The NFL's 5 most intriguing Week 1 storylines

The 2022 NFL season kicks off Thursday, with the Los Angeles Rams beginning their title defense against this year’s favorite, the Buffalo Bills. Other than this potential Super Bowl matchup in Week 1, there are plenty of different storylines to keep an eye on coming out of a tumultuous offseason.

Usually, this wouldn’t register because it’s Tom Freakin’ Brady. Tom took the top spot this year in the players’ vote on NFL Network of the Top 100 in the NFL. While not everyone agrees with his ranking, it’s the fourth time Brady has claimed that title in his career.

If we look a little deeper, though, there could be cause to pause on Brady producing another MVP-caliber season. Tom took an “arranged” 11-day break in the middle of Buccaneers’ training camp a couple of weeks ago for personal reasons. Last week it was reported that the personal stuff Brady was tending to was his marriage.

Brady hinted and spoke about some personal issues in his return press conference following his hiatus from the team. Whatever may or may not be happening in the Brady household is between Tom and Gisele, but her feelings on wanting him to retire and come home have been well publicized for years.

Then there was Tom’s short-lived retirement early in the offseason, so anyone who’s ever been married could probably understand why Gisele might be a little angry. Then there was Brady’s physical appearance during the press conference, where he addressed his absence at camp. Tom didn’t look like his usual self. He looked physically and mentally drained.

Let’s not forget the multiple offensive linemen injuries Tampa Bay is dealing with entering the season. Wide receiver Chris Godwin is coming off an ACL tear, no more Rob Gronkowski, and Antonio Brown is long gone in more ways than his parting with the team. The Bucs added Julio Jones to the WR group, but no one is sure how much he has left at this point.

We know Brady has done more with much less, but that wasn’t at 45. Week 1 Sunday Night in Dallas on NBC should be interesting.

All we heard out of San Francisco this offseason about the 49ers was that the team is ready to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and hand the keys over to Trey Lance. Garoppolo was supposed to be on his way-out ASAP following shoulder surgery in March.

Whether teams hesitated because of the shoulder injury or there just wasn’t much interest, we’re days away from the ‘22 campaign jumping off, and Jimmy G hasn’t budged. And it seems Garoppolo won’t be going anywhere (not yet anyway) after restructuring his contract at the end of the preseason.

So, now San Francisco has what could be one of the better young QBs in the league and the best backup in all of football. Great setup for the franchise but not so much for Lance. This was supposed to be his team heading into his second year in the league. Now he’s got Jimmy G hanging around, and who knows how much time Lance will be given to make mistakes on a team that’s ready to win now.

This is the kind of situation that, if not handled carefully, could ruin a young player’s confidence. Reactions to Lance’s ability and readiness have been split even within the organization. That looks obvious by them choosing to hang on to Jimmy G. If the Niners start off 1-3 and Lance isn’t lighting it up, will Kyle Shanahan pull the plug and go back to Jimmy?

The 49ers play the Bears in Chicago Week 1, so on paper, that should be a win for SF, but nothing is guaranteed.

It doesn’t get much simpler to explain than that. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals’ offseason was certainly drama filled. It began with Murray deleting any mention of the team from his social media. Rumors surfaced about his immaturity (which showed in the social media incident) and lack of leadership. This was not a typical offseason for Arizona.

Murray finally got his contract extension then came the story about the “hidden” clause that requires him to study film for a certain number of hours (four) each week. The Cardinals got so much backlash about the clause that they removed it. But Kyler and his agent did agree, and he signed it. Let’s keep that in mind.

Now, after that whole soap opera, Week 1 has finally arrived and, as a reward, Murray and the Cardinals get to host the NFL’s best team over the last five years. The Chiefs have the best record (60-21) since 2017, with a Super Bowl win, two Super Bowl appearances, and four straight AFC championship game appearances.

Adding to this unfortunate draw for the Cards is Murray’s favorite receiving target, DeAndre Hopkins, who will miss the first six games while serving his suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. So, opening Sunday could be a long one for Murray and the Cardinals.

Although opposing QBs aren’t on the field together, we love to compare what they do against their team’s defenses. Kyler’s a confident kid, and he’s got the chance to prove why he deserved that big extension. He needs to outplay who many think is the best QB in the NFL in Mahomes. That order might just be too tall for Kyler to conquer.

Just when we thought this one had died down a bit, Baker went and allegedly added fuel to the fire. It was reported last week that Mayfield told a Bills sideline reporter during the preseason, “I’m going to f*** them up.” Of course, Baker denied it, but the sentiment is already out there.

It’d be silly to think Mayfield isn’t hellbent on doing damage against his old team. The same team he felt lied to him, then replaced him with a guy facing 24 civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct. Oh yes, this one’s going to be about nothing more than competition. Yeah, right.

Baker doesn’t need to tell us; we know it’s personal. How could it not be? And that “f*** them up comment” totally sounds like something Baker might say. Whether he did or didn’t, it no longer matters. The players in that Cleveland locker room know Mayfield very well, and they’ll believe what they want.

Aside from the Panthers’ fan base, nobody cares much about this overall matchup. Week 1 in Carolina is all about Baker vs. the Browns and who prevails.

There are bound to be hard feelings whenever a player is traded away from a team they had great success with. During Tyreek Hill’s six years in Kansas City, he went from return specialist/slot receiver to one of the best pass catchers in the league. Then he was traded to Miami during the offseason, and all that goodwill went out the window.

Going to Miami got Hill a new four-year $120 million deal, which probably wouldn’t have happened in KC. But Tyreek lost many of us when he began throwing jabs at the Chiefs organization. Hill claimed he wasn’t getting the ball enough, yet he caught 111 receptions last season. That ranked third among all receivers in ‘21.

Kansas City stood by Hill during all his off-the-field issues. The Chiefs were the team that took a chance on Hill in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, knowing he’d had problems off the field, like the domestic violence incident in 2014 that got him kicked off the Oklahoma State football team.

Then in 2019, while part of the Chiefs organization Hill was investigated for child abuse involving his three-year-old son. Kansas City stood by Hill through all this and didn’t cut bait. All of a sudden, because they traded him, it feels like Tyreek spent all summer trying to prove why he’s so much better off now. News flash….nobody, believes that.

Hill’s gone out of his way to shout out Tua Tagovailoa during the offseason at the expense of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense. Well, the time for talking is done. Week 1 of the Tua-Tyreek era in Miami has arrived, and they get to face Bill Belichick’s defense. So, we’ll see what tune Hill sings after a couple of underthrown deep balls from Tua.

Tua is an accurate passer, but thus far hasn’t proven he can throw it deep consistently. Hill’s ability to take the top off defenses might be his best quality as a receiver. Oh, boy, this is going to be very interesting to see how this plays out.

Get ready, the NFL is back.