BOLD PREDICTIONS: NFL 2024 Season

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It’s that time of year — Bold Predictions for the NFL 2024 season. A collection of shots in the dark; our writers forgetting what “bold” means and picking the chalk. Like say the Chiefs v. 49ers in Super Bowl LIX. The Great Gazoo & Company can’t three-peat, can they? Let’s find out…

Tony Lombardi

I feel a bit agitated by the fact that the Ravens let three starters go across the offensive line and failed to adequately replace them. That represents roster management malpractice for a team that was an awful offensive game plan away from their third Super Bowl appearance less than seven months ago. Maybe it will all work out and Lamar Jackson can get that monkey off his back. But I’m not holding my breath.

Also of concern, is the loss of four quality assistant coaches, three on the defensive side. Mike Macdonald is the HC in Seattle while Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson are DC’s in Miami and Nashville, respectively. And then of course there’s the huge loss of Joe D’Alessandris. Add it all up and it sets up for a rocky start. I see the Ravens at (4-4) after eight, finishing at (10-7). Is that good enough for a wild card berth? Only time will tell.

• Ravens get edged out of the AFC North title. That crown will go to the Steelers.
• The AFC will be represented by the Texans in SB LIX, the NFC by the Packers.
• NFL MVP: Jordan Love
• AFC DPOY: Will Anderson, Jr.
• NFC DPOY: Micah Parsons
• AFC Top Rookie: Brock Bowers
• NFC Top Rookie: Rome Odunze
• Comeback Player of the Year AFC: Aaron Rodgers
• Comeback Player of the Year NFC: Matt Judon
• Surprise teams:
• Good: Los Angeles Chargers
• Bad: Los Angeles Rams
• Super Bowl LIX Winner: Green Bay Packers

Nikhil Mehta

Offensive Player of the Year: CeeDee Lamb

Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons

Coach of the Year: Kevin McConnell

OROY: Caleb Williams

DROY: Byron Murphy (Seahawks)

NFL MVP: Patrick Mahomes

Comeback Player of the Year: Kirk Cousins

Pleasant surprise: Seattle Seahawks

Surprising letdown: Philadelphia Eagles

AFC Champion: Kansas City Chiefs over Baltimore Ravens

NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions

Super Bowl champion: Kansas City Chiefs

CeeDee Lamb is set up for a huge year coming off his contract extension, and Parsons is looking to follow up his DPOY runner-up campaign ahead of his own extension talks next spring. Kevin McConnell will get the lion’s share of the credit for a surprisingly good Vikings team with Sam Darnold at QB, while his former signal-caller will keep the Falcons in contention for the NFC South and earn CPOY honors. The Seahawks defense gets better under Mike Macdonald, and their offense reaches new heights with new OC Ryan Grubb and the underrated Geno Smith. The Eagles struggle to adjust to blitzes without Jason Kelce and their young defense can’t pick up the slack. The Chiefs are still, well, the Chiefs, and until proven otherwise, they’re the favorites for the Super Bowl with Mahomes leading the way at MVP. The Lions continue to restore the roar, but Matt Lafleur finally exorcises his playoff demons and takes his young QB to the Super Bowl.

Rob Shields

Super Bowl prediction: KC over Green Bay

As hard as it is to win three in a row, I can’t pick against Mahomes and the Chiefs until I see it. I don’t trust anyone in the league more and for preseason predictions, that matters a lot.

NFL MVP: Jordan Love

Offensive POY: Bijan Robinson

Defensive POY: Micah Parsons

Offensive ROY: Caleb Williams

Defensive ROY: Jared Verse

Comeback POY: Joe Burrow

Surprise teams:

AFC (Good): Colts. They had a decent year last year considering Gardner Minshew was the QB. They have a good head coach and if Anthony Richardson can stay healthy, they could push for the playoffs.

AFC (Bad): Jaguars. No longer the favorite in the AFC South but that division is harder than many think and I could see them being a 6-7 win team.

NFC (Good): Falcons. The addition of Matt Judon is big for their defense. Lots of weapons and a weak division

NFC (Bad): Tampa Bay. Last year’s NFC South division winner and won a playoff game. I don’t think they are that good and like Jacksonville, I see them as a seven-win team at best.

Kevin McNelis

Offensive Player of the Year: CeeDee Lamb

Defensive Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson

OROY: Marvin Harrison Jr.

