Current line (KC -3.0 | O/U 46.5)

Thursday night is the start of regular season football again, and what better way to kick off the season than Patrick Mahomes vs Lamar Jackson. 

Chiefs vs Ravens can turn out two ways in my opinion. Either super high scoring or a chess match, medium scoring game. Let’s take a look at both ways and who I think will win.

If the game ends up to be high scoring I would take the Ravens. I think the Ravens have the firepower to outscore the Chiefs with Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers and Lamar Jackson. 

If it’s a chess match give me the Chiefs, I think the defense and Mahomes ability to control the clock could hurt the Ravens. 

Overall, give me the Chiefs 27-23 over the Ravens in a thrilling opener.

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The Most Valuable Player award is a highly sought after award. Most players dream of holding that trophy at the award ceremony. With that being said let’s take a look at who could be the next MVP.

Patrick Mahomes

Of course every year Pat’s got a chance to be the MVP, so you have to put him here. He’s the most dominant and best player in the league and I don’t expect that to change.

C.J. Stroud

C.J. Stroud is the favorite to win MVP and for good reason. He had an incredible rookie year taking what was a struggling Texans’ franchise all the way to the divisional round. He’s got a good chance to win and an even better chance to make a Super Bowl appearance.

Ja’Marr Chase

I had to throw one non-QB player in the ring and my choice is Ja’Marr Chase. With Tyler Boyd leaving this should free up some targets for Chase; providing him with more production. Also Joe Burrow should be healthy this year which will definitely help. This will be tough for Chase to win but if the league has a weak year in terms of MVP candidates (for example 2020) Chase could get this. 

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Houston Texans

The obvious choice is the Texans, they made it to the Divisional Round with a rookie quarterback. C.J. Stroud is now heading into his second year. The acquisition of Stefon Diggs certainly boosts the offensive firepower. If Stroud continues on this track I certainly expect Super Bowl contention.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have had an elite defense for a couple years now. The problem has been offensive production, with Deshaun Watson struggling a bit and the injury to Nick Chubb it wasn’t very good last year. This year Watson can deliver and make this team a Super Bowl caliber one. Kevin Stefanski will find a way to bring some sort of production out of Watson.

Chicago Bears

By no means is Chicago a sure-fire Super Bowl contender. I do think they have the pieces to be a serious playoff contender and even in a weak NFC conference anything can happen. Caleb Williams has all the tools needed to perform in Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, D’Andre Swift and two stud tackles. Regarding the defensive the Bears locked down cornerback Jaylon Johnson earlier this year. 

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1. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco is mainly talked about for their Kyle Shanahan scheme, or their electric play makers like Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk. But one of the big reasons they have made it back to the Super Bowl is the star studded defense.

A group led by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner has measured at the top of the league in nearly every important defensive statistic. With 48 sacks last year ranking 7th this group also has multiple playmakers in the secondary like Talanoa Hufanga. The combination of amazing scheme and even better talent makes this group the best in the league.

2. New York Jets

The Jets have had a good group for years but this one in particular could be great. Losing Bryce Huff hurts the pass rush but with Jermaine Johnson’s improvement and the secondary being at the top of the league, I  wouldn’t be too worried. The main guys leading this defensive squad is cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Sauce Gardner. 

3. Kansas City Chiefs

The reigning Super Bowl champions are once again projected to have an elite defense. Losing L’Jarius Sneed is a blow, but Trent McDuffie and company is more than enough to handle it. Not to mention Chris Jones was resigned and is more ready than ever to get to work.

This unit was dominant last year, losing Willie Gay Jr. and Sneed might lead to some growing pains. As long as Chris Jones and Trent Mcduffie remain on the field, this unit should be fine.

The post The Top 3 Defenses in the NFL Today appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Dallas Cowboys are America’s team, expectations are going to be high every year because of who they are. And with all things being considered they’ve lived up to them having multiple 12 win seasons. The problem is the postseason.

