Top NFL Week 1 Storylines: Can Caleb Williams Save the Bears? Will the Lions and Texans Take the Next Step?
The NFL opened the 2024 regular season in dramatic fashion, with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Baltimore Ravens by a hair on Thursday night in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. On Friday, the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles met in the first NFL game in Brazil. The Eagles won, but worse for the Packers, quarterback Jordan Love suffered an MCL injury that will likely keep him out for several weeks.
The action continues on Sunday with 13 more games before Monday night’s showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets.
One of the best things about the National Football League is the element of unpredictability. So much can change from year to year, and seasons themselves can feel like roller coaster rides for some teams and fans. That’s why the stakes are so high every week and every game.
There’s no shortage of compelling storylines as Week 1 of the NFL season unfolds. Here are five in particular that we’re keeping an eye on. (Find the NFL Week 1 schedule here.)
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1. The dynamic kick-off
The opening kickoff of each game will look completely different on Sunday thanks to changes the NFL has made to the age-old game this offseason.
The NFL’s new alignment is designed to eliminate the quick, violent collisions that have led to concussions and other serious injuries, and also to make this element of the game relevant again. Now, the 10 members of the kicking team’s coverage unit will line up on the opponent’s 40-yard line, while at least nine members of the receiving team will line up between their 30- and 35-yard lines and two men will line up in the shadow of their goal line as returners. The kick must land in the “landing zone” (between the receiving team’s goal line and the 20-yard line), otherwise the ball will be placed on the 40-yard line. If the ball lands in the end zone for a touchback, the ball will now be placed on the 30 instead of the 25.
We got a taste of the changes during the preseason, when just over 70 percent of kicks were returned (up from 54 percent in the 2023 preseason). NFL officials are hoping the increase in returns will continue into the regular season. There’s a belief that this new format could also lead to longer returns. But no one really knows.
Some around the league believe that teams will find the risk of giving up long returns under the new coverage formats too great and will therefore opt for the conservative approach of shooting the ball out of the end zone, even if it means giving up an extra 5 yards.
That certainly appeared to be the case based on what we saw in the first two games of the week. Kansas City settled for touchbacks on all six kickoffs Thursday night, never allowing Baltimore to attempt a return. The Ravens, meanwhile, kicked three touchbacks and two shorter kicks, leading to Chiefs returns of 29 and 28 yards. On Friday night, the Eagles settled for kicking touchbacks on five of their seven kickoffs. The Packers’ touchback-to-return ratio was identical.
Will this trend continue? We’re about to find out.
2. High expectations for Lions and Texans
Almost every team has a healthy dose of optimism this time of year. They are all undefeated. And many of them believe that if everything goes well, they will be in the play-offs in January. Then reality sets in. That is when teams have to prove whether they can respond effectively to pressure.
Teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals are no strangers to this pressure and how success can magnify that weight. Then you have the teams that are new to success — teams that have finally become relevant after a long effort, or that have seemingly arrived ahead of schedule. The Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all fall into this category to some degree.
The Lions went from woeful to dangerous in three seasons under GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell. The Texans found immediate success behind first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Buccaneers tested Baker Mayfield as Tom Brady’s successor last season, and the combative No. 1 pick in 2018 helped them to a division title and the playoffs.
Last season’s performance was nice, but now more is expected of all of these teams. They need to prove that 2023 wasn’t a fluke and that they’re built to compete, make deep playoff runs, and have a legitimate shot at a Lombardi Trophy.
Jim Harbaugh will coach an NFL game for the first time since 2014 on Sunday. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
3. New coaching eras
Some teams weren’t as lucky in 2023, and their shortcomings led to a winter of layoffs, hirings and power shifts.
On Sunday, seven teams will have new head coaches on the sidelines: the Atlanta Falcons (Raheem Morris), Carolina Panthers (Dave Canales), Los Angeles Chargers (Jim Harbaugh), New England Patriots (Jerod Mayo), Seattle Seahawks (Mike Macdonald), Tennessee Titans (Brian Callahan) and Washington Commanders (Dan Quinn). Their owners and fans are hoping these new leaders can turn their franchises around and lead them to eras of sustained success. The Las Vegas Raiders, who removed the interim tag from Antonio Pierce’s title following his nine-game stint, are hoping for the same.
Some teams, like the Falcons, could bounce back quickly. Atlanta already had a roster full of young, strong players and then signed one of its top free agents in quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins’ arrival, combined with Morris’ strengths as a leader, motivator and teacher, could propel the Falcons toward the NFC South. The Titans believe Callahan — the former Bengals offensive coordinator — and a series of aggressive offseason moves could allow them to make a leap similar to Houston’s in 2023. Other teams, like the Panthers, Raiders, Patriots, Seahawks and Commanders, could be in the midst of a multi-year rebound process.
Sunday’s games could provide insight into how close (or how far) these new coaches and their teams have to go.
4. Caleb Williams’ debut
Speaking of new eras, the Chicago Bears prepare for a fresh start to their own era on Sunday, as star rookie Caleb Williams makes his official debut as the heralded franchise savior. The former USC star inherits a team that general manager Ryan Poles has aggressively improved this offseason. If he’s as good as advertised, Williams could make the Bears quite the attraction.
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The expectations are heavy for Williams. The Bears have used 36 different starting quarterbacks since 1992 and are hoping he finally puts an end to the merry-go-round. Williams is considered one of the best quarterback prospects to enter the league in a long time. He carried himself with poise and confidence during the preseason and was very effective in learning and leading the Bears offense. Will all that carry over seamlessly into regular season games?
In 2011, Panthers No. 1 pick Cam Newton set the record for most passing yards (422) in a player’s NFL debut, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another. Three years ago, Jacksonville Jaguars No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence burst onto the scene with a debut game of 332 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. How will Williams fare? (Titans vs. Bears, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)
5. The 49ers’ response after the Super Bowl
The Chiefs kick off Week 1 action and the 49ers, their latest Super Bowl victims, close out with a home game against the highly touted Jets.
The Niners have endured a rocky start to the season, as wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams both defaulted on their contracts until recently agreeing to new deals. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who has been slowed by an injury, was placed on the injured reserve/non-football injured list after being shot during an attempted robbery and will miss at least the first four games. Running back Christian McCaffrey has been struggling with a calf injury, and star linebacker Dre Greenlaw is on the unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in the Super Bowl.
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The 49ers are still one of the most talented teams in the league, but recovering from a Super Bowl loss has traditionally been a challenge. In the Buffalo Bills’ three consecutive Super Bowl returns from 1991-93, only the 2018 Patriots have managed to return to the game (and win it) after losing the year before. Given the obstacles they’ve already had to overcome this preseason, the 49ers could be off to a slow start. Brock Purdy and Co. will look to prove otherwise when they take on Aaron Rodgers and the Jets on the national stage. (Jets at 49ers, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET.)
(Top photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
