The 2023 NFL season is mere hours away. Predictions are set, bold takes have been stated, fantasy rosters are built.
And questions? We’ve got lots of those. There are the usual suspects, of course, that we ask each year: Who will win the Super Bowl? Which coach will feel the heat first? Who’s going to emerge in the awards conversations?
But every year also brings with it a new set of queries, the answers to which might just define these 18 weeks to come. With that in mind, here are the 23 biggest questions we’re asking ahead of the 2023 NFL campaign.
1. Just how high can Aaron Rodgers’ Jets fly?
Calling them “Aaron Rodgers’ Jets” is probably inaccurate, because we all know this team belongs to the defence — a unit that might just rank among the best to ever hit the field. But it’s not every day a league legend relocates, and the presence of Rodgers in a new shade of green brings a major power shift not only in the division but the conference.
The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, when they lost their second straight AFC Championship — that’s the longest current drought in the league. Plug a three-time MVP (and a handful of his friends) into a roster that boasts a truly elite defence and a pair of reigning rookies of the year, and we’re about to find out if a team many said was one good quarterback away from a Super Bowl really is ready for the game’s biggest stage.
Of course, they’ll have to get out of their own division first — a division which also includes a Super Bowl favourite in the Buffalo Bills, an electric offence with unfinished business in Miami, and noted genius Bill Belichick. Good luck.
2. Are the Lions ready for primetime?
The NFL’s schedule-makers are betting big on Detroit making the jump from Hard Knocks darlings to hard-hitting contenders, awarding them five prime-time slots — including the season-opener against the defending champion Chiefs.
Not since 1993 have the Lions landed atop their division — it was still the Central at that point, which means they’ve technically never won the North. Last year’s Lions, led by a revitalized Jared Goff and bolstered by a dynamic weapon in Amon-Ra St. Brown and a tough group in the trenches were easy to root for. Add rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs to the mix and a full year of experience for this young pass rush led by local kid Aidan Hutchinson, and you’ve got a bandwagon that’s looking pretty full — and really fun.
Ready or not, here they come.
3. Have the Bears done enough to launch Fields into elite territory?
Justin Fields was incredibly fun to watch last season. The same cannot be said about the team surrounding him. But that might be changing, thanks to a busy off-season that started with the Bears trading away the first overall draft pick and bringing in Fields’ new favourite weapon in return in D.J. Moore.
More importantly, though, is the group GM Ryan Poles has assembled in from of him. Give him a little time and space, and there’s no telling what magic Fields could pull off.
4. What’s in store for the post-Rodgers Packers?
What’s Love got to do with it? (Everything.)
There’s a definite feeling of turnover in the NFC North. With Rodgers out of Green Bay and Kirk Cousins entering a contract year without an extension in Minnesota, there’s plenty of focus on long-time underdogs in Detroit and Chicago eying their respective opportunities to take over.
But despite their old-guard status in the division, these Packers are suddenly the youngest squad in the league, led by fresh leadership in Love and boasting a squad of fleet-footed receivers, a solid run game, and a defence that has a longstanding tradition of being among the best.
5. Will Justin Jefferson set the new standard for WRs?
We’re talking yardage, yes — Jefferson led the league in receptions (128) and yards (1,809) in 2022 and all signs point to him upping his game again — but we’re also talking about another number: the one on his next deal that could raise the bar for his position.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, a new deal — which could make the receiver the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL — is in the works. Per Russini: “Based on my conversations, this is looking to be a contract that will be announced (and celebrated) very soon.”
Speaking of new (and standard-setting) contracts…
6. Bosa’s deal is done. How long until Jones’ is, too?
Super Bowl champ Chris Jones and reigning defensive player of the year Nick Bosa have both been holding out for a new contract, and on Wednesday Bosa’s patience paid off in a big way.
Bosa didn’t need to miss any playing time. Will Jones? His holdout continues.