Mostly the defense has been phenomenal, it’s been the offense who falls off. Quarterback Dak Prescott has taken a lot of the heat for most of the failures. Despite a young offensive line Prescott has a multitude of weapons at his disposal and had minimal excuses. Playoff losses include a 48-32 loss to the Packers, 19-12 loss from the 49ers and another 23-17 loss from the 49ers. 

In terms of success, the Cowboys have done a pretty good job. But the expectations are always Super Bowl or bust for such a talented roster. If things don’t pan out this year, we could see major changes in the city named Dallas.

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Winner – Chicago Bears

Well, this an obvious team to choose for the best draft. Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze headlined this incredible draft that could be remembered in Chicago for years.

A franchise QB and maybe a franchise WR in Rome Odunze, Chicago probably has the best reciever core in the league with DJ Moore Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze. Tory Taylor is also just a special punter and will be a dominant one for years to come.

Loser – Atlanta Falcons

The falcons had a great opportunity this year to majorly upgrade their pass rush by getting the likes of Dallas Turner or Laitu Latu. Instead, they draft their successor of Kirk Cousins in Micheal Penix Jr.

Penix is a great quarterback, but the value was too high and the situation truly doesn’t add up. Cousins is on a 4-year deal that pays him a lot of money. Penix has a chance to be great but everything needs to fall in place. Moving onto the later rounds, Ruke Orhorhoro with the 35th pick was a bit of a reach but, mainly fine. 

Winner – New Orleans Saints

The Saints crushed this draft. Tailese Fuaga with the 14th pick was perfect value and a great fit. The main steal of the draft were two picks, Kool-Aid Mckinstry with the 41st pick and Spencer Rattler with the 150th pick.

These two guys have huge upside and can be not only productive starters, STARS. In terms of Rattler, his upside is through the roof, he throws a better ball than a lot of guys in the league currently. 

Loser – Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas didn’t get a quarterback, it’s that simple. I love the Brock Bowers pick, but in a league as competitive as the NFL, you need to at least have a guy that’s a lottery ticket. When I say lottery ticket I mean a 4th rounder or 5th rounder that could boom and become a franchise guy, take Spencer Rattler for example or for someone actually in the league Dak Prescott. 

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The Good

Penix is a phenomenal prospect and definitely worthy to go first round. Penix has the rocket arm and athleticism to justify taking him top 10.

An underrated part of the pick is letting Penix sit behind Cousins for a year or two the figure things out as a backup. Penix could learn a lot from a veteran QB in Kirk Cousins and could no doubt change a lot of minds coming into Atlanta.

The Middle

The only problem with taking Penix this early is the other candidates on the board. Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, Rome Odunze were all on the board but instead you get the most important position a couple of picks earlier. Importantly, the projected spot for Penix was late first round maybe even late second. Nevertheless, the Falcons got their guy and are ready to roll.

The Bad

Kirk Cousins doesn’t seem to be to happy with the pick. The Falcons called Cousins earlier in the week and informed him they’d be taking a quarterback in the later rounds. Naturally, Cousins was shocked when Penix was taken at eighth. Cousins was “stunned at the news” per ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

This probably isn’t the greatest sign considering the organization just paid Cousins 100 million guaranteed to come play quarterback for them. This could play out like another Jordan Love situation where Atlanta keeps Penix in their back pocket for years. 

Overall, I think the good trumps the bad by a small margin and gives the Atlanta’s fanbase something to look forward to. The question now remains: Will Kirk Cousins stay healthy? 

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Minnesota Vikings

I think the vikings will trade up to get J.J. McCarthy. Now where he will end up falling to is unknown but if I had to pick a team to trade with it would be the Arizona Cardinals. Moving up to 4 from 11 would be a hefty price, but one the Vikings need to pay. 