DROY: Jared Verse

NFL MVP: CJ Stroud

Comeback Player of the Year: Kirk Cousins

Pleasant surprise: Chicago Bears (8 wins)

Surprising letdown: Buffalo Bills (9 wins)

AFC Champion: Baltimore Ravens (def. Chiefs in AFCC)

NFC Champion: Detroit Lions (def. 49ers in NFCC)

Super Bowl champion: Baltimore Ravens

Call me a homer all you want, but I’ve watched this team up close over the summer. Don’t let preseason ball fool you; watching them at full strength in Camp, they’re the real deal. Last season, they were a few plays away from a rematch in the Super Bowl against a Niners team that they’d previously dog-walked. The Chiefs are in the midst of a dynasty, and are undoubtedly the team to beat right now, but national football media is making too much of the offseason departures the Ravens had, and what they’ll mean to this season’s outcome. The only personnel unit that scares me in terms of readiness for this year is the O-line, which can gel a little more as the season progresses. They had a historically good defense last season. They have a defending MVP at QB, with one of the most prolific backs in football stepping into one of the league’s best rushing offenses. They have two legitimately impactful tight ends, a second-year receiver who broke the franchise’s rookie record last year, and a team pissed off for greatness. A lot can happen in 18 weeks, but the Ravens look locked and loaded.

Darin McCann

Offensive Player of the Year: Bijan Robinson

Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Jones

OROY: Caleb Williams

DROY: Jared Verse

NFL MVP: Josh Allen

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Rodgers

Pleasant surprise: Chargers

Surprising letdown: Chiefs

AFC Champion: Ravens over Bengals

NFC Champion: 49ers over Seahawks

Super Bowl: Ravens 23 49ers 13

Chris Schisler

AFC Championship: Bengals vs. Ravens

NFC Championship: Lions vs. 49ers

Super Bowl: Ravens vs Lions, Ravens win 34-27

MVP: Christian McCaffery

Offensive Player of the Year: Joe Burrow

Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Hamilton

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Dallas Turner

Surprise Team: Washington Commanders

The Baltimore Ravens are going to have a chance. It comes down to whether or not they’re ready for the opportunity. I have an all-AFC North Championship game, let’s talk about it. A healthy Joe Burrow makes the Bengals a contender. They have a lot of talent around him, and when he’s healthy he’s a player that makes the Bengals a contender. They’re not going away but Lamar Jackson has been the difference in this rivalry. This is Jackson’s defining playoff moment. He’s ready. The Lions will be the Ravens’ opponent in this Super Bowl, making Baltimore the bad guy. The nation will pull heavily for the lovable Lions. Good. In Terrell Suggs fashion, Baltimore wouldn’t have it any other way.

McCaffery would have been the MVP last season if Jackson didn’t have such an amazing season. Back-to-back MVPs are rare so we’ll give it to the best running back in football this time. Kyle Hamilton is already an All-Pro safety. Having a DPOY-worthy year would be the natural progression of his career. He’s so versatile and he’s exciting to watch.

Jared Pinder

AFC Champion, Chiefs: Not much to say here. It is hard to predict the NFL, but the consistent factor has been the Chiefs and Mahomes going far in the Playoffs. I would love to say the Ravens but I can’t bet against the Chiefs.

NFC Champion, Lions: Detroit had their fun last season, but this season feels like they are in there all in era. With an improved Defense the sky’s the limit for these lions.

Super Bowl Winner, Chiefs: there will be no betting against the chiefs this year for me. They did nothing but improve the weapons and I think that will balance out the loss on Defense.

NFl MVP, Jordan Love: Love’s second half last year wasn’t that of a good Quarterback, but that of a MVP calibur Quarterback. another year in the system and a new improved running game will help Love even more.

OPOY, Tyreek Hill: another chalk pick but Hill with Macdaniels is too much to bet against.

DPOY, Aidan Hutchinson: This is my big take that Hutchinson has that special year and gets paid in the Off – Season off of his big year.

OROY, Marvin Harrison Jr: Hard to bet against the best Receiver i have ever seen in CFB. he also gets to play with a good QB in Kyler and this connection should be special.

DROY, Nate Wiggins: it has been a pretty dry post for the Ravens so here is my hot take. I truly think Nate Wiggins shows that he can be the next great number one Corner for the Ravens this year.

Comeback Player of the Year, Aaron Rodgers: This is a toss up between Cousins and Rodgers. Rodgers has the better weapons and core so I choose him.

Good Surprise, Arizona Cardinals: The job that Johnathan Gannon did last season was awesome, now he gets his franchise Quarterback back and some new toys to play with on both Offense and Defense. They have a last place schedule and I could see them winning eight or nine Games

Bad Surprise, LA Rams: I hate betting against an elite head coach and a great Quarterback, but this Defense is vomit inducing. They might have to score 40 + a week just to keep pace and have to adjust to not having one of the best Football players of all time.

