7 NFL Storylines We’re Waiting to Watch Play Out

The NFL season is right around the corner. 45 days until Week 1 Sunday. 45 days until we can lock in our bets, lock in our Door Dash order and lock our ass on the couch for 10 hours of commercial free football. 45 days until we finally have the only thing we truly love in this world back. When the NFL is ultimately back, these are some of the situations we can’t wait to watch unfold.

Rodgers Without Adams

I was planning on starting this paragraph with what I thought would be horrible splits from Rodgers when Adams is off vs on the field. However, when I did the research I found that Rodgers has actually been very good when Davante doesn’t play. Will he be able to do it for a full season though? If he wants to succeed this year, he’ll have to quickly develop a good relationship with rookie wide receiver Christian Watson. We all know how much he loves doing that.

Will the Seahawks or Falcons go 0-17?

This year we have two absolutely horrible teams. One is trotting out Drew Lock or Geno Smith and the other is rolling with Marcus Mariota (at least until he gets hurt). Seattle at least has good weapons, so they’ll likely surprise a few teams and sneak out some wins. Atlanta is another story. Their roster is hot garbage. The number 1 pick is the only thing the Falcons are playing for. 

Baker in Carolina

The NFL gods gave us a gift in the form of a Week 1 rematch between Baker and the Browns. I honestly see it being one of the most watched games in Week 1, at least for the first quarter. The rest of the Panthers season is what we are interested in though. This is Baker’s year to prove himself. By the end of this season, everyone will know whether Baker can be a franchise quarterback or not.

Minnesota Without Zimmer

I wrote an article a couple months ago on how I think Minnesota will be much better this year under their new head coach, Kevin O’Connell. They have a good quarterback, a top 5 wide receiver and a great running back (when he’s healthy). Their defense last year was dreadful. If that side of the ball can just get to average, they have a solid chance at winning the NFC North.

Mahomes Without Hill

Mahomes lost arguably the best playmaker in the NFL this offseason in Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs gave him the consolation prizes of MVS and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Can these two make up for the lost production? They can’t replicate Hill’s speed or skills. No one can. Mahomes will have to change his style. No more getting bailed out by Tyreek. The offense is going to be completely different with Hill gone. The question is, will it be worse? 

Trey Lance’s Performance

This storyline is probably the most intriguing. The 49ers still have Jimmy Garoppolo in the quarterback room. He’s won a lot of games for San Francisco and even brought them to a Super Bowl. To basically replace Jimmy with a rookie from North Dakota State who only played one season of college ball (in the FCS) is a little farfetched. A lot of jobs are on the line in San Francisco this year. If this thing goes south, a few seats are going to start getting pretty hot. 

Will Tom Brady Go Out on Top?

Tampa Bay is currently the second favorite (behind the Buffalo Bills) to win the Super Bowl. They have the advantage of being in the inferior NFC. The Buccaneers can coast to double-digit wins in 2022. Tom would also likely only have to go through one great team, the Los Angeles Rams to get back to the Super Bowl. As opposed to the AFC Champion having to beat 2 or 3 great teams. The Buccaneers aren’t our pick for league champion, but if Tom somehow got it done, would anyone be surprised?