“Help!!! Do you know who Josh Allen is?”
“Yep, why do you ask?”
“A guy I’m talking to is wearing his jersey… give me something to say so I look like I know sports”
As the resident NFL expert among my friends, I have had a multitude of text exchanges similar to this. “Vinisha, it took you two minutes to explain what multiple guys have failed to explain to me,” is a common statement I am proud to have been told by friends. With Taylor Swift’s boyfriend (aka Travis Kelce) now bringing far more attention to the NFL, I think that it’s important that all of us girls’ girls are informed of the NFL happenings. As the upcoming NFL season opener approaches on September 5th and I finalize my NFL fantasy team, I’d like to start a new series: “A Girl’s Guide to the 2024-25 NFL Season.”
Let’s start with a little bit of a 2023-24 season recap. The incoming reigning Super Bowl champions are the Kansas City Chiefs. Now what is special about this team? Well, to start, the team features the star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his right-hand man, tight end Travis Kelce, and future hall-of-fame coach Andy Reid. The team’s win last year marked the first time a team won back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004. Could this season mark the first time that a team wins three Super Bowls in a row? We shall see…
NFL Intro
Now, let’s get into some of the basic logistical info about the NFL. The league is made up of 32 teams split between two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). Each conference is made up of four divisions — North, West, South, and East — with four teams in each division. For example, the Miami Dolphins are part of the AFC East, and the Green Bay Packers are part of the NFC North. At the end of the season, the AFC and NFC conference champions compete to win the Super Bowl.
The regular season consists of 18 weeks; each team will play 17 games and have one bye-week where they don’t play a game sprinkled into their schedule. Each team play will play their three division opponents twice, once at home and once at their opponent’s home. Division rivalries get heated. As a Dallas girl, I love nothing more than watching the Dallas Cowboys take down the Philadelphia Eagles.
Alright everyone, take a deep breath….
Because we are diving into the deep end!
NFL Week 1
What do we have to look forward to in week one of the season? We are going to preview my top three most exciting games of opening week.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In the first game of the season, the Baltimore Ravens will take on the reigning Super Bowl champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. This game will mark an exciting start and a fierce rematch between the two teams that met in the AFC championship just this past season. With the Chiefs unveiling their Super Bowl banner it would not be a surprise if Taylor Swift showed up to support the team — a little bonus for us Swifties! While the Chiefs lost some key defensive players, including Willie Gay and L’Jarius Sneed, they still have their big three leaders — Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones. It will be interesting to see how they match up with the Ravens’ quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and defensive powerhouse, Kyle Hamilton.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers
The second game of the season features the NFL going international! That’s right, the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will be playing the second game of the season in Sao Paulo, Brazil! This marks the first of many international games that will occur in various cities, including London, Munich, and Madrid. With legendary Eagles center Jason Kelce retiring in the off-season, it will be intriguing to see who steps up to the plate to lead the offensive line. Additionally, I am excited to see how the Eagles’ newly acquired running back Saquon Barkley is incorporated into a new offense. Now that the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Jordan Love, has one year of being the starting quarterback under his belt, he has shown early signs of being the potential franchise quarterback. Under his leadership, the Packers upset many teams last season and are definitely a growing contender this year.
New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers
This game marks a highly anticipated event! It will be the first game back for Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers after suffering an unfortunate ACL tear in the first week of last season. After pushing through one of the toughest pre-season training camps of his career, it will be interesting to see how Rodgers rallies his team together to beat a stacked 49ers team in San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers, off the heels of a very disappointing Super Bowl loss, are looking to finish the new season on a more positive note. With wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk receiving a contract extension just a few days ago, it looks like San Francisco has returned the vast majority of last year’s team. How the 49ers build upon last year’s momentum will be compelling to watch.
Now that we have three games to look forward to, let’s look at some individual storylines.
As a Cowboys fan, I was very happy to see wide receiver CeeDee Lamb extend his contract and stay with the team. In combination with running back Ezekiel Elliot, I am hopeful that the Cowboys will have a very successful record.
Russell Wilson, once the heralded Seattle Seahawks quarterback, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers after a rather lackluster stint with the Denver Broncos. After being named QB1, or starting quarterback for the Steelers, I hope to see semblances of the old Russ again.
And to end on the best note…
JOEY BURROW IS BACK!!! Yes ladies, while I could watch Joe Burrow model for Vogue every day, his skill on the football field is just as impeccable. Whether throwing the ball to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase or handing it off to Zack Moss, the Cincinnati Bengals could prove to be Super Bowl contenders.
Now that’s it for this installment of “A Girl’s Guide to the 2024-25 NFL Season.” I’ll be back with more thrilling updates as the season progresses. Cheers to football season, ladies!
Your resident NFL expert,
Vinisha