Brennan Stewart

AFC Champion: Baltimore Ravens

NFC Champion: Detroit Lions

Super Bowl: Baltimore Ravens

NFL MVP: C.J. Stroud

OPOY: Christian McCaffrey

DPOY: Micah Parsons

OROY: Marvin Harrison Jr.

DROY: Terrion Arnold

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Rodgers

Surprise teams: Green Bay Packers (good), Los Angeles Chargers (bad)

Other than some new quarterbacks and the complete running back scramble that it feels like all 32 teams participated in this offseason, most teams feel reminiscent of their late-2023 forms, meaning I don’t expect any surprise, out-of-nowhere contenders jumping at the Super Bowl. Say what you will, but as a believer of fate and destiny, I’m all in on Baltimore repeating a victory in New Orleans 12 seasons after their previous title win. The next best team in the league will be the Houston Texans which is why I’ve selected C.J. Stroud as the league’s most valuable player. And just like last season, the AFC Championship game will make for a better watch than the Super Bowl with the Ravens and Texans facing off. Kansas City will finally be outperformed.

Tanner George

It’s finally here.

After one of the longer-feeling offseasons in a while, the return of NFL football is just under a week away. With that, how might the league’s 2024 shape up?

Playoff Seeding

AFC: (1) Houston – (2) Kansas City – (3) Baltimore – (4) New York – (5) Buffalo – (6) Miami – (7) Cincinnati

NFC: (1) San Fransisco – (2) Atlanta – (3) Detroit – (4) Philadelphia – (5) Green Bay – (6) Dallas – (7) Los Angeles

Super Bowl

Detroit 31, Kansas City 28

Awards

• MVP: C.J. Stroud
• OPOY: Tyreek Hill
• DPOY: Micah Parsons
• OROY: Caleb Williams
• DROY: Nate Wiggins
• CPOY: Kirk Cousins

Following an impressive offseason that saw the addition of pieces like Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon, the Texans will ride an MVP season from C.J. Stroud to the league’s best record before falling in the second round. The Chiefs, Ravens, and Jets will round out the division winners, with Baltimore taking on KC in the conference championship. The Bills will capitalize on another Dolphins’ late-season choke to capture the five-seed, and the Bengals sneak into the postseason after a rough start.

In the NFC, the 49ers once again claim the top spot while the Falcons shoot up to #2. Atlanta has an impressive roster and an incredibly easy schedule, and I could see them turning in a 12-13 win season. The Lions once again win the North and Philly takes the East, and the Packers, Cowboys, and Rams snag Wild Card spots.

The Chiefs fall just short of a three-peat, taking a loss to a gritty Detroit team in the final game of the season.

Chad Racine

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson

Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons

OROY: Caleb Williams

DROY: Nate Wiggins

NFL MVP: Patrick Mahomes

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Rodgers

Pleasant surprise: Detroit Lions NFC Champions!

Surprising letdown: Pittsburgh Steelers will have their first losing season under Tomling with 8 wins.

AFC Champion: Chiefs defeat the Ravens….again.

NFC Champion: Detroit Lions defeat the Eagles

Super Bowl champion: The Chiefs will be the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.

Colin Russell

AFC Champion: Baltimore Ravens

NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers

Super Bowl Champion: Baltimore Ravens

NFL MVP: CJ Stroud

Offensive Player of the Year: Breece Hall

Defensive Player of the Year: Maxx Crosby

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Byron Murphy

Comeback Player of the Year: JK Dobbins

Surprising bad team: Buffalo Bills

Surprising, good team: Los Angeles Chargers

John Hughey

OPOY: Saquon Barkley

DPOY: Max Crosby

OROY: Caleb Williams

DROY: Nate Wiggins

MVP: CJ Stroud

CBPOY: Joe Burrow

Suprise Team: Chicago Bears (9+ Wins)

Surprise Letdown: Cowboys (9 Wins)

AFC Champion: Baltimore Ravens over KC Chiefs

NFC Champion: Philadelphia Eagles over Detroit Lions

Super Bowl Champ: Baltimore Ravens

The first-ever AFC Championship game in Baltimore was a tough pill to swallow for Ravens fans. All season felt like destiny, just to come up short on your home turf. However, there’s no need to feel any sort of doubt heading into 2024. Lamar Jackson is coming off his second MVP, Zay Flowers looks ready to become the Ravens true number-one receiver, and Kyle Hamilton is ready for what could become a DPOY type of campaign. Oh yeah, and the addition of 4x Pro Bowler and All-Pro running back, Derrick Henry. The Ravens offense doesn’t need to be elite by any means with the star power and lethal ability on the other side of the ball. A slower start in 2024 could be expected, as the Ravens defense looks to gel under now DC Zach Orr’s scheme. Lamar and company have the taste of an AFC Championship, now they want it all.

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