Kickoff To NFL's 104th Season Is Close: Here Are Predictions About Teams, Players, Coaches For 2023
Congratulations! You just survived the last weekend without an NFL game until Feb. 17-18 because the league's 104th season kicks off in mere hours.
The NFL 2023 season is going to be awesome. We can predict this almost as fact, using history as our source. Because, honestly, when was the last time a pro football season wasn't attention-grabbing, exciting, consequential, blood-pressure-raising, and, yes, even cringey at times?
The NFL is a show. And the curtain is about to be raised.
Washington Commanders fans celebrate their team's pick in the third round of the NFL Draft on April 28, 2023 at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Commanders Sell Out FedEx Field
This coming season is one of lofty aspirations and that, perhaps, is a reason ticket sales are seemingly up. The Washington Commanders play in a dump of a stadium called FedEx Field and haven't had a double-digit-win season since 2012 while posting five double-digit loss seasons since then.
But the season-opener against the Arizona Cardinals, who are probably going to struggle, is sold out.
Secondary market ticket seller StubHub is reporting their overall sales for NFL games is currently outpacing last year's sales. By double.
Yeah, um, it was once said horse racing is the Sport of Kings. But the NFL is the American King of Sports.
So what will we see this coming season?
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets attempts a pass during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on July 26, 2023 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Aaron Rodgers: 'How Cool Is This?'
You'll see Aaron Rodgers a lot. He was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets in the offseason and has been living something of a charmed existence since.
"I told a friend this has felt like waking up inside a dream, this whole experience," Rodgers told New York area beat writers. "Everyday I'm thinking, and I won't say it out loud, but I'll sit back with the guys in the room, take a second sometimes and it's, 'How cool is this?'"
Rodgers, who turns 40 in December, is the NFL's oldest player now that Tom Brady has retired. Yes, this will be the first NFL season since 2001 in which Brady does not start an NFL game.
Will the league miss one of its biggest stars and perhaps most-dominant QB ever?
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes fired up the crowd on stage in front of Union Station during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII victory parade Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in downtown Kansas City. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
NFL 2023 Season Means Mahomes Chasing Brady
Ever heard of Patrick Mahomes? He's played in three Super Bowls and won two the past four.
His goal for 2023 is to keep going. He wants to catch Brady, who won seven Super Bowls.
"Seven’s a lot, but I’ll strive to get as close as I can,” Mahomes said. “To win seven Super Bowls and be in 10 Super Bowls, it’s crazy to even think about, even for me today."
But the goal is clear.
"I'm trying to catch Tom," Mahomes has said.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven, pass-reliant league. So quarterbacks are currency and great quarterbacks are treasure.
Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich watches quarterback Bryce Young (9) during the Carolina Panthers minicamp. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Young Gun QBs About To Debut
That's why struggling teams like the Colts, Texans and Panthers are hoping they are about to open a chest filled with gems.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young has been named the Panthers starter. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has been named the Texans' starter. And Anthony Richardson, the third quarterback selected in the April draft, is now the starter for the Colts.
But it's not all about quarterbacks. They need playmakers and there are perhaps none better than Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
Both are chasing 2,000-yard receiving seasons.
No one has ever reached that milestone, with Detroit's Calvin Johnson coming closest in 2012 when he had 1,964 receiving yards. But last season Hill (in the first month) and Jefferson (the first two months) were on schedule to reach 2K so doubt them at your own peril.
Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions celebrates with head coach Dan Campbell after defeating the Minnesota Vikings 29-27 to win their first game of the season at Ford Field on December 05, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
NFL Teams From Outhouse To Penthouse
Seven teams that missed the postseason in 2021 made it last year. That marked 33 consecutive years that at least four teams climbed to playoff heights after not qualifying the previous season.
"There is hope for all of our fans of the clubs who haven't made it before," said NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller.
People love this about the NFL because it's evidence your team, irrelevant last year, might be relevant this January.
Who are the candidates?
The Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions lead that group because both have outstanding rosters. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, two more teams that went home after the 2022 regular season, also have the look of postseason contenders again.
The Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos might also argue they're legitimate playoff contenders. They believe they are.
And a case can certainly be made for each of those, too.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets walks to the media tent to talk to reporters after training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on July 26, 2023 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
New York Teams Will Be A Storyline
The New York Jets, in case you've been living in the Republic of Kiribati, also fancy themselves playoff contenders.
"We have literally used every avenue, whether it is draft picks, unrestricted free agent signings, undrafted guys, trades, we have used every avenue to build this initial 53," Jets general manager Joe Douglas said. "So, excited to move forward, excited about the season, but ultimately excitement doesn’t win games.
"It is preparation, execution, and discipline that wins games, so we have a really tough match up Week One against the three-time defending champions Buffalo Bills of the AFC East, so looking forward to that opportunity."
Some people may forget to note it, but there's another team in Gotham with big expectations.
Daniel Jones #8 and Saquon Barkley #26 of the New York Giants speak on the field during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
NFL 2023 Predictions Include Giants Success
The Giants weren't supposed to make the playoffs last year amid salary cap woes and roster issues. They reached the postseason anyway and even won a playoff game because coach Brian Daboll and his staff milked every last ounce of talent out of that team.
This year, the personnel department has improved the team. You should draft tight end Darren Waller on your fantasy team because he's going to be a machine. So, yes, taking the next step is a goal for the Giants.
"The thing is progress," general manager Joe Schoen told reporters. "We’re going to focus on our process. I think if we do what we did last year in terms of practicing the right way, coming in and being pros…"
He paused to measure his words.
"I'm not going to say we're going to do X, Y and Z, but I think if we focus on our process, we'll see results."
The 2023 season will also focus on coaches, as it always does.
Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.(Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Bill Belichick Chasing Don Shula
New England head coach Bill Belichick has 298 regular-season wins and needs two more to join Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) as the only coaches in history with 300 career victories.
Oh, yes, there have been rumors Belichick might be on the hot seat if he doesn't make the playoffs.
Believe it when we see it.
Kansas City's Andy Reid is fifth all-time with 247 regular-season wins so he could surpass Tom Landry, who had 250 wins. That ranking might not be as important to Reid as maybe continuing to solidify his status as the best coach in the league.
One more note: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the first head coach in NFL history to lead his team to a .500-or-better record in each of his first 16 career seasons. This season he can surpass George Halas (16 consecutive seasons from 1933-51) for the third-longest such streak for a coach at any point in his career in NFL history.
Head coach Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers is seen after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 26, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
2023 Season Predictions Of Failure
The NFL is usually focused on the brilliance of success, championships and awards. But there is the darkness of failure that inevitably also punctuates seasons.
That's why we've already got odds on which coach will be fired first.
The favorite, according to Bookies.com, is Tampa Bay's Todd Bowles, followed by Cleveland's Kevin Stefanski, Washington's Ron Rivera, Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas and then Brandon Staley with the Chargers.
All those coaches are currently undefeated in 2023. But their past performances and the state of their franchise has set expectations for a coming season fraught with job insecurity.
Rivera thinks gamblers should save their money because he really likes his roster. And he's made sure he's not fooling himself.
“I ask myself, am I seeing what I really am seeing or is this what I hope to see?" Rivera said. "I sit there and I watch the tape from practice and when I see those flashes that tell you this is what we've been working towards, you feel real comfortable, real good about it."
We'll see.
Enjoy the season!