School is back in session, the leaves are changing colors and the NFL is finally back. With this brand new season upon us, that means new storylines to follow. Will the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks defend their title? Or will a new champion emerge victorious? Here are the most compelling storylines to follow this NFL season.
The Defending Champs
The Seattle Seahawks capped off a dominant season with a blowout 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots last year. Seattle’s defense was by far the best in the league, ranked first in efficiency and points allowed. Although the Seahawks lost some key defenders, with safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Boye Mafe leaving in the offseason, they still boast one of the best defenses in the league, which was on display Wednesday night. In a Super Bowl rematch for the opening game of the NFL season, the Seahawks defense intercepted Patriots quarterback Drake Maye three times, including the game sealing interception in the back of the endzone to win 13-10. Starting quarterback Sam Darnold was ruled out very early on in the game with an apparent glute tendon injury, but it is believed to be a setback of only a few weeks. The Seahawks should be poised to make another deep run this year carried primarily by their defense.
Hollywood Rams
Probably the biggest story of this offseason was the Los Angeles Rams’ addition of major star power. With an already stacked roster, reigning League MVP Matthew Stafford led the Rams to the NFC Championship Game before narrowly falling to the Seahawks last season. This offseason, they signed the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Myles Garrett to bolster an already top 10 ranked defense. On top of that, Aaron Donald, a three-time DPOY and Super Bowl champion with the Rams, announced he was coming out of retirement to sign with the Rams. This makes for one of the scariest defensive lines in the league, but it was not enough in their opening game last Thursday. The Rams were blown out by their division rival San Francisco 49ers, and to make matters worse, Garrett injured his knee and will have to undergo surgery, missing at least four weeks. While the Rams have one of the best rosters on paper, they are certainly not having the start to the season that they wanted, but I believe they will bounce back.
Young Quarterbacks Redemption
Last season featured many young quarterbacks making their first playoff appearances, including Maye of the Patriots, Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos and Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. All three of these quarterbacks were drafted in the first round in 2024 and all led their teams to deep playoff runs in only their third year in the league. Williams was the first overall pick in 2024, and after a season full of highlight worthy plays, he led the Bears to an 11-6 record and an NFC North division title. In the divisional round of the playoffs, Williams had one of the best plays of the year with a game tying touchdown on fourth and goal to send the game to overtime, where the Bears unfortunately lost to the Rams. This offseason, the Bears added some key defensive players, but they did trade their star wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. I believe that Williams will continue taking a leap into his third year and have an MVP-level season, leading the Bears to a deep playoff run.
Nix was the fifth quarterback selected in the 2024 draft, but ended up leading the Broncos to a 14-3 record and an AFC West division title, while also claiming the AFC’s No. 1 seed. In the divisional round matchup versus the Buffalo Bills, the Broncos won a thrilling overtime battle 33-30. However, at the very end of the game, Nix suffered a blow that broke his ankle, forcing him to miss the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots. The Broncos lost that game, with fans questioning if the result would have been different had Nix been able to play. This season, Nix has fully recovered and is out for revenge. The Broncos also traded for speedster receiver Jaylen Waddle, giving Nix another weapon to work with for his third season.
Lastly, Maye and the Patriots are coming off of a Cinderella season, with Maye finishing second in MVP voting, and the Patriots making it all the way to the Super Bowl after being at the bottom of the league the past two years. Maye led the Pats to a 14-3 record, an AFC East division title and the No. 2 seed in the AFC. However, many doubted that the Patriots would go far in the playoffs, attributing their regular season success to their very easy schedule. The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and then the Broncos in blizzard conditions to advance to the Super Bowl. However, the Seahawks defense was too much for this young team. In the offseason, the Patriots signed two new wide receivers, AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs, and extended star defender Christian Gonzalez’s contract. In the opening game of this season, they looked revamped and ready for a new year heading into the fourth quarter with a 10 point lead. Unfortunately, Maye’s disastrous fourth quarter performance led to a Seahawks comeback, and star receiver Brown suffering a high-ankle sprain. He will miss at least four weeks. The Patriots’ schedule went from the easiest in the league to the sixth hardest, so they have a tough road ahead of them if they want to reach the Super Bowl again.
Last Chances for the Vets
As the years go on and the young stars take over, the veterans of this league are starting to reach the end of their championship windows. The current oldest quarterback in the league is 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who has confirmed that this will be his “last rodeo”. Rodgers has already cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks of all time, being top five in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, and with a Super Bowl championship from 2011. The Steelers are always in playoff contention, so Rodgers is hoping to go out on a high in his final season.
One of the biggest questions of this season is regarding Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. A player who has had so much success so early in his career, with three Super Bowl championships and two MVPs in his first six years, has followed that up with two straight seasons of disappointment. Following their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in 2025, Mahomes tore his ACL in the middle of last season, leading to the Chiefs missing the playoffs. Many players never fully recover from an injury like this, but Mahomes is set to start in Week 1. Tom Brady suffered a similar injury in 2008 after his first three Super Bowl championships, and many believed he would never be the same. He went on to win four more Super Bowls and cement himself as the greatest of all time. I am not saying Mahomes is the next Brady, but he is certainly pretty close. The Chiefs also added reigning Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker to their offense this year, hoping to help Mahomes return to the mountain top.