1 bold prediction for all 32 NFL teams in 2024

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: August 26, 2024

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The 2024 NFL regular season is about to kick off. But before the year starts, we have to make a bold prediction for all 32 NFL teams. Which players could have record-breaking seasons? Which teams could fall flat on their face? Dive in for one bold prediction for your favorite team.

Arizona Cardinals – Kyler Murray becomes a superstar

After becoming the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Kyler Murray has yet to win a playoff game. He hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl appearance since 2021. But now that he’s 100% healthy coming off a 2022 ACL surgery, Murray could be in for his best season yet. Our bold prediction is that Marvin Harrison’s arrival helps K1 become an All-Pro quarterback in 2024.

Atlanta Falcons – Michael Penix proves he’s Atlanta’s franchise QB in 2024

We fully believe in Kirk Cousins’ ability to lead the Falcons to the playoffs. But this is the NFL, where players are just one snap away from getting hurt. Plus, the 36-year-old veteran is coming off a season-ending Achilles surgery. There’s no telling how durable he can remain. While Cousins has rarely missed time, our bold prediction in Atlanta is that Michael Penix gets an opportunity to show why he deserved to be drafted even higher than eighth overall, giving the Falcons a reason to trade Cousins next offseason.

Baltimore Ravens – Lamar Jackson gets Derrick Henry a Super Bowl ring

Lamar Jackson has already won two MVP awards. But for whatever reason, some don’t believe he has what it takes to win a Super Bowl. Now armed with one of the NFL’s greatest running backs of our generation in Derrick Henry, our Ravens bold prediction includes Jackson finally winning a Super Bowl in 2024.

Buffalo Bills – Josh Allen wins NFL MVP without Stefon Diggs

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The Buffalo Bills shockingly moved on from Stefon Diggs this offseason, and their key replacement is Keon Coleman. While he’s unproven, Coleman has WR1 potential. We’ll go as far as to say Josh Allen won’t miss Diggs and will win the first NFL MVP award of his career.

Carolina Panthers – Bryce Young tops 4,000 passing yards

Bryce Young started 16 games after the Panthers made him the No. 1 overall pick. But he struggled like no one could have predicted playing behind a shoddy offensive line along with a cast of misfits at the receiver position, aside from Adam Thielen. But it’s a new year, and the line is rebuilt and Diontae Johnson is in Carolina to help the receiving corps. Our bold prediction for Carolina is that Young will soar past his 2,877 passing yard total from last season and even top the 4,000-yard mark.

Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams sets new Bears record in passing yards

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Erik Kramer holds the single-season passing yardage record for the Bears, with 3,838 yards. This record was set in 1995, and the Bears are the only team without a 4,000-yard passer in the NFL. But Caleb Williams will erase that ugly record in his first season as a pro, and his star receiver trio will be a big help.

Cincinnati Bengals – Joe Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards

Joe Burrow battled injuries last season, but even when he was healthy, he rarely looked like the superstar we’ve come to expect. This year will be different, with Burrow relying on a dynamic receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to help the Bengals quarterback lead the NFL in passing yards. If so he’d join Ken Anderson as the only other Cincinnati QB to lead the NFL in passing yards for a single season.

Cleveland Browns – Deshaun Watson finishes as a top-five MVP candidate

At his best, Deshaun Watson looked like a sure-fire MVP finalist with the Houston Texans. That same version has yet to arrive in Cleveland, but he still has the same skill set. Entering a year with a chip on his now-healthy shoulder, our bold prediction for the Browns is that Watson ends up as a top-five MVP candidate this season.

Dallas Cowboys – America’s Team gets back to the Super Bowl

After not going all-in, nobody is buying stock in the Dallas Cowboys this season. They arguably got worse and did nothing to improve their running back room after losing Tony Pollard. Ezekiel Elliott isn’t the solution. However, this is still a very talented roster on both sides of the ball. With top playmakers on offense and defense, our Cowboys bold prediction involved Dallas getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995.

Related: 20 funny Dallas Cowboys memes

Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, Sean Payton lead top-10 offense

The Broncos haven’t had a top-10 offense since the Sheriff, Peyton Manning, was slinging the pigskin through the Mile High air in 2014. In fact, two years ago, the Broncos had the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense. But Sean Payton finally has a QB he can win with again, and even though Bo Nix will be a rookie, he looks wise beyond his years. If the receiving corps can be more consistent, our bold prediction out of Denver involves finishing with a top-10 scoring offense.

