By Mark Maske Washington Post
The NFL season is almost at hand. The Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys in Thursday night’s season opener. The league plays a Friday night game in Week 1 in Brazil for a second straight year. There is a full slate of Sunday games followed by the Chicago Bears hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
Here are some of the key storylines to watch as the season gets going.
### QBs in new places
Aaron Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in June after being released by the New York Jets in March. He will try to craft a more uplifting conclusion to his career in what he has said is probably his final NFL season. Justin Fields moved from the Steelers to the Jets as Rodgers’s replacement for the franchise’s new football brain trust of Coach Aaron Glenn and General Manager Darren Mougey.
Sam Darnold landed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks following his career-reviving season with the Vikings.
Russell Wilson moved on from the Steelers to the New York Giants and is the opening-day starter, as rookie Jaxson Dart waits his turn, in what could be a now-or-never season for Coach Brian Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen.
### Second-year QBs
Jayden Daniels already is a star after leading the Washington Commanders to the NFC championship game last season as a rookie. He seeks an encore.
Bo Nix attempts to build on a promising rookie season with the Denver Broncos that included a playoff appearance. The Bears’ Caleb Williams tries to catch up to Daniels and Nix in NFL accomplishments.
The Atlanta Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. and the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye begin their first full season as starters. J.J. McCarthy takes over for Darnold in Minnesota after missing his entire rookie season because of a knee injury.
### Vrabel guides Patriots
Jerod Mayo lasted only one season as the successor to Bill Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the New England Patriots. Enter Mike Vrabel, the one-time Patriots linebacker who is a former NFL coach of the year while with the Tennessee Titans.
He is an accomplished coach who knows what once made the Patriots great. He understands the organization and the fan base. He has a promising quarterback in Maye. No one should expect too much, too soon. But things should get steadily better for the Patriots from here.
### Johnson joins Bears
Williams had far too little help during his rookie season with the Bears. Matt Eberflus was fired as the team’s coach following a clock-management blunder during a Thanksgiving loss at Detroit.
The Bears made perhaps the splashiest move of the offseason’s head coach hiring cycle by landing Ben Johnson, the widely sought-after offensive coordinator of the Lions who had withdrawn from coaching searches in the past. If he can turn Williams into an NFL star, the Bears can be relevant again.
### Lions lose coordinators
Glenn left for the Jets. Johnson exited for the Bears. The Lions were the NFC’s Super Bowl favorite for most of past season and secured the conference’s top playoff seed in the final game of the regular season. But their defense had been decimated by injuries by the time they suffered a stunning divisional-round defeat at home to the Commanders.
Now they must start over with new coordinators, John Morton on offense and Kelvin Sheppard on defense, in their bid to secure the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
### Kickoff changes
The touchback spot has been moved ahead five yards, to the 35-yard line, in Year 2 of the revamped kickoff format, in an attempt to further discourage kicks into the end zone. The idea is to boost the rate of kickoffs that are returned. The results could include improved field position, increased scoring and fewer punts.
### Electronic 1st downs
The sticks-and-chain first-down measurement system stays, but only as a backup. Measurements will be done virtually for the first time in regular season play. Keep in mind that the spotting of the ball still will be done manually by the on-field officials.
### Chiefs regroup
The Kansas City Chiefs have reached three straight and five of the past six Super Bowls. They’ve played in seven straight AFC title games. All NFL dynasties crumble eventually. But the mainstays remain in place in Coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. The Chiefs will attempt to bounce back from their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in February and extend their run of excellence for at least another season.
### Next in line?
The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens could vie to be next in line once more if the Chiefs finally stumble. If so, the string of postseason disappointments finally would end for one of these MVP-winning quarterbacks, the Bills’ Josh Allen and the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. But which would it be? The rematch of their divisional round playoff clash last season, won by Allen and the Bills, comes on Sunday night in Week 1.
### Eagles push ahead
The Eagles still have the tush push available to them. And they have the talent, even with some offseason departures, to make a run at a second straight Super Bowl title.
### Stafford’s back
The Los Angeles Rams could be a top NFC contender if QB Matthew Stafford stays in the lineup. But he’s 37 and was plagued by a disk issue in his back throughout training camp. If the Rams have to patch things together with Jimmy Garoppolo or Stetson Bennett, forget about them as contenders.