Watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the Pittsburgh Steelers from 6pm live on Sky Sports on Sunday September 8, followed by the Dallas Cowboys at the Cleveland Browns from 9.25pm and the Los Angeles Rams at the Detroit Lions at 1.20am Monday morning. Also stream with NOW.
Sunday 8 September 2024 12:42, UK
It's prediction time! As the 2024 NFL season gets under way, the Sky Sports NFL team make their picks - from their MVP favourites to their Super Bowl matchups...
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers. I remember when I was in Philly, when I played, we put Aaron Rodgers out of the game and Jordan Love came in. I think Jordan Love is going to have an amazing year and I think he's going to win MVP. I think Green Bay are going to give the Lions a run for their money to capture the NFC North and then I think they're going to make a big push in the playoffs as well. NDAMUKONG SUH
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers. I'm going to go with the guy who almost knocked him out last year. I think it's Brock Purdy's time. I think if you look statistically and games won, Brock Purdy has been the best for the last couple of years. I still think the Mr Irrelevant thing hangs a bit like an anvil around his neck, people are quick to say it's Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk. But I think this is the year Brock Purdy silences all of that and proves he is much more than a game manager. That might tip my hand when we get to the Super Bowl predictions! NEIL REYNOLDS
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs. I love boxing and I'm going to make a fight analogy. To beat the champion you've got to knock him out. Patrick Mahomes right now is the champion and I don't see anybody knocking Patrick Mahomes out of that status that he has as the MVP. JEFF REINEBOLD
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals. JASON BELL
CJ Stroud, QB, Houston Texans. From the precision to the veteran poise and anticipation, he has it all. Stroud's immediate impact has the Texans revival ahead of schedule, and with an offense strengthened by the arrival of Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon this offseason he can rise to the top. CAM HOGWOOD
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens. I think it's going to be interesting, but I'm going to go with Lamar Jackson. I think he's going to come out and he wants to show that he's playing at a very, very high level and he's going to be able to carry his team. He will also be a guy that is in that MVP race as well. NDAMUKONG SUH
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets. I think if Aaron Rodgers is healthy there's more balance, Breece Hall, he can catch out of the backfield, score from anywhere on the field and they've got a better offensive line. He could put up that Christian McCaffrey 1,500-2,000 scrimmage yards. He sat down with me in training camp and said by the end of the season he wants people to view him as the best running back in the NFL. NEIL REYNOLDS
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers. If Patrick Mahomes is the heavyweight champion, then I'm going to say Christian McCaffrey is the middleweight king and I don't see Breece Hall unseating the middleweight king. JEFF REINEBOLD
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles. JASON BELL
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins. For much of last season Tyreek Hill was untouchable as the heartbeat of Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins offense, matchups with Trent McDuffie and L'Jarius Sneed perhaps the rare exception. At one point he threatened a 2,000-yard campaign, and I have no reason to believe he slows down as the primary target for a newly-paid Tua Tagovailoa. CAM HOGWOOD
Nick Bosa, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers. I think he got off to a slow start last year, but he's excited to get back to it and they always pride themselves on having the elite defense at the 49ers. I think Nick Bosa is going to take Defensive Player of the Year. NDAMUKONG SUH
Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Las Vegas Raiders. The guy had 27 sacks over the past two seasons, pretty much while operating as a one-man defense, I think he's on a Hall of Fame track and I think of the energy he plays with. It's very easy to pick TJ Watt or Nick Bosa, but I feel that Crosby with Christian Wilkins should be illegal, I think they'll wreak havoc. I don't think the Raiders will go a great distance because there are concerns at quarterback but he will be a dominant performer. NEIL REYNOLDS
Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Las Vegas Raiders. I thought when the Raiders brought Christian Wilkins into the fold, Maxx Crosby, who has been dominating games with not much around him, is going to be unleashed even more. JEFF REINEBOLD
Micah Parsons, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys. JASON BELL
Micah Parsons, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys. This is the season Micah Parsons collects his first Defensive Player of the Year award, in the process playing his way to a record-breaking contract (if he hasn't done so already). He has 40.5 sacks through his first seasons and returns as a defining cog to a Dallas Cowboys team facing overwhelming playoff pressure in 2024. CAM HOGWOOD
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos. I'm going to go with another quarterback and I just have a feeling this kid Bo Nix is going to be something special. They said he's been lighting it up in camp and playing at a super high level and there's just something about his coach in Sean Payton. He always finds creative ways to help his quarterback be successful, as you saw with Drew Brees. NDAMUKONG SUH
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears. I've not gone very left field here. I'm going with Caleb Williams, there is too much set up for him. The Bears have never had a 4,000 yard passer, never had a quarterback with 30 touchdown passes in a season, which is incredible. I just like the way he carries himself. We saw enough of the flash Mahomes-type plays in the preseason, I saw a few in training camp. Everything is around him with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze. NEIL REYNOLDS
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears. I tried to think about it logically. It's all set up, the team is around, he's got the best quality of team around him out of all the rookie quarterbacks. It's going to be a quarterback award. He has that style appeal, the camera likes him, it's a guy that has all the stuff in addition to tremendous talent and he plays in a major market starving for a quarterback. It's too logical to not pick him. JEFF REINEBOLD
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears. JASON BELL