Detroit Lions – Dan Campbell’s team doesn’t improve, misses playoffs

Everyone expects the Detroit Lions to be even better than the version that reached the NFC Conference Championship last season. But repeating that type of success is never easy. Wouldn’t it be crazy if not only the Lions weren’t better but were actually much worse? They’re still searching for another proven playmaker in the receiving corps, and the secondary is still shaky. Plus, after nearly a career year from Jared Goff, it wouldn’t be ridiculous if he regressed a bit entering a season with sky-high expectations.

Green Bay Packers – Jordan Love helps two receivers top 1,000 yards

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Even though Jordan Love had 4,159 passing yards in his first full season as a starter, the Packers didn’t have anyone top 800 receiving yards. Instead, Green Bay had nine pass-catchers top 200 yards. But we’re making the bold prediction that this year will be much different at Lambeau Field, where two pass-catchers emerge for over 1,000-yard seasons.

Houston Texans – C.J. Stroud’s team takes step back after going all-in

Optimism surrounding the Texans is at an all-time high after reaching the Divisional Round playoffs. On paper, the Texans are a much better team than what we saw in 2023. However, did Houston have too much roster turnover? After all, there’s no way C.J. Stroud can finish with just five interceptions again, and perhaps Stefon Diggs causes more trouble than he’s worth.

Indianapolis Colts – Anthony Richardson becomes a superstar with 1,000 yards rushing

Health and consistency are the biggest questions that Anthony Richardson will face in the future. At his best, the fourth overall pick can become an MVP candidate. But we’ve also seen how injuries can quickly derail his season. Without an established receiving corps aside from Michael Pittman, our bold Colts prediction sees Richardson topping 1,000 yards rushing in his first full year as a starter.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Doug Pederson gets fired before 2024 season ends

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Doug Pederson has had back-to-back 9-8 seasons, which is far better than Urban Meyer’s 2-11 record. But that doesn’t mean Pederson isn’t entering 2024 with high expectations. The QB guru must maximize Trevor Lawrence’s potential, if not, his hot seat could get pretty warm early on.

Kansas City Chiefs – Xavier Worthy has more receiving yards than Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce has led the Chiefs in receiving yards each of the past two seasons, and six times since 2014. But Xavier Worthy is the type of gamebreaking playmaker that has big-play potential. Worthy can rack up massive chunks of yardage on any given drive, and that could make him the Chiefs’ leading receiver, even surpassing Kelce this season.

Las Vegas Raiders – Davante Adams demands trade

All is well with the Las Vegas Raiders right now. They haven’t lost a game. Yet. But what happens if/when they struggle? If Gardner Minshew nor Aidan O’Connell look like future franchise quarterbacks (they aren’t), then it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Davante Adams demands a trade, possibly even to reunite with Aaron Rodgers.

Los Angeles Chargers – Justin Herbert battles foot injury all-year long, Bolts struggle

Justin Herbert is one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks. But he’s battling a plantar fascia injury. These tend to linger, and that could be the case for the Chargers’ QB. If so, we don’t expect the Chargers to have a strong season, but that could set them up for a brighter future that allows Jim Harbaugh to have a bounce-back year two in 2025.

Los Angeles Rams – Sean McVay’s team finishes with NFL’s highest-scoring offense

The Chargers boast one of the best receiving corps in the league, and Sean McVay’s QB-friendly scheme surely helps get Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua open looks. But Matthew Stafford is also one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Add in Kyren Williams, and it’s not hard to see how the Rams could have the highest-scoring offense in 2024.

Miami Dolphins – Mike McDaniel’s team finishes with top-10 offense and defense

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The Dolphins had the NFL’s highest-scoring offense for much of the 2023 season, before ultimately finishing second behind the Cowboys. We wouldn’t be surprised if Miami repeats that success once again. But their defense allowed the 11th-most points in the NFL. Our bold Dolphins prediction sees Miami’s defense match their offense’s intensity by ranking in the top-10. To do so, they’ll need big seasons from Jaelan Phillips and Jalen Ramsey while having several other contributors step up their play.

Minnesota Vikings – Justin Jefferson makes history as first 2,000-yard receiver

Some, like Tyreek Hill and Calvin Johnson, have come close, but there has never been a wide receiver who’s topped the 2,000-yard barrier. Yet, if Justin Jefferson could reach 1,000 yards after starting just 9 games a season ago, imagine what he can do with a full season? Keep in mind that Jefferson was catching passes from Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall for the final four games of the season last year. A full year from what may be the best year of Sam Darnold’s career could help Jefferson set a new single-season receiving yard record.

New England Patriots – Jerod Mayo’s team looks even worse than Bill Belichick’s in 2023

Simply put, the Patriots were a bad team under Bill Belichick in 2023. While they’ve made several changes, including hiring Jerod Mayo to take over for Belichick, the Patriots may not be much better in 2024. In fact, they could be even worse than the version that finished 4-13. They have an unproven quarterback, no established WR1, and a questionable offensive line. That’s a recipe for disaster.