New Orleans Saints

There is no bigger need in the NFL right now than the saints at offensive tackle. It would shock me to see them wait around and stay at 14 when the Jets #10 overall pick could be for sale. Watch for Olu Fashanu to go in the early/middle picks of the first round with New Orleans being his new home.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers have many needs in critical places, this draft is a deep draft but I could see the panthers wanting to trade into the first round with currently not owning one. Green bay at 25 is an interesting pick, with Green bay needing a wideout and this being a deep draft I could see them moving down. The Panthers own the 33rd pick which is only 8 spots down from Green Bay.

Denver Broncos

Denver is also a popular QB destination but the problem is draft capital/ position. I’d suspect a potential trade down here with #12 being a great value spot in the draft they could have a run on tackles/WR’s and a team get desperate and trade up. Basis of the NFL draft: anything can happen.

Los Angeles Rams

With the rams not owning much draft capital they could easily be a candidate to trade down, but in this instance I see them trading up to grab their left tackle to protect Stafford. Possible candidates could be Troy Fautanu (UW), Amarius Mims (UGA) or Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State)

The post Which Teams Could Trade Up on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

This handed Chicago the 1st overall pick and the rights to generational talent Caleb Williams. Long story short, the Panthers have had a bad few seasons so let’s look at some ways they can bounce back. 

Bryce Young

Bryce young obviously didn’t have the best rookie season by his standards, but his career is far from over as we have seen multiple times a QB just need a better situation. For example, Trevor Lawrence seemed to be a huge bust after his rookie season in Jacksonville but then the following seasons he played like a top 10 Quarterback. Thankfully for Young, he’s going to some real help this season as the Panthers traded for Diontae Johnson and are likely to take a WR with their 33rd pick in the draft.

The Offensive Line

Young was sacked 65 times last year and with the additions of Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, that unit should be much improved. Also in terms of run blocking the Panthers ranked nearly the bottom of the league of run block win rate.

The Division

Carolina by no means are going to be contenders this year, but neither are any of the teams in the division. The buccaneers made the divisional round last year but I do not expect that level of success to continue into next year and as far as the rest of the division, it’s not looking good. Carolina has a real shot to put it all together and potentially make a run at the NFC south title. 

The post Why the Carolina Panthers will Bounce Back in 2024 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Marquise Brown to the Chiefs

Even before the Rashee Rice news, I thought this signing was a home run, the fit, the money, the productivity all were perfect. And now with Rice’s status in doubt, Brown is going to have to produce in that potential WR1 role. I have no doubt Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will make him a thousand yard receiver once again.

Keenan Allen to the Bears

This trade was extremely interesting, this was the start of signals from the Bears showing they might be moving on from Justin Fields. Chicago gave the 110th pick in the draft for Allen.

The reason the trade can be so good is the upside, Allen at WR2 paired with DJ Moore is nearly unfair. Of course health and father time will be the main decider in this case, but for now this is a near perfect deal for the Bears.

Christian Wilkins to the Raiders

Wilkins to the Raiders was one of the more surprising moves of the period. Las Vegas got the DT on a 4-year $110 million dollar deal getting a major pass rush and run stopping upgrade in the middle to lineup along side star edge Maxx Crosby. It’s an aggressive move for a rebuilding roster but I love the potential building of the D-line for the Raiders.

Javon Hargrave Re-signs with 49ers

You have to give credit to the 49ers, after losing the Super Bowl to Patrick Mahomes once again, they go ahead lock down thier defensive tackle to pressure Mahomes through the middle. It will take a lot to stop Mahomes but a defense full of talent like Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Fred Warner is going to be tough to slow down.

L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans

The star cornerback was a pivotal point in the Kansas City defense and due to salary cap issues he couldn’t stay, thankfully for the Titans he fell right into their lap for a 3rd and 7th (pick swap). Sneed fills the Titans biggest need and will immediately upgrade this defense.  

If I was asked to choose the best move on this list, I would have to give it to the Marquise Brown signing. Mahomes will have a new weapon to maybe pair along Rashee Rice. The 11 million dollars comes in handy to save money in the future as well. 

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