The begging of a new season is such an exciting time in any sport, with lots of hope for teams, exciting debuts, and new faces in new places. The 2021 NFL season is approaching with tons of buzz and excitement with fans coming back to watch their teams. A great part about sports (my personal favorite) is that there will be tons of storylines for every team in the National Football league. I’ll be here giving one storyline for every team that NFL fans should look out for this upcoming year.

Buffalo Bills: Does the run game develop

Last season the Bills made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. Josh Allen took a huge leap in his development and became an MVP candidate and the team’s defense also took a step forward. The only position that didn’t improve much was the Running Back department.

Devin Singeltary and Zach Moss shared the workload last season and neither player could breakout in the offense. During the playoffs last season, the run game struggled to help the team get in the game with Allen being relied upon a lot. Josh Allen will still become a better QB but if the Bills want to become real contenders for the Lombardi trophy, the run game needs to help the offense when the passing game isn’t working.

Miami Dolphins: Is Tua the guy?

Tua Tagovailoa’s rookie year had lots of ups and downs. He was as accurate of a passer that we saw in college and did not turn the ball over much as well. During stretches win which he struggled, head coach, Brian Flores went to back up QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Now Fitz is with the Washington Football Team and Tua is Day 1 the starter.

The main concern with Tua was his arm strength. Last year he rarely attempted to throw the ball deep and he didn’t have much “Zip” on the ball in his passes. This year we could see more deep throws as the Dolphins acquired Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle during the off-season, both are deep threat targets.

Miami has a great defense with 2 great starting corners in Byron Jones and Xavien Howard. The play of Tua will dictate whether or not the Dolphins make it to the NFL playoffs. It’s a lot of pressure to have in Year 2 but those are the expectations for a top 5 pick. If he has a mediocre season the Dolphins might have to evaluate getting a new Quarterback sooner than they expected.

New England Patriots: Do the investments blossom

After missing the playoffs last year, Bill Belichek spent all the money he could to upgrade the team and not miss the playoffs again. Matthew Judon, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, and Nelson Agahlor were the most notable additions as well as getting Mac Jones in the draft.

This team is used to success and they couldn’t find it last year. While the Quarterback play last year was a big issue, the defense wasn’t as solid as years past. Dont’a Hightower will return to lead this defense and Mathew Judon as their newest pass rusher. The AFC East winner will be decided on who’s defense can stunt the opponent’s offense during division games. With the spending the patriots did during free agency, the only question now is if the players they brought in will win them games.

New York Jets: Zach Wilson’s Development

After moving on from Sam Darnold, the Jets needed a new Franchise QB. This year they drafted BYU QB Zach Wilson with the 2nd overall pick of this year’s NFL Draft. They brought in Robert Saleh as their new head coach and even got more talent around the offense in the free agency and the draft for Wilson.

New York is a huge city and market so the pressure to be the Jets savior is now all on Zach Wilson. Sam Darnold couldn’t do it and they moved on from him quickly. If the Jets can win 6 or 7 games that will be a huge step forward for this Franchise. If we can see flashes of greatness in Wilson’s rookie year, the gets really won’t have much to worry about. However if Zach Wilson struggles and has poor performances all season long, many Jets fans could quit on him. Sadly that is how New York fans are like

Cleveland Browns: Super Bowl Contenders?

Under Kevin Stefanski, the Browns made the playoffs, embarrassed one of their biggest rivals, and were close to beating the eventual AFC Champions. Now the team has come back with a better roster and players coming back from injury. Baker Mayfield took positive strides in his play due to the great offensive line and the 2 headed running back game of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

They were able to sign John Johnson, Troy Hill, Jadeveon Clowney, and drafting Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to bolster up their defense. Every position on this team has quality starters but there is one big question. Can Baker Mayfield see a leap similar to Josh Allen last year and get a solid connection with Odell Beckham Jr?, If that is the case, they will one of the favorites to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Emphasis on the “If”.

Baltimore Ravens: Will the raven’s receivers show up

Everyone who follows the NFL knows how talented and special Lamar Jackson is, but he can’t do it alone. The Ravens play with lots of rushing plays and don’t air the ball out as much as other teams. It’s safe to say that it has been in some ways successful as they have made the playoffs playing this way.

One of the main reasons they have played like this is the lack of great receivers on the Ravens roster. Marquise Brown was expected to be the guy to breakout last season but injuries and poor performances derailed that. The only reliable target on that roster is Tight End, Mark Andrews. They drafted Reshod Bateman in the first round but he sustained an injury during training camp that will most likely delay his start of the season. The only other big name in the receiving core is former first-round pick, Sammy Watkins. The fact of the matter is that the Ravens receivers will need to produce and help out Jackson’s passing game during the playoffs, if that can’t happen then it looks like a Divisional round exit is in store for this team.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Getting The Most Out of Big Ben

Last season the Steelers started the season undefeated which was a surprise to many. Once teams shut the run game down completely, Ben Rothlisberger was relied upon to throw 30+ times a game. The aging quarterback is not as capable now of doing this compared to in his prime. The offense line lost some key players which will not help the first-round pick Najee Harris but they did retain their WR core after Juju Smith-Shuster stayed with the team on a cheap 1-year deal.

The defense will continue to do its thing led by T.J Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. It’s really about the offense and how they will last season. The Steelers were one of the worst rushing teams in the league last year and now Najee Harris is what they are banking on to improve. With a worse offensive line, I believe we’ll continue to see a lot of Big Ben being the only spark on offense.

