(Photo: Fox Sports)
– I’m Ready: The last time we saw the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs square off, it was in January for the AFC Championship, Patrick Mahomes first conference title game on the road against Lamar Jackson who was playing in his first conference title game. Kansas City went into Baltimore and bullied the Ravens. In the five meetings between these two Quarterbacks, Patrick has won four of them. To kick off the 2024 regular season, Baltimore will look to get their revenge against those same Chiefs that sent them on vacation all those months ago. The storylines for this game couldn’t be more intriguing. The last two league MVPs, the defending Super Bowl champions, two of the best Head Coaches in the league, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift (they’re a package), and the debut of Derrick Henry who signed with the Ravens during free agency. This will be a great way to kick off the regular season.
– M&M: The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East for the second time in three seasons and the Cleveland Browns got back to the playoffs despite using five different Quarterbacks to get there. These two legendary teams will open up their seasons against one another on a Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, Ohio. Amari Cooper will face his former team for the first time since trading him, Ezekiel Elliott will be back in a Dallas uniform, the Quarterback matchup is an intriguing one, and two of the best defensive players in the league in Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett are also featured in this game. I see this being a physical battle where both teams will look to run downhill against each other. Anytime the Cowboys are featured, it’s a must-watch game and people are either rooting for them or against them.
After Aaron: When the Super Wild Card schedule was revealed before the playoffs, the one game that came to my mind that grabbed my attention was the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions. Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford were traded for one another back in 2021 and that was Stafford’s first time back in Detroit since being traded. The game didn’t disappoint and the Lions escaped with a one-point victory to advance to the divisional round. This would also be the final game of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald’s career. These two will meet again in Detroit for the first time since that Wild Card game in January. Stafford, Goff, Sean McVay, Dan Campbell, Puka Nacua, and this will be the Rams’ first game without Aaron Donald since 2013. What an atmosphere this should be at Ford Field.
Redo: September 11th, 2023. It was the much-anticipated debut of Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets. They were home and had the Buffalo Bills in their backyard. Aaron lasted only four plays and went down with a foot injury which would later be announced as a torn Achilles. The Jets were expected to compete in a competitive AFC but the injury to Aaron set them back. The 49ers dominated their division last year and won the NFC, only to fall short to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Jets will travel to Santa Clara for a showdown with the defending NFC Champions. Aaron is a California guy who grew up loving the 49ers and during his Green Bay days, he saw San Francisco a lot. Robert Saleh was Kyle Shanahan’s Defensive Coordinator before taking the Head Coaching job in East Rutherford. This will end the first week of the NFL season.
V: I’ve had the privilege to preview each of Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes’ two regular-season meetings and their showdowns in the AFC Championship. Each of these meetings was decided by three points. The two Quarterbacks were supposed to meet last year, but Joe unfortunately hurt his wrist which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. The NFL is doing all of us a solid here by giving us the Bengals and Chiefs here early on. I’m expecting another thrilling game between these two AFC contenders. This could be a preview of a more important game in January as well. This will be the fifth meeting between Joe and Patrick and this time, the game will take place at Arrowhead. Expect a close finish and the game to come down to the fourth quarter as all the other meetings have.
Ride: When Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos, many thought they had finally fixed their Quarterback issues. The first season in Denver was a nightmare for the veteran Quarterback. The next season, the Broncos hired Sean Payton and we thought that would fix Russell. Not at all as the two just struggled to mesh and connect. This off-season, Russell signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he will make his return to Denver to face Sean Payton and the Broncos. I wonder what type of reception Russ gets back in the Mile High City. Only time will tell. Denver drafted Bo Nix with their first draft pick in April.
18: Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are forever going to be linked to one another as they were both drafted in 2018. These two Quarterbacks have become two of the best in the business today. So far, they’ve faced each other a total of three times with one of those being in the playoffs and Buffalo was victorious. The Bills and Ravens met during the 2022 season where Baltimore had a 17-point lead and Buffalo came back to win the game by a field goal. Josh and Lamar will face each other for the fourth time in their careers this season. These are two of the more challenging Quarterbacks to prepare for as a defense. Both Quarterbacks love to extend the play and use their mobility to hurt a defense. This could be a fun one.
Opposition: In 2020, the Buffalo Bills acquired Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings to give Josh Allen a true number-one receiver. The two meshed quickly and became one of the best Quarterback/Receiver tandems in the league. The writing was on the wall about Stefon not wanting to play in Orchard Park anymore and he was acquired by the Houston Texans in a shocking move. Stefon will face his former team with his current team in a showdown in Houston. This will also mark the first meeting between Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud. This should make for an interesting Quarterback battle in Texas.
