NFL 2024-25 Season Preview
The 2024 NFL season is almost upon us as the 32 teams return to action with their eyes on the prize of winning Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in February.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the team they all have to beat after head coach Andy Reid led his squad to glory in each of the last two seasons, although they needed overtime to see off the challenge of the San Francisco 49ers in last season's finale.
While the Chiefs have proved to be the cream of the crop in a competitive AFC, the strength in depth in the NFC looks to be on the rise again with a number of potential challengers hoping to end Kansas City's golden run.
We've picked out three outright bets to consider for the new NFL season.
Tip 1 - Kansas City Chiefs to win NFL Championship (Super Bowl) @ 11/2
Nothing lasts forever and the fact that no team has won three successive championships in the Super Bowl era shows just what an achievement it would be if the Chiefs can pull off a so-called three-peat this season.
The men from Missouri disappointed at times in the regular season last year, falling to 9-6 before winning their final two games, but that meant they were only the third seeds in the AFC.
They came on strong when it mattered in the play-offs, though, as tight end Travis Kelce sprang into life and elite quarterback Patrick Mahomes led his team to impressive road wins in Buffalo and Baltimore.
Having relied on their high-scoring offence in their previous Super Bowl wins, the Chiefs owed much of their success last year to their defence and the more balanced approach looks to be sustainable.
Mahomes was working with a weak group of wide receivers last year, so will relish the arrival of speedy rookie Xavier Worthy, while defensive lynchpin Chris Jones has signed a new long-term deal to help get the ball back in his quarterback's hands as quickly as possible.
Tip 2 - Houston Texans to win AFC @ 8/1
Should the Chiefs come up short in their quest to reach a fifth Super Bowl in six seasons, the up-and-coming team in their conference are the Houston Texans.
The AFC upstarts reached the divisional round of the playoffs last season just a year after finishing with a 3-13-1 record. That poor season enabled them to hit the jackpot in the draft, landing quarterback CJ Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson with two of the first three picks before last season and they look set to be the cornerstones of the team for years to come.
Stroud exceeded all expectations in his rookie season and already looks like a top-tier passer. He has a talented group of wide receivers to work with as veteran Stefon Diggs has been added to join young stars Nico Collins and Tank Dell, while Joe Mixon brings experience at running back.
The Texans look capable of taking it to the next level in DeMeco Ryans' second season as head coach and may be the best alternative to the Chiefs in the AFC.
Tip 3 - Green Bay Packers to win NFC @ 8/1
The Green Bay Packers have had an unbelievable run with their quarterbacks, finding Aaron Rodgers to take over after the Brett Favre era and now it looks like they have done it again after Jordan Love impressed in his first season as starter last year.
Love threw 32 TD passes while working with the youngest group of receivers in the league and with natural progression from Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, the Packers look capable of challenging for the NFC title this season.
The Packers were one of the most impressive teams in the play-offs last season, comfortably winning on the road in Dallas before going agonisingly close to upsetting the 49ers in California in the divisional round.
If their defence comes together soon enough, they can throw down a challenge to their rivals, who begin with their fellow NFC North team the Detroit Lions.
The Lions won the division last year and made the NFC Championship game but the Packers look capable of testing both them and conference favourites the 49ers this time.