Between a cleat being one size too big and the league’s newest international excursion, Week 1 in the NFL is already eventful.
Now comes Sunday, when rookie quarterbacks debut, as do head coaches and other new faces in new places. Dak Prescott’s contract still looms over the Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford makes another return to Detroit.
What more could unfold this week? The Athletic’s NFL writers Mike Sando, Zak Keefer and Jeff Howe break down the most interesting storylines.
Which non-Caleb Williams rookie QB debut are you most looking forward to Sunday? Are the Patriots making the right decision in starting Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye?
Sando: Jayden Daniels because he’s a dynamic dual-threat quarterback and the ceiling is higher than the ceiling is for Bo Nix. If Nix plays well, the Denver offense might run efficiently. If Daniels plays well, there could be highlights.
Howe: Daniels is electric, and I’d expect him to make some big-time improvisational plays because I’m not sure how much help he’s got around him. I’m not sure about the Maye decision. I would’ve started him because I think he would’ve eventually shown that he was ready for the chance. But if the offensive line proves as worrisome as we all believe, there’s value in the longer runway for Maye. At this point, the decision has been made, so now it’s time for the Patriots coaching staff to figure out the best way to get Maye — and the players around him — ready for his debut as soon as it makes sense.
Keefer: Sean Payton’s bet on Nix fascinates me — he’s clearly seen something in the rookie that gives him confidence to throw him in from the jump, which runs counter to the thinking around the league, at least before this season, that Payton strongly prefers a veteran quarterback. But if I’m being totally honest, I can’t wait to see what Williams does in Chicago, especially with a fairly light early season schedule. The Bears will see only two playoff teams from 2023 across their first nine games. In New England, I like the approach of sitting Maye to start the season. That roster isn’t any good, especially on offense, and throwing in a rookie quarterback would be setting him up to struggle.
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Which head-coaching debut interests you the most Sunday and why?
Sando: Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL sideline is most intriguing. I’m interested in seeing what the Chargers offense looks like and what Harbaugh’s messaging is after the game. This is a man whose Michigan teams lost three games over the past three seasons. The Chargers could lose three games in September.
Howe: I’m split between Raheem Morris and Mike Macdonald, but I’ll go with Morris because the Falcons are hosting the Steelers with a chance to make a real statement. There could be a really good NFC South race between the Falcons and Buccaneers, so if the Falcons prove things are as different this season as they feel by knocking off a quality opponent, prepare for the hype train.
Keefer: Let’s go with Dave Canales in Carolina, not because I expect the Panthers to be contenders this season, but because the vibe around the team is that Bryce Young has looked noticeably different this preseason. If Canales, who’s built his reputation on reviving quarterback careers, can lift Young from his horrendous rookie season — and get him playing like a No. 1 pick — an organization mired in disappointment over the last few seasons will finally have some hope.
Cowboys-Browns is a marquee game Sunday. How do you see Dak Prescott’s contract negotiations ending? What would you like to see from Deshaun Watson in his first game action since Week 10 last season?
Sando: It really depends upon what Prescott wants because he’s in control. The Cowboys cannot put a franchise tag on him. There’s a good chance he’ll play it out and reassess once he knows where the Cowboys are headed, including on the coaching front. For Watson, making it through Week 1 healthy seems like a good goal.
Howe: The Cowboys recognize there’s a real danger in letting Prescott hit the open market, so they’re trying to avoid that scenario. But financially, it’s such a challenge to carry over that $26 million in dead money from the previous restructure into another contract cycle. It’s not an impossible hurdle by any stretch, but it’s made this as complicated of a negotiation as there’s been in recent memory. As much as logic tells me Prescott gets to free agency, I can’t shake the idea that the Cowboys almost always take care of their stars. For Watson, the Browns have to hope he quickly looks like Joe Flacco down the stretch. Yeah, Flacco probably caught lightning in a bottle, but it shouldn’t be too much to expect the quarterback with the most guaranteed money in history to play at a top-five level at the position. The problem is Watson hasn’t shown to be anywhere near that level since 2020, which is a lifetime ago in QB years.
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Cleveland Browns season predictions: Garrett’s DPOY repeat, Watson expectations
Keefer: I highly doubt the Cowboys lock up Prescott before the season starts, partly due to the reasons Jeff outlined above, but I’m also skeptical he hits the open market in the spring as one of the most highly coveted free agents the league’s had in recent memory. Dallas will get this done, much, much later than it should have, if only because Jerry Jones won’t allow his team to fall into irrelevance. As for Watson, it feels like this is the season that’ll define what the rest of his career looks like. The bar isn’t all that high — match Flacco’s play from down the stretch last year — but so far, he hasn’t been able to consistently reach that level in Cleveland. Don’t underestimate him facing a hungry Dallas defense that was utterly embarrassed the last time it took the field in that playoff loss to the Packers.
Lions-Rams is the “Sunday Night Football” matchup in what could be a wide-open NFC in 2024. Who’s your pick to win the conference and why?
Sando: I went chalk on the AFC side (Kansas City) and rolled the dice a little with Green Bay’s young talent on the NFC side. The Packers have questions to answer on defense and we haven’t seen Jordan Love play consistently well for even a full season, so this is a reach. I do like where the team seems headed and the vibe I get from Love.
Howe: I’ll take the Lions. They’ve been building toward this and took a necessary step last season by getting to the conference championship, which is enough evidence for me to believe they’ve learned how to win big games. This rise has been no fluke. That said, I’m excited about the NFC this season. The conference is significantly better than it was a year ago.
Keefer: I wouldn’t have picked the 49ers before Monday, but with Trent Williams back in the fold, this is still a hard team to bet against. Maybe the fatigue of three straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance catches up to them, but don’t forget: This is the best roster in the league, and it’s led by the second-best coach in the league (behind Andy Reid). Brock Purdy is only going to get better, and he’s surrounded by the best arsenal of weapons in the game. Until someone unseats them, San Francisco remains the team to beat in the NFC.
Matthew Stafford (9) leads the Los Angeles Rams against Jared Goff (16) and the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
After an Achilles tear robbed his 2023 season, we get our first true look at Aaron Rodgers as a Jet on Monday night. Meanwhile, the 49ers have had a tumultuous summer with the Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams holdouts and the shooting of rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall during a robbery attempt. What are you watching for in Jets-49ers?
Sando: I’ll be watching to see how well Rodgers moves, how well he takes contact, how well his protection holds up, what his body language is telling us, what kind of rapport he has with his receivers, how he interacts with coaches — all those things and more.
Howe: Short of injuries, there’s nothing that could concern me Monday with the 49ers. They should be fine no matter what. So I’m curious how the Jets handle this stage. They’ve got a lot to like on paper, but they didn’t handle adversity well at all last season. Are they ready, from the top of the organization to the bottom of the roster, to win consistently at this stage? If they can overcome in-game adversity — a slow start, a second-half comeback, whatever — and beat one of the best rosters in the league, that should say a lot about the Jets’ ability to contend.
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What I’m seeing from the New York Jets: Every throw of Aaron Rodgers’ return so far
Keefer: For me it’s Rodgers, full stop. This game feels like it’s two years in the making. The Rodgers off-field experience has become exhausting — the darkness retreats, the conspiracy theories, the chaos inside Jets headquarters, Rodgers missing minicamp so he could vacation. Finally, football. I wouldn’t be surprised if he reminds everyone why he’s a future Hall of Famer and one of the purest throwers of the football we’ve ever seen. But I’m still not buying the Jets are ready to climb into the Super Bowl conversation. Maybe Monday night changes that.
(Top photo of Dak Prescott: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
