The latest
Most Likely
Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
Barring injury, the Ravens are pretty much a top-10 defense every year. Even after losing Mike Macdonald, I’m just not comfortable betting against them doing it again. If Myles Garrett isn’t the single-best defensive player in the league, he’s pretty damn close. With more depth up front than at any time in recent years, Denzel Ward leading a solid secondary, and Jim Schwartz back for another year, the Browns seem likely to repeat their top-10 ranking from a year ago, even if they don’t again land in the top five.
The Chiefs lost L’Jarius Sneed, Willie Gay Jr. and Mike Edwards (among others) in free agency. But Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Nick Bolton, Trent McDuffie, Justin Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo are still around, as are almost all of Kansas City’s key depth pieces from the past few years. There is enough infrastructure here to maintain the Chiefs’ place as one of the league’s best units.
Bounce-back candidates for all 32 NFL teams in 2024 | PFF
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: TE TRAVIS KELCE
Kelce’s regular-season numbers from a season ago look mediocre for his standards, but he turned it up a notch in the playoffs. The star amassed 32 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs’ four playoff games, catalyzing the team’s second straight Super Bowl run.
Just knowing Kelce’s pedigree, there’s almost no chance he finishes below 1,000 yards for a second consecutive season, even if he’s over 34. Plus, with major questions about the Chiefs’ receiver room — potentially without Rashee Rice to start the year and ushering in a rookie in Xavier Worthy — Patrick Mahomes could default to relying on his security net that much more.
Total packages (5)
These teams have the luxury of elite balance across the offense and defense, making them — at least on paper — the most intriguing bets to contend for a Super Bowl.
Getty Images
See Also‘Patrick’s a unicorn’: Mahomes’ intellectual skills are what make him uniqueChiefs' Mahomes: Butker entitled to his beliefs, even though the QB doesn't always agree with himPatrick Mahomes accepts new role after fans confirmed it for him last seasonChiefs’ Patrick Mahomes: Harrison Butker entitled to his beliefs, even though he doesn’t always agreeBaltimore Ravens: Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson now has Derrick Henry to bolster a thunder-and-lightning rushing attack, and the defense still has imposing difference-makers at every level.
Houston Texans: Fresh off his star debut, C.J. Stroud has even more help with Stefon Diggs aboard, and DeMeco Ryans’ front seven looks even nastier with Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair.
Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes continues to set the standard at quarterback, and speedsters like Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy add pass-catching depth. Meanwhile, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which played a major hand in the last Super Bowl win, remained largely intact at the premium spots.
Ultimate NFL 5-Year Re-Draft Using 2020 Through 2024 Classes | Bleacher Report
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Garrett Wilson, WR
Wilson’s Remaining Contract: 2 years, $12.1 million (team option for third year)
How did we allow this to happen? Couldn’t someone have stopped this? The Chiefs got to this point on the board having lost no one, and now they’re about to pick up Garrett Wilson?
Congrats on the three-peat in advance, Patrick Mahomes and Co.
The Chiefs already spent the offseason loading up at wide receiver after the Kadarius Toney experiment went bust. They signed Marquise Brown to a one-year, $7.0 million contract in free agency, and they traded up in the first round to land Texas speedster Xavier Worthy, who broke the NFL Scouting Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash.
And now they’re adding Garrett Wilson, who began his NFL career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite catching passes from Zach Wilson for most of those two years? Wilson already jumped up from Wilson to Aaron Rodgers last season. Now he’s going from Rodgers to three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes?
No matter what happens to Rashee Rice amid his legal issues, a pass-catching corps of Wilson, Brown, Worthy and Travis Kelce would stack up to the best in the league.
Ravens still bitter about AFC title-game loss, so they confront it | USA Today
Well, maybe don’t forgive either, the Baltimore Ravens head coach clarified while smiling. But definitely don’t forget the 17-10 defeat that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl and the Ravens home.
See AlsoBiden to welcome Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs to the White House next week | CNN Politics“We don’t forget for sure – and try to improve,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “It’s always going to be part of (us).”
