The build-up surrounding the opening kickoff for the 2023/24 NFL season is palpable as fans and analysts alike are already placing their predictions in play as to who they believe will be the ultimate winners and losers of the impending regular season campaign.
Week 1 of the 2023/24 season begins with a Thursday Night thriller between the reigning Superbowl champions Kansas City Chiefs and an upstart Detroit Lions team on the 7th of September, with the Sunday and Monday Night games returning that upcoming weekend.
There is an unprecedented amount of hype surrounding the opening snap of the new season with plenty of high-stakes encounters scattered across every game week of the campaign featuring the league’s top stars.
With the 2023/24 NFL regular season now only a few weeks away, here’s some of our top predictions that could come to fruition at the conclusion of another sublime campaign of NFL action:
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Chiefs vs Eagles rematch at Superbowl LVIII:
In the latest NFL Super bowl odds, the Kansas City Chiefs (+600) and Philadelphia Eagles (+650) are both ranked as the top favorites to win the fabled Vince Lombardi trophy in what could be a highly anticipated rematch between the two best teams from either conference.
Last year’s Superbowl game was certainly a spectacle both on and off the field as the Chiefs narrowly saw off the talented Eagles with a game winning field goal to claim a famous 38-35 victory with superstar QB Patrick Mahomes taking home the game’s MVP award.
Given that the Chiefs are still expected to run-back a near identical roster which is capped off with the devasting offensive partnership of Mahomes and All-Pro TE Travis Kelce, as well as the Eagles operating in a much weaker NFC, fans should expect an enticing rematch between these two distinguished clubs in the sport’s most illustrious game.
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Arizona Cardinals will pick first overall in next year’s draft:
From deciding as to who is likely to be competing in the Superbowl, to deciphering as to which teams will claim the worst record in the entire league next season, which obviously decides as to who will be picking with the territorial pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
There are many options as to who will rack up a dismal record in this upcoming season which includes the likes of the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all being lively candidates, however there is one team that has gained the consensus choice to be the worst in the league heading into the 2023/24 season.
The Arizona Cardinals had a major decline last season after a promising 2021/22 campaign, with former first overall pick QB Kyler Murray suffering some major injuries that have halted his development as well as the offseason departures of super talent WR DeAndre Hopkins to Tennessee and the retirement of former three-time DPOY JJ Watt.
With the Cards roster lacking any superstar talents and plenty of injury worries, expect the desert to welcome another major collegiate star ahead of draft night next year.
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Mahomes wins consecutive MVP award:
The NFL regular season MVP award is now a QB-dominated accolade in recent years, which means that there is plenty of intriguing talents on display to claim the greatest individual honor throughout the campaign.
While the likes of Burrow, Allen, Hurts, Lawrence, Herbert and Jackson may all have their own cases for being ranked amongst the top MVP candidates heading into the new season, it may come as no surprise that the reigning regular season and Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is expected to claim the award for the second consecutive year.
With an elite offensive line and plenty of options on offense, expect Mahomes to enjoy another dominant campaign that could result in him winning another league MVP honor and potentially his third Superbowl ring.
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Trevor Lawrence becomes a top five ranked QB:
After an underwhelming rookie season following his first overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft, the generational-touted QB from Clemson had a sophomore season for the ages as he completely revitalized a dismal Jacksonville Jaguars franchise into a perennial postseason contender as the Jags won their division title for the first time since 2017 and even claimed a dramatic wildcard victory over the LA Chargers before falling short to the eventual champions Kansas City in the divisional round.
With this rejuvenation, Lawrence is only expected to improve at a continuously sublime rate and given the amount of options that the Jags have surrounded throughout the offense, expect T-Law to be ranked amongst the top faces in the league at the season’s end.
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Micah Parsons wins DPOY:
If there is one aspect of the game that the NFC holds over the AFC, it is perhaps the amount of defensive talent that the top teams have on display, with Dallas Cowboys LB Micah Parsons being amongst many of the top choices to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
At just 24 years old, Parsons has already become one of the top players in the NFL and is currently the heartbeat of a devastating Cowboys defensive line.
There are many viable choices of top defensive talents to claim DOPY honors this year, but Parsons is our pick to establish himself as one of the most dominant players in the NFL today.