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow’s return

Unforutnly Joe Burrow’s rookie campaign was cut short as he suffered a gruesome knee injury against the Washington Football team. He is set to be the Week 1 starter this year making a full recovery from his injury. His play this year will be interesting to watch as he may not be as aggressive to not get hurt again and his offensive line didn’t improve much compared to last season.

He will be reunited with his LSU teammate Ja’amar Chase as he was the Bengal’s first-round pick this year. The receiving core of Chase, Boyd, and Higgins alongside Joe Mixon returning from injury make the Bengals offense one to watch this year. Can Burrow lead the offense to its high potentials or will he struggle in year 2?

Tennessee Titans: Unbalanced team

The big news for the Titans this off-season was them trading for Julio Jones. They have a loaded offense with Derek Henry, Ryan Tannehill, Julio Jones, and AJ Brown being the team’s big names.

But as the old saying goes “defense wins championships” and the Titans don’t have a good one. This was the story last year as their Achilles heel was their inconsistent defense. They drafted Caleb Farley to help aid their weak secondary and splashed money on Bud Dupree during free agency. If the Titans want to make a deep run this year the defense needs to drastically improve throughout the regular season.

Houston Texans: Make the most of what you have

Look let’s get right to the chase, the Texans are going to be horrible to watch. With Deshaun Watson wanting out and dealing with legal issues of the field, it’s likely we may not see him this summer. The defense lost JJ Watt (who they could've traded but for some reason released him) and it was the second-worst in the league.

Phillip Lindsay could be a breakout player for this team and that’s about it. If this team is even in contention for a Wild Card spot it would be a huge step in what looks to be very long rebuilding progress.

Indianapolis Colts: Is Wentz the Answer

Philp Rivers did the best he could to not let the QB position the downfall of the team. He did good, not great but he would eventually call it quits after the 2020 season. To address the vacant QB position Frank Reich and the Colts would trade a second-round pick for Carson Wentz. The second overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft had his best year under Reich in 2018 in which he was playing at an MVP level. A Knee injury made him miss the postseason run that led to Philadelphia winning the Lombardi trophy that year.

Since then Wentz has struggled tremendously in his turnover number and pocket presence. His reads aren’t sharp and holds onto the football way too long. The main reason the Colts acquired Wentz was to see if Coach Reich would fix his game and make him a quality QB once again. With the news of Wentz and Offensive lineman Quinton Nelson both getting foot injuries that may prolong when they start the year, it’s a bit harder to see Carson Wentz have a career turnaround season.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Start of the T-Law Era

The fanbase in Duval country hasn’t had much to cheer for until this year. With the first pick in this year’s draft, the Jaguars selected college phenom, Trevor Lawrance. Jacksonville has struggled in developing Quarterbacks as Blane Gabbert and Blake Bortles were both busts in their time with the Jags.

Legendary college coach, Urban Meyer, will be making his first stint in the NFL and has the task of turning around the Jaguars franchise. The Jags have a really talented QB who has a knack for winning through his high school and college career. The fans will want to see glimpses of great QB play that didn’t see Gabbert and Bortles

Denver Broncos: Drew Locks last chance

While the Broncos did name Teddy Bridgewater as their QB 1 to start the NFL season, Lock will most likely get another chance as Bridgewater is injury-prone and can be very inconstant at times. His preseason play was very good (keep in mind it’s preseason) and had been in the Broncos system for a couple of years now. I don’t think the organization has given up on Lock just yet but is certainly trending in that direction.

Lock has a great arm and pretty athletic to get out of the pocket and escape pressure. His decision-making and accuracy were the only concerns with him last year. There will be one more opportunity to start down the line and he needs to make the most of it when that time comes. The Broncos have built a great defense and one of, if not the best secondary in all the NFL. In my eyes, Lock can be the “guy” that elevates this team from a playoff contender to a team that contends for an AFC title.

Las Vegas Raiders: Gruden on the hot seat?

Back in 2019, the Raiders signed Jon Gruden to a 10 year-100 million dollar contract to coach the team for a second time. Since his hire, the Raiders have missed the playoffs in his first 2 years with them going on losing stretches toward the end of the season that put them out of playoff contention.

Derek Carr has been one of the most underrated QB’s in the league for some time and that is mostly due to the Raiders failing to make the playoffs year after year. Carr will be taking snaps and getting protection from an almost completely different offensive line this year. Not to mention the main reason for the Raiders’ struggles is that horrible secondary. If the Raiders fail to make the playoffs, Gruden will either be fired or given one last chance by Mark Davis.

LA Chargers: The playoff push

The Chargers have something not a lot of teams have done, identified a Franchise QB for the next 10 years. Justin Herbert won rookie of the year and is poised to have a great year 2 with a revamped offensive line and a healthy Austin Ekeler to start the season. The defense also gets a boost with Derwin James returning and new head coach Brandon Staley who led the #1 defense in the league last season.

The expectations for this year are to push for a Wild Card spot with improvements all around the roster and a new head coach in charge of the team. The AFC is a tough conference with lots of teams growing and improving in every division. Now is the time to see what this roster is made up of and with Herbert on a rookie deal, they could very well soon go for a super bowl run next year if all goes well in 2021.

Kansas city chiefs: Another Run with Mahomes

The Chiefs have the best QB in the game with great weapons once again and now a focus on improving the offensive line after the Super Bowl loss to Tom Brady’s Buccs. There is no doubt in people’s minds that they are contenders once more for Lombardi Trophy this February. The only thing that could possibly derail this team is injuries to key players which is something they haven’t experinced.

The story of them isn’t if they can make it back to the AFC Championship game but which teams has the best odds off knocking them down from that title.

The NFC edition of this preview will be available next Monday the 6th of August.