefs have been on over the last 5 seasons.

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Article originally written by Ryan Arkema