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears. Hard not to go with the No 1 pick, right? He has Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze on the outside, with D'Andre Swift in the backfield and Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright anchoring a young offensive line. A rookie quarterback could hardly wish for a better set-up in which to enter. CAM HOGWOOD
Pittsburgh Steelers. I think Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to surprise some people. You've got coach Tomlin who has never had a losing season - I don't want to jinx them into having a losing season! I think he's very creative. I think Russell Wilson is going to come back with a resurgence and their backup quarterback Justin Fields is going to find a way to be able to be folded into their offense. And they always have an elite defense, led by TJ Watt. I think that they have an opportunity, but again it all comes down to injury. NDAMUKONG SUH
Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings. Pre-warning, I haven't been on the left over Rose from my time in the south of France! But I'm going to say Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings. He spent a year watching and learning from Kyle Shanahan last year, I think Kevin O'Connell is the perfect coach for a quarterback, I just think there should be a little less hand-wring in Minnesota because JJ McCarthy is gone for the year, as much as we wanted to see him. Darnold with Justin Jefferson, and it may be a bit of a slow burner because we don't know what's going to happen with Jordan Addison after some legal trouble, and TJ Hockenson will miss the first four games (I'm talking myself out of it!) but Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson will be a thing in 2024. NEIL REYNOLDS
Denver Broncos. I'm going to say this is a team I saw improvement in last year. There's been an addition by subtraction at the quarterback position and I think they are very pleased with the rookie quarterback who has won the starting job in training camp. I'm going to say the Denver Broncos will be my surprise package because they are good enough defensively and I think Bo Nix is exactly what the puppeteer Sean Payton wants. He wants to have his hands on the quarterback and that will be a great match. I think the style of quarterback he was in training camp winning that job, it's almost like he was programmed for that job. The way Nix approached the competition, the things he said, the accuracy and precision, it was reminiscent of Drew Brees and the success those two guys had makes me believe the Broncos are on the verge of taking off. JEFF REINEBOLD
New York Jets. JASON BELL
Indianapolis Colts. There was a lot to like about what Shane Steichen did last season with limited resources, and you can't help but feel he is perfectly-tailored to everything Anthony Richardson has to offer at quarterback. Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and edge rusher Laiatu Latu could both make a starring impact in their rookie seasons, while that offensive line remains among the most accomplished in the league. A tandem of Richardson and Jonathan Taylor in the Steichen system could frighten many. Let's say the Colts snatch a playoff spot. CAM HOGWOOD
Dallas Cowboys. I'm going after J Bell on this one! I think the Cowboys and Dak and CeeDee Lamb. Even though CeeDee Lamb got paid, and with Dak not getting paid while handling it like a true pro, I think it's going to boil down to them not making the playoffs and there will be some big decision that are being made next offseason. NDAMUKONG SUH
Pittsburgh Steelers. I had four teams that I was going to whittle down from. I had Dallas, Pittsburgh, Miami and also Cleveland, because I think they have a talented roster but so much depends on Deshaun Watson. I think Pittsburgh, I think Mike Tomlin might have his first losing season, they don't have enough on offense still. NEIL REYNOLDS
Miami Dolphins. You talk about an overhyped and overrated football team. They won one game against a team with a winning record and folded like a tent late in the season. You've got a quarterback who I love, but is always just a whisker away from being out of the season. I'm going to say the Dolphins. JEFF REINEBOLD
Buffalo Bills. JASON BELL
New York Jets. What if it all goes wrong? What if Aaron Rodgers isn't in fact the saviour? The four-time MVP-winning quarterback returns from a year-ending Achilles injury having been deemed something of a final piece the Jets playoff puzzle, but the AFC is fierce with talent and nothing is a given in this league. The Jets are currently riding the league's longest active playoff drought. I think they come up shy again. CAM HOGWOOD
Detroit Lions to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Detroit Lions to beat the Baltimore Ravens. I would love to see these two teams make it. One, the Detroit Lions from the NFC and then the Ravens from the AFC. If I'm picking the winner for those, the city of Detroit is very happy. NDAMUKONG SUH
San Francisco to beat the Baltimore Ravens. My final four are San Francisco, Detroit, Baltimore and Houston, I think CJ Stroud will be very close in the running for MVP. I'm going for, 12 years after the lights went out, back in New Orleans, Super Bowl 59 will be San Francisco vs Baltimore in a repeat matchup and I believe, because I've got Brock Purdy as MVP, the 49ers have to find a way to get over the hump and I think they do it this year. NEIL REYNOLDS
San Francisco 49ers to beat the Baltimore Ravens. I think both teams should be favourites. Kansas City have some injuries, the receiver room is still a work in progress, they lost players on defense, there are reasons why they might take a little step back. I think Houston has a real puncher's chance to win the Super Bowl, if CJ Stroud doesn't have a sophomore slump. I love DeMeco Ryans, I think Houston are my favourite dark horse. Detroit have suffered so many years of disappointment but now they're right there, it's so hard to do what he's done and then keep that chip on the shoulder, it's one thing to be the hunter and another to be the hunted. I'm going with San Francisco over Baltimore. JEFF REINEBOLD
Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Detroit Lions. JASON BELL
San Francisco 49ers to beat the Baltimore Ravens. I think Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers finally get over the line, denying Lamar Jackson's Ravens (just don't come back to this when the Chiefs inevitably make it to New Orleans).
Watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the Pittsburgh Steelers from 6pm live on Sky Sports on Sunday September 8, followed by the Dallas Cowboys at the Cleveland Browns from 9.25pm and the Los Angeles Rams at the Detroit Lions at 1.20am Monday morning. Also stream with NOW.