Jefferson (who is not holding out) and Jones aren’t the only big-name players who could (and likely will) sign on the dotted line at some point this season. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to strike a deal soon, too. Speaking of Burrow…
7. Is Bengals-Chiefs the best rivalry in football right now?
There are rivalries born through long histories of hatred (looking at you, Eagles and Cowboys) and then there are those that blossom before our eyes and become the gold standard for must-watch matchups.
Burrow and Mahomes have met four times, with the Bengals besting the Chiefs in their first three meetings before the Chiefs finally figured them out in last January’s AFC Championship — their second time facing one another with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The Chiefs, of course, went on to win Super Bowl LVII. The Bengals are making noise now as a popular pick to win the next one.
We’ll have to wait a while for our next fix of this matchup — the two sides meet at Arrowhead Stadium on New Year’s Eve in what might just wind up being the best game of the year.
8. What can we expect from Baltimore’s revamped offence?
What do you get when you combine football’s most dynamic quarterback (on a new contract, to boot) with a deep group of receivers and an offensive coordinator known for his creativity?
You get the 2023 Ravens offence, which might just be unlike anything we’ve seen in Baltimore.
Of course, Lamar Jackson & Co. aren’t the only AFC North team expected to challenge the Bengals for the divisional throne. Kenny Pickett is everyone’s favourite breakout pick, while the Browns are hoping Deshaun Watson is able to rediscover his old game.
9. Are we about to see Herbert 2.0?
Jackson’s not the only elite QB in this conference with a load of talent and a brand new playbook. Justin Herbert’s Chargers are looking to former Cowboys OC Kellen Moore to take their guy to the next level.
10. Who takes over the post-Brady NFC South?
The 2023 campaign marks the first year since 2000 that we’re embarking on a season without Tom Brady. Let that sink in for a second.
Brady’s retirement opens up an opportunity in the NFC South for another club to take over the division. (Seriously. Someone has to win it. It’s the rule.) The Saints are armed with a new quarterback in Derek Carr and some healthy weapons and have the easiest schedule in the entire league but the Falcons aren’t far behind. Atlanta showed glimpses of a really fun offence last season, and with the addition of first-round running back Bijan Robinson they’re a popular dark horse pick this season and should be really fun to watch.
11. Where will Jonathan Taylor play this season?
What felt like a rush of urgency among the game’s best running backs looking to solve the ice-cold RB market now appears to be the burden of one. Jonathan Taylor enters the season with his contract demands unmet, the team’s self-imposed trade deadline past, and an ankle injury that only complicates an already complex situation. The 2021 rushing champ is starting the season on the PUP list thanks to that ankle. What comes after he’s cleared? Surely, his RB peers will be watching closely.
12. Which first-round quarterback is best situated to succeed in Year 1?
Of the 14 quarterbacks selected in April’s 2023 draft, three were selected within the first four picks: Bryce Young (first overall to Carolina), C.J. Stroud (second, Houston) and Anthony Richardson (fourth overall to Indianapolis). And all three have been named Week 1 starters for franchises that need a lot more than a good QB.
Which leads us to next year’s No. 1…
13. What if Caleb Williams doesn’t like what he sees next spring?
USC quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is about as sure a thing as an NFL prospect can be, already all but locked into the No. 1 overall draft slot next spring.
Or, maybe not.
In a feature published in GQ that dropped Wednesday, Williams’ father, Carl, said the quiet part out loud: “He’s got two shots at the apple,” he says. “So if there’s not a good situation, the truth is, he can come back to school.”
He made specific reference to Kyler Murray struggling after landing in a messy situation in Arizona… which right now happens to be the team expected to hold the first overall pick once again.
14. Just how messy will this season get in Arizona?
Arizona went all in on Kyler Murray last year with a massive extension that looked questionable even before the ink dried. The longer Murray stays on IR to start the season, the more certain Arizona’s chances of landing the first overall pick would be…
15. Can Purdy go the distance in San Francisco?
Last year at this time, Brock Purdy was living up to his Mr. Irrelevant moniker. The last pick of the 2022 draft was buried deep on a dept chart behind 2021 first-round Trey Lance and beleaguered backup-turned-hero twice over Jimmy Garoppolo. That Jimmy G now lives in Vegas and Lance
was dealt to Dallas leaves no question about the 49ers’ faith in the 23-year-old who went 5-0 down the stretch and could’ve kept things rolling had an elbow injury not foiled him against Philly in the NFC Championship.