New Orleans Saints – Dennis Allen gets fired, Saints finish as a bottom-five NFL team

The Saints had a top-10 offense and top-10 defense last season. But it didn’t help them make the playoffs. One of the Saints’ biggest issues has been a porous offensive line and a rushing defense that allowed the second-most yards per attempt. We’re not sure either area has been addressed. If the Saints don’t start the season strong, Dennis Allen could be at risk of losing the locker room, which could lead to a tumultuous season.

New York Giants – Daniel Jones erases all doubts with Pro Bowl season

There are serious doubts about whether Daniel Jones is still the Giants’ franchise QB. Even the front office that signed him to a $160 million contract considered replacing him this past offseason. But Jones is still the same player that led the Giants to an unexpected Wild Card win in 2022. Few quarterbacks are better dual-threats than “Danny Dimes.” Our bold Giants prediction sees Jones removing all doubts about whether he’s capable of being a high-end starter and even earning his first Pro Bowl nod.

New York Jets – Robert Saleh has NFL’s lowest-scoring defense

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The Jets were horrible on offense last season while they had a carousel of quarterbacks take over the circus. With Aaron Rodgers returning under center, we believe it will help the Jets’ defense improve, since the offense won’t be putting the other side of the ball in disadvantageous situations. With a stacked front-seven and a good secondary, we could see the Jets’ defense going from 12th to first.

Philadelphia Eagles – Team misses the playoffs, Nick Sirianni gets fired

Turmoil within the locker room and on defense ruined what looked like another very promising Eagles season in 2023. There’s no guarantee coach Nick Sirianni still has a locker room that’s bought into what he’s preaching. If the Eagles start cold, don’t be shocked if Philadelphia moves in another direction, even in the middle of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Russell Wilson returns to elite form with a Pro Bowl appearance

Critics love to hate, and that’s easier to do when players and/or teams are clearly struggling. Russell Wilson hasn’t been a part of a winning team since 2020. But that’s not how Mike Tomlin’s Steelers roll. He won’t accept anything but the best, and we could see the Steelers coach getting the most out of Wilson, along with Arthur Smith’s help. By spreading the ball around to George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Roman Wilson, Wilson just might turn back the clock into a Pro Bowl QB again.

San Francisco 49ers – Brock Purdy creates doubts about his status as franchise QB

While Mr. Irrelevant has made countless incredible throws, he also benefits from playing in one of the most QB-friendly systems in the NFL. He’s also boosted by one of the best-supporting casts, led by Christian McCaffrey. However, Purdy is now entering his third season as a starter, and expectations have never been higher. If Purdy begins to put too much internal pressure on himself, it could lead to a new career-high interception total, creating doubts about whether he’s ‘the guy’ in San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks – Mike Macdonald struggles to a bottom-five finish

It’s a new era in Seattle after the Seahawks decided to move on from Pete Carroll. Mike Macdonald has earned this opportunity, but he’s unproven as a head coach. There’s no guarantee he’ll get better results out of a defense that allowed the eighth-most points in the NFL last year. It could take Macdonald a year or two before he figures things out, which could lead to some first-year struggles.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Baker Mayfield leads Bucs to third-place in NFC South

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To the surprise of many, Baker Mayfield had a career year with the Buccaneers in 2023, leading Tampa Bay to the playoffs, and even a Wild Card win. But the NFC South figures to be much tougher with Kirk Cousins landing in Atlanta, along with the possible continued growth of the Panthers. That’s not even including the possibility of the Saints getting things together in Derek Carr’s second season in New Orleans. Add it all up, and it’s possible the Bucs face a lot stiffer competition, leading to a surprising third-place finish in the NFC South.

Tennessee Titans – Will Levis proves he’s the solution in Nashville

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Aside from boasting a big arm and a love for mayo in his coffee, there’s no way to know what Will Levis is made of. He could be the NFL’s next franchise quarterback, or he could be a dud. But the Titans have done their best to supply him with an arsenal of pass-catchers, now it’s just about seeing whether the former second-round pick can get the job done. We’ll go out on a limb and say Levis tops 4,000 yards passing while looking like the QB of the future in Tennessee.

Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels becomes an MVP candidate, as a rookie

The 2023 Heisman winner burst out onto the scene last year, but the NFL is a whole different story. But we’ve seen C.J. Stroud dominate as a rookie, and we’ll boldly predict that Jayden Daniels can follow in his footsteps, only by showing he’s one of the best dual-threat QBs in the league, even as a rookie. By using his legs and his arm, Daniels might even emerge as a fringe MVP candidate in his first pro season.