Will the Chiefs win the Super Bowl again and 7 other key questions for the 2024 NFL season

The 2024 NFL season is creeping closer. As with any season, there are stars that fans want to see and storylines that will unfold, while pleasant surprises and logic-defying disappointments are on the horizon.

The Chicago Bears took USC quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the draft and shipped Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which doubled down on quarterbacks by also acquiring Russell Wilson after he flopped in two seasons with the Denver Broncos.

The San Francisco 49ers came up just short in the Super Bowl, but will be doggedly determined to bring home the team’s first title since 1995. Expectations are high in Houston, with C.J. Stroud coming off a spectacular rookie campaign that has Texans fans thinking big. And the Kansas City Chiefs are still the Kansas City Chiefs, with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions coming into the season with a bull's-eye on them.

Yes, multiple teams have high hopes as they head into a 2024 campaign that will no doubt feature big performances, big plays and big games.

Here are eight key questions for the upcoming season.

1. Can the Chiefs repeat again?

The Chiefs have won the Super Bowl two seasons in a row. No team in NFL history has won three in a row, and there’s probably no defending champion that has entered a season with as much scrutiny as Kansas City will in this one. But the questions about how the team will do comes with a whole subset of other questions.

The Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce romance did not deter the team from winning a championship last season. Could it do so this year? There’s also wide receiver Rashee Rice’s legal troubles and the lingering controversy from kicker Harrison Butker’s graduation speech at Benedictine College this past spring.

While the team will try to overcome those off-field issues, there are also questions on the field. Even with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Kelce leading the way, the Chiefs did not have a dominant offense last year and hardly steamrolled through the regular season, so can they withstand any sluggish play for a second consecutive year? Will rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy finally provide Mahomes a viable alternative not named Kelce? Also, is the team worn out at all from the wear and tear of playing so many games the last few seasons?

2. Will Aaron Rodgers return to form?

Aaron Rodgers’ debut with the New York Jets in 2023 ended in the most New York Jets way possible when he went down with a season-ending injury four plays into the season. The Jets never recovered, but Rodgers is back and they have added pieces around him. It’s Super Bowl or bust for a team whose fans are starving for a title.

Will Rodgers, who enters the season at age 40, be healthy and as effective as he was in his Green Bay Packer days? Tom Brady is the only starting quarterback to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at 40 or older, and the Jets will probably only go as far as Rodgers can take them.

3. Will a changing of the guard bring a change for the Los Angeles Chargers?

Jim Harbaugh won the national championship with the University of Michigan in January. Now, he’s calling the shots as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, which are led on the field by talented quarterback Justin Herbert.

Harbaugh has won wherever he’s coached and the Chargers are perpetual underachievers, so this could be a good marriage, although the team may need some help at wide receiver. The Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC West, but the Chargers could be primed to make some noise.

4. What will become of the Dallas Cowboys?

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t win the Super Bowl last year. Heck, they didn’t make it out of the wild card round of the playoffs, which only further turns up the heat.

The story has become familiar in Big D: The Cowboys are a terrific regular-season team that withers in the playoffs. They simply can’t afford to do so again this year, or else head coach Mike McCarthy will be out of a job and quarterback Dak Prescott may wind up under center for another team.

5. How will the Baltimore Ravens respond?

The Baltimore Ravens have a star quarterback in Lamar Jackson, who was the NFL MVP last season. That’s great, but, like Prescott and the Cowboys, he needs to step up in the playoffs, where he has struggled, most recently in last season’s AFC championship loss to the Chiefs. The AFC looks like it is stacked again, so can Baltimore withstand the stress of a regular season and then keep it going in the postseason? Jackson and company will need to be on their game.

6. Is this the year the Green Bay Packers return to the NFL elite?

For a good chunk of last season, the Packers weren’t very good and the chatter was that Jordan Love was not the heir to Aaron Rodgers after Rodgers left for the Jets. But then they righted the ship and demolished the Cowboys in the playoffs before scaring the holy heck out of the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.

This appears to be a team on the rise and it just may be a question of how high it can soar as it takes the next step. While Detroit should be tough in the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings are in transition and the Bears may endure some growing pains in Chicago, so don't sleep on Green Bay.

7. Is it a new day in New England?

This year marks the first time since 2000 that the New England Patriots will open a season without Tom Brady or Bill Belichick on the sidelines. The Pats have been downright bad the last few years, but with Jerod Mayo replacing Belichick as head coach and quarterback (and No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft) Drake Maye on board, a new era has definitely begun.

Quarterback Joe Milton III was also taken in the draft, while veteran Jacoby Brissett was brought on and will start the season opener. The question is how long will it take to return the team to its winning ways? And how patient will a fan base that’s so accustomed to winning be?

8. Who will bounce back?

Coming off a Super Bowl loss, the Philadelphia Eagles seemed poised to be a force once again last season. They got off to a 10-1 start before the wheels came off, dropping five of their last six regular-season games before quietly exiting the playoffs in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce retired and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was brought in to help steer the Eagles back to where they expect to be.

Joe Burrow is one of the league’s brightest lights, but injuries derailed his 2023 season. As one of the bigger threats to the Chiefs’ dynasty, Burrow needs to stay healthy if the Cincinnati Bengals want to claim the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

Josh Allen is a great quarterback, but his recklessness can lead to turnovers. Gone is wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was traded to the Texans, so the pressure is on Allen and the rest of the Buffalo Bills. The Jets should be better and the Dolphins have proven to be formidable, making the Bills’ ability to rule the AFC East a tougher challenge, let alone their chances at dethroning the Chiefs. Some say the window of opportunity may be closing in Buffalo. Time will tell.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com