The question, instead, centres around just how good he can be. Is he elite? And in Kyle Shanahan’s QB-friendly scheme, does it matter?
16. Is the Legion of Boom back?
It’s hard to replicate the kind of hard-hitting, fast-talking, endlessly entertaining unit that was the Seahawks defence of the early and mid-2010s. But there’s an excitement around Seattle that could bring some familiar feelings. Last year’s most surprising breakout team had a burgeoning secondary and also surrounded Geno Smith with some fast, dynamic weapons via the draft. Recent history tells us the 49ers still belong atop the NFC West but might the future of this division belong to Seattle?
17. What’s the plan, Rams?
Two years ago, the Los Angeles Rams went all in for the Super Bowl, draft picks and cap crunch be damned. But the crown comes at a cost, and after an injury-riddled 2022 campaign that saw the defending champs finish with a 5-12 record, the bill came due this summer. The team’s four big pillars — head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, star rusher Aaron Donald, and wide receiver Cooper Kupp — are still in place, but the supporting cast around them is sparse and Kupp might already be in injury trouble. Are they heading towards a full overhaul, or might we see McVay work a little magic?
18. Can Sean Payton revive Russell Wilson?
There are many millions of dollars and a couple of careers hanging in the balance. The union is off to an interesting start:
19. Will the NFL’s revised “use of helmet” rule help keep players safer?
The league first introduced this rule in 2018, which was focused on helmet-to-helmet contact. Here’s the revision, as written in the official rulebook:
The officiating standards for the Use of Helmet rule are:
· Lowering the head (not to include bracing for contact)
· Initiating contact with the helmet to any part of an opponent’s body. Contact does not have to be to an opponent’s head or neck area — lowering the head and initiating contact to an opponent’s torso, hips, and lower body, is also a foul.
Beginning in 2023, the rule was modified to prevent a player from using any part of his helmet or face mask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.
20. Can Lawrence maintain last year’s momentum?
Mahomes. Herbert. Hurts. Burrow. Allen. Jackson. There’s a growing list of elite young quarterbacks in this league, and Trevor Lawrence took his rightful place on it last year. The first overall pick of 2021, whose rookie season was pretty much a wipeout thanks to Urban Meyer, led Jacksonville to five straight wins to sprint into the playoffs, followed by a remarkable come-from-behind wild-card victory against the Chargers. While the Titans will surely challenge, Lawrence can secure the division once again with another step forward.
21. Will Cowboys’ influx of WRs get Dak back on track?
Clearly, it was time for a fresh start for both Moore and the Cowboys. And the team is embracing its new offensive identity — one centred more heavily around the passing game, as evidenced by the departure of Zeke Elliott and the acquisition of Brandin Cooks. Cooks, CeeDee Lamb, and a healthy Michael Gallup give Prescott some really dynamic weapons, which will hopefully keep him out of precarious situations in which he’s forced to find openings that simply aren’t there.
And if Dak can’t regain form…? In this market? We all know who the new guy in the room is.
22. Can Philadelphia fend off NFC East rivals with new set of coordinators?
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which in football terms translates to your coaching staff becoming a candidate pool for other clubs’ head coaching jobs. That was certainly the case for the 2022 Eagles, whose offensive and defensive coordinators are now embarking on their first stints as NFL head coaches: OC Shane Steichen in Indianapolis and DC Jonathan Gannon in Arizona.
The Eagles are still a favourite to win the division, but the hurdles are plentiful. For starters, they face the toughest schedule in the league (and it’s not particularly close) and won’t have much room for error. The once-weak NFC East had three playoff teams last year and they’ve all loaded up this off-season.
23. Can the Chiefs run it back?
The last time a team won back-to-back Super Bowls was Tom Brady’s Patriots, who defended their 2003 season title with another the following February. Maybe Mahomes can pay tribute to the GOAT two decades later.