Playback: The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have met in two of the last five Super Bowls and their last Super Bowl meeting was one of the best big games I’ve seen. It was the second Super Bowl ever to go into Overtime and the Chiefs became the first team in 20 seasons to repeat as Super Bowl champions. For the first time since that thrilling Super Bowl, these two will meet up at Levi to do battle once again. These two have a great feel for one another and they met during the 2022 regular season with the Chiefs taking that showdown. This could also be a preview of another Super Bowl meeting perhaps? It will be the second meeting between Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy.
Forever SEC: Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts have become two of the best Quarterbacks in the NFL in a short period. Joe was flawless at LSU and put together one of the best seasons I’ve seen from a college Quarterback, while Jalen won a national title in Tuscaloosa at Alabama. These two will finally face each other at the NFL level for the first time. I see this being a potential shootout. Ja’Marr Chase, A.J. Brown, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts. I’m expecting some fireworks and the ball will be flying all over the field here.
Another One: The Cowboys and 49ers can’t seem to escape one another. They met in the playoffs in back-to-back years and met last year in the regular season. The 9ers have owned the Cowboys as of late and always present so many problems for them each time they play. We will see these two NFL “Bluebloods” do battle once again. It will be the third meeting between Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott. I can see the Cowboys coming into this game with a serious chip on their shoulder and they should because this team has sent you on vacation in consecutive seasons and they embarrassed you last year on a Sunday night. If you want to get anywhere in the NFC, this is who you must take down (9ers).
Can You Digg(s) It?- Family Feuds are always interesting in the NFL. Last season, we were supposed to see Trevon Diggs face his brother Stefon when the Cowboys and Bills faced off. Trevon unfortunately tore his ACL and was out for the remainder of the season. Now, both brothers are playing in the state of Texas with Stefon on the Texans and Trevon still with the Cowboys. Who runs Texas? We will find out this year when Houston and Dallas do battle this season. This will be the first meeting between Dak Prescott and C.J. Stroud from the Quarterback perspective. Someone will come out on top with some bragging rights in the Lone Star State.
Seven: Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have met a total of nine times altogether. Six in the regular season and three in the playoffs. The two met in the postseason this year and it came down to the field goal that sent the Chiefs to the AFC title game. Josh can appear to get over on Patrick during the regular season but struggles to do much of anything against him come playoff time. We are getting the Chiefs and Bills once again this year. The NFL truly does love us. When these two meet up, it’s always close and comes down to a play or two in the fourth quarter. Buffalo will be looking for their revenge.
NOBODY!: Both Harbaughs have been successful as coaches. John has been one of the best coaches in the league for a while and has won a Super Bowl, while Jim has won everywhere he’s been as a coach, including a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Now, Jim is back coaching in the NFL. In two meetings, John has the upper hand, including the victory over the 49ers in the Super Bowl back in 2013. We are getting the Harbowl once again this year for just the third time. The Ravens will make a trip to SoFi to play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Talk About Our Love: The Packers and 49ers played in one of the best NFL games I saw all of last year. Green Bay gave the 9ers all they could handle in that divisional round until San Fran turned it on and came back to advance to the NFC title game. For the first time since that thrilling playoff game, the 49ers and Packers will do battle, this time at Lambeau. San Francisco always seems to be a difficult matchup for the Packers because they play that physical brand of football. Jordan Love will look to get his revenge on Purdy and the Niners.
No Love: The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles have the best rivalry in the NFL as we speak. The fans dislike each other, many legends have played for both of these teams, and positioning in the division is always on the line. As always, we will get these two NFC East rivals once again and the division title could potentially be on the line here. There’s so much star power here in this game. Dak, Zeke, Jalen, Saquon, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. This could be such a crucial game not only for the division as I mentioned up top, but for seeding and positioning in the NFC playoff picture. South Philly will be alive and rocking for this one.
Let’s Do It Again: January 28th, 2024. The Detroit Lions played the San Francisco 49ers for the right to represent the conference in the Super Bowl and Detroit was simply having their way with the 9ers. I think you all remember my saying: The bully doesn’t like to get bullied and that’s exactly what the Lions were doing to them. Then came the second-half comeback and the 49ers were able to escape the scare and get back to the Super Bowl. For the first time since then, these two will meet up in an NFC Championship game rematch. This could also be an important game as far as the NFC Playoff Picture is concerned.