The Ravens drew the Chiefs in the NFL’s opening game of the 2024 regular season. For Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2023 league MVP who was 20-for-37 with a touchdown, interception and fumble against the Chiefs, it didn’t matter who the Ravens had on the schedule. He knows that true revenge is only possible in the postseason.
“Us beating them in the regular season doesn’t really do anything,” Jackson said. “It just helps us keep stacking up wins to hopefully make it to the playoffs – if anything to try to get in that same position again and hopefully be successful.
“It really doesn’t matter who we play (in the) first game. Obviously it’s the Chiefs, but I really didn’t care.”
Around the NFL
Saints make $11.4M Superdome renovation payment as standoff eases | ESPN
Announcement of the payment by the club and the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District came hours after Saints president Dennis Lauscha, in comments published on the team’s website, decried “disingenuous and unprofessional” conduct by the state commission that oversees the Superdome.
Lauscha also confirmed that the team’s decision to hold back payments since last December stemmed from dissatisfaction over the state’s posture in parallel negotiations toward a long-term Superdome lease.
The LSED “was informed that material progress toward a long-term lease had to be made or payments would be stopped,” Lauscha said on the team website. “As of late of last week, sufficient progress was not made and the Saints reached out to tell them, yet again, that payments would not be made until significant progress on the lease was accomplished.”
But late Friday afternoon, officials said payment was made after Lauscha and LSED board chairman Rob Vosbein had a “productive call.”
There is a pair of first-round picks, including a rookie. There are a combined 37 starts in a combined seven seasons for the two “veterans.” There’s a second chance and a first impression.
There are myriad storylines, plenty of possibilities and a spring and summer ahead for Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson to find a home as the leader of Sean Payton’s Broncos offense.
“It’s kind of the orphan group,” Payton said Friday. “They’re all orphaned dogs. They’ve come from somewhere, but they’re doing good. It’s a good room.”
It’s a room rife with questions going into 2024 as the Broncos keep on keeping on in their seemingly never-ending search for a franchise quarterback since the retirement of Peyton Manning following the 2015 season – which also stands as the franchise’s last playoff trip, having concluded with a Super Bowl triumph. Though “orphaned dogs” is hardly a common phrase, it would seem somewhat fitting as none of Payton’s three QB1 contenders would be frontrunners for a starting job on most other clubs in 2024. Nonetheless, it’s who the Broncos have been able to assemble and a competition is underway.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs News: Patrick Mahomes says deep ball creates chances for defense
“When we get up,” he explained, “that’s when Spagnuolo can really show off all those blitzes he’s working on, man. I’m glad I don’t have to go up against him in the season — because that dude blitzes from everywhere. I want to make sure we can get him that lead so he can really show off that entire defensive game plan.”
Mahomes is excited for the new players like wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy — not to mention tight end Jared Wiley — who will join Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce and Noah Gray this season.
“Hollywood’s been making plays all week long since we started the OTAs, practicing against the defense,” said Mahomes. “Seeing ‘X,’ man, really running — and how fast he is — and then adding guys like Rashee, Travis, Wiley and Noah Gray? It’s cool.
“It’s cool to have weapons, man. It’s cool to have these guys out there that want to go out there amd be great. Obviously, we made it happen last year — and we’ve added to that mix. Along with that Spagnuolo defense, I think we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”
So much so, believes Mahomes, that it doesn’t matter that the team’s schedule will put it up against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals to open the season.
“They’re great football teams,” he acknowledged. “We knew we had to play them — and we know we have to bring our best in order to beat them. Baltimore and Cincinnati are both great football teams — which is why we’ve played them in the AFC championship games the past few years.
“It gets guys focused, knowing we have to bring our best stuff in Week 1. I mean, we saw that last year when the Lions beat us. We’ve got to be better than we were at the beginning of last year.
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— Arrowhead Pride (@ArrowheadPride) May 24, 2024In today's edition of Arrowhead Pride Premier, @pgsween picks the 3 items from OTAs that actually matter, including Trent McDuffie's emergence as 'the guy' on the #Chiefs defense.
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