| Dates: 7 September 2023 – 7 January 2024 |
| BBC protection: Take heed to reside commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports activities Additional and the BBC Sport web site each Sunday, beginning with Chicago Bears v Inexperienced Bay Packers on 10 September |
On the finish of final season, it was now or by no means for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
After serving to the Inexperienced Bay Packers turn out to be NFL champions in 2011, reaching a second Tremendous Bowl continued to elude him.
Was it time to provide it a shot with one other workforce? Now 39, Rodgers felt it was, so the NFL’s four-time Most Precious Participant joined the New York Jets in April.
After 18 seasons with Inexperienced Bay, the opening week of the 2023 season would be the first time Rodgers performs an NFL sport for somebody apart from the Packers.
The one quarterback to spend extra seasons with one workforce is Tom Brady, who retired “for good” in February, so this season is the primary this century to not function the report seven-time Tremendous Bowl winner.
That leaves Rodgers because the final of the previous guard, but when he’s to steer the long-suffering Jets to the Tremendous Bowl, they need to get previous Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
They edged out the Philadelphia Eagles in a thrilling Tremendous Bowl in February and the 2 groups are favourites to fulfill once more within the NFL’s championship decider.
This season the large sport can be even greater as Las Vegas is host for the primary time, and the street to Tremendous Bowl 58 begins on Thursday (01:20 BST Friday) because the defending champions host the Detroit Lions.
Brady excited to see what Rodgers does
Ever since he was lured to the Massive Apple, media and followers have been asking if Rodgers can do with the Jets what Brady did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In his first season after leaving the New England Patriots, Brady led the Bucs to a shock Tremendous Bowl win in 2021. They noticed Brady because the “lacking piece”, identical to the Jets see Rodgers now.
Their solely Tremendous Bowl win got here in 1969 they usually have not reached the play-offs since 2010 – the NFL’s longest drought – however coach Robert Saleh has turned the Jets into one of many NFL’s greatest defensive items.
That they had final season’s offensive and defensive rookies of the 12 months and have spent large to set issues up for his or her new QB within the low season, in addition to on Rodgers himself.
They’ve introduced within the offensive coordinator and two of the receivers Rodgers lately had at Inexperienced Bay, plus operating again Dalvin Prepare dinner.
The Jets additionally welcomed the Onerous Knocks cameras behind the scenes to indicate how Rodgers is settling in and assist construct the anticipation for this season.
“I am excited to see what he does,” Brady stated this week. “When he is acquired good receivers, it is fairly harmful. I feel he’ll have an ideal 12 months.”
A difficult begin might point out whether or not the Jets can be Tremendous Bowl contenders as they open at dwelling to the Buffalo Payments on Monday (01:15 BST Tuesday) earlier than dealing with the Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots and the Chiefs.
Will the Chiefs cement dynasty?
After Rodgers’ blockbuster commerce to the Jets, they got a team-record six primetime video games this season. That week-four sport with Kansas Metropolis can be their first within the late Sunday evening slot since 2011.
It is going to be simply the third time Rodgers and Mahomes have met, with Mahomes having now succeeded Brady because the NFL’s greatest celebrity on a wonderful evening in Phoenix in February.
He joined fellow quarterbacks Brady and Joe Montana as the one gamers to win the Tremendous Bowl, the Tremendous Bowl MVP and league MVP on a number of events – and he is nonetheless solely 27. The Chiefs have reached three of the previous 4 Tremendous Bowls, profitable two.
Now they hope to turn out to be the primary workforce to repeat as NFL champions since Brady’s Patriots in 2003 and 2004. And to assume many wrote them off final season after star receiver Tyreek Hill joined the Miami Dolphins.
Tight finish Travis Kelce picked up a number of the slack however in any other case Mahomes leaned extra on unheralded members of his offence to get the job performed, most notably Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore when the Tremendous Bowl was on the road.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy could have moved on however most count on the Chiefs to discover a solution to Vegas and cement an NFL dynasty.
AFC stars goal to topple Chiefs
Even earlier than Rodgers’ change to the AFC Convention, it was already stacked with star quarterbacks aiming to topple the Chiefs and take their spot within the Tremendous Bowl.
The Cincinnati Bengals managed it in 2022, earlier than shedding to the Los Angeles Rams, and Joe Burrow has recovered from a calf harm in coaching camp to start out the season.
Josh Allen’s Buffalo have been final 12 months’s pre-season title favourites and the Payments have Damar Hamlin again after the security suffered an on-field cardiac arrest in January, whereas Tua Tagovailoa’s Miami are additionally fancied.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ rebuild continued as Trevor Lawrence led them to final season’s play-offs whereas 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson signed a report contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens in April.
Jackson was quickly changed by Justin Herbert because the NFL’s highest-paid participant on the Los Angeles Chargers, divisional rivals of Kansas Metropolis in an intriguing AFC West.
It additionally options the Denver Broncos, hoping for huge enchancment underneath new coach Sean Payton after final 12 months’s enormous commerce for Russell Wilson, and the Las Vegas Raiders, who now have Jimmy Garoppolo as their beginning QB and Brady as a minority proprietor.
Ojabo set for memorable UK return
Lots of these QB stars can be heading throughout the Atlantic this season, with the NFL’s worldwide collection that includes 5 European video games for the primary time.
Kansas Metropolis-Miami is one in every of two video games in Frankfurt whereas annual London guests Jacksonville would be the first workforce to play two common season video games exterior the US in the identical season – in opposition to Atlanta (Wembley) and Buffalo (Tottenham).
The opposite London sport sees Baltimore face Tennessee, with Nigeria-born Scot David Ojabo desperate to impress. The linebacker is but to play alongside Jackson after an injury-hit rookie 12 months with the Ravens, who’ve signed veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
“Being again dwelling, being round my household and mates, it is one thing that can be memorable,” Ojabo advised BBC World Service.
“I am excited to be on the sector with Lamar Jackson and see how far he can lead us, and you’ll’t ignore Odell Beckham. He is a modern-day legend of the sport so I am excited to see him too.”
Different mouth-watering match-ups embrace the NFL’s first Black Friday sport and rematches of final season’s Tremendous Bowl and each Convention championship video games.
What concerning the NFC Convention?
Philadelphia beat San Francisco in final 12 months’s NFC championship sport and their greatest problem is once more set to return from the 49ers, who’ve put their religion in Brock Purdy.
After accidents to Trey Lance and Garoppolo, final 12 months’s ‘Mr Irrelevant’ virtually led the 49ers to the Tremendous Bowl. Now they’ve not solely let Garoppolo depart however traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.
Baker Mayfield can be given the primary shot at turning into Brady’s successor at Tampa Bay and the three quarterbacks chosen within the first 5 picks of this 12 months’s draft will all begin this weekend – Bryce Younger (Carolina Panthers), CJ Stroud (Houston Texans) and Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts).
Elsewhere, the Chicago Bears have excessive hopes for Justin Fields’ second 12 months whereas Inexperienced Bay may have simply their third beginning QB since 1992 in Jordan Love, whose shock choice within the 2020 draft has in the end led to Rodgers sporting a distinct shade of inexperienced this season.