NFL Preview

What could be better than an entertaining NFL game? Another entertaining NFL game is what! Here we will take a sneak peek at a few of the teams who could make some big waves next season, regardless of what the draft throws up. But first, let’s start by taking a look back at how last season unfolded into the Cinderella story it did.

Brady vs Mahomes

The pandemic's misery has been great, and the chaos it has wreaked has been endless. The NFL was fortunate to be in its offseason when it hit. Still, its schedule and immediate future, like practically every other sport and business in the country, were thrown into disarray. The live draught scheduled for Las Vegas was cancelled within days, and free-agent visits were prohibited. The offseason fitness programme, which was supposed to start in early April, has been postponed indefinitely.

It began on September 10 at Arrowhead Stadium, with no positive tests amongst players in the first week of the regular season. The Chiefs' win over the Texans was a foreshadowing of what was to come. The game drew about 16,000 supporters, marking it the first of more than 100 games with socially isolated fans, though many teams played the entire season with no fans at all.

The league continued to adapt throughout the season, which climaxed with a matchup between the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs and the first-ever team to reach a Super Bowl that was to be held at their home venue, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many saw the game as a passing of the guard between Mahomes and Brady, but the NFL legend showed the world that there is still plenty of fight left in him as he led the Bucs to a comprehensive victory.

So, who should we look out for next season?

Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, that's right, there is no getting rid of the Chiefs. The Chiefs have the most deadly passing game triumvirate in contemporary NFL history, with Patrick Mahomes, blindingly fast receiver Tyreek Hill, and possibly GOAT tight end Travis Kelce. As long as those three superstars stay healthy, the Chiefs should be able to keep rolling and maybe make it to the Super Bowl in 2022.

Don't forget about Kansas City's defence. Steve Spagnuolo, the coordinator, enjoys applying pressure and dialling up plays with wild abandon. Chris Jones is a fantastic interior pass rusher, and the secondary, led by Tyrann Mathieu, is unquestionably one of the best in the league.

Even more terrifying, K.C. may be able to improve its rushing attack. The Chiefs addressed their offensive line with the trade for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and free-agent acquisitions of Joe Thuney and Kyle Long, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire can create many yards after contact. Then, on day two of the draft, they added Oklahoma centre Creed Humphrey to their roster to address that need.

Cleveland Browns

The AFC club that came closest to beating the Chiefs in the postseason was Cleveland, who lost 22-17 in the Divisional Round. This team demonstrated they aren’t the “same old Browns” and were a Rashard Higgins touchback fumble away from making that one truly interesting. Many people outside of Cleveland are unaware that the Browns also played 2020 without Grant Delpit, a rookie safety who tore his Achilles in training camp and was expected to start. Greedy Williams, a cornerback, was also out for the whole season, putting the defensive backfield in a bind.

Buffalo Bills

Stefon Diggs, who led the league with 127 catches and 1,535 receiving yards, also proved that a change of scenery from Minnesota to Buffalo was precisely what he needed to maximise his abilities. True, the Bills' defence found their groove after a poor start to 2020, and they performed well enough to reach the AFC finals. However, there is the potential for development.

Coach Sean McDermott's defence is built upon a solid set of cornerbacks, and the secondary is still relatively intact. Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham Jr., both pass-rushers with inside-outside ability, were selected by Buffalo in the draft. The rushing attack, or lack thereof, is the main issue. Last year, Bills’ play-caller Brian Daboll all but abandoned the stretch run. Buffalo's prospects of winning the Super Bowl will be determined by how much they improves in this area.

According to the strength of schedule, which is decided by opponents' records in 2020, the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons have the easiest 2021 schedules, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears have the toughest. For the first time in 44 years, the NFL's regular-season schedule will be expanded to 17 games. On January 9, 2022, the last regular-season games will be played. The playoffs will begin on January 15, 2022, and run through Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

With the return of fans to stadiums, the excitement before an NFL has never been so highly anticipated. For some, it will be a chance to welcome new players to their ranks, while for others, they will be able to pay homage to those that have served them well over the last 12 months.

Who wins this year will always be a hot debate but what can’t be questioned is the fact we are in for another thrilling season!

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