8 teams that absolutely must start strong this NFL season

The NFL season can be classified as a marathon rather than a sprint, as teams try to negotiate the physical toll of the campaign. However, these eight teams have a ton of pressure on them right out of the gate and must get off to a good start. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

The Giants have experienced dramatic highs and pitiful lows under head coach Brian Daboll. They unexpectedly made the playoffs two seasons ago, making it all the way to the Divisional Round. However, whatever could go wrong went wrong in 2023, making 2024 a huge season for the franchise.

It doesn’t feel like Daboll or quarterback Daniel Jones is going to get any more leeway to fix their issues past this season, so there’s a now or never feeling in New York. Yahoo Sports wrote about the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Jones’ play from week to week, which oscillates from elite to atrocious without warning.

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Cleveland randomly became of the most fun teams to root for in the NFL down the stretch of last season. They dealt with notable injuries, but still managed to qualify for the postseason behind a strong defense and resurgent play from veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. However, the Browns are hoping that starter Deshaun Watson can deliver on the promise he once showed in his career.

SB Nation called Cleveland’s trade with the Houston Texans to get Watson the worst in NFL history. There’s certainly a chance it could be, given the gargantuan amount of guaranteed money the Browns gave him. With that said, many people forget the Browns went 5-1 with Watson as a starter in 2023, so there may be hope.

Speaking of trades that blow up, the Broncos are looking to pick up the pieces after a failed experiment with Russell Wilson in each of the last two seasons. They’re still on the hook for $85 million in dead money according to ESPN for him, even after his release. However, Denver is one of the teams that needs to show signs of life sooner rather than later.

It seemed clear from the very beginning that head coach Sean Payton and Wilson were not going to see eye to eye. After Wilson’s release, Denver drafted quarterback Bo Nix in the first round. Payton is thoroughly impressed with Nix’s skill and early leadership, telling Denver Sports’ website, “It’s unusual for a rookie to get made a captain… I think it’s something you earn and these guys, all of them voted (on it).”

After a lackluster beginning of the 2023 NFL season, Las Vegas fired head coach Josh McDaniels, and gave the job on an interim basis to Antonio Pierce. He led the team to a 5-4 record in their last nine games, including a memorable upset of the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Raiders management saw enough in this stretch to give Pierce the full-time gig.

Sports Illustrated highlighted Pierce’s coaching style, which allowed players to be with themselves. Sometimes interim coaches have immediate success, only to flop when getting the position permanently, but the Raiders think they have a unique communicator on the sideline. We’ll find out if that was a smart bet early on in the season.

The Eagles don’t have a lot of serious competition in the NFC East, which might make fans think that they can afford to get off to a slow start. While their record may not suffer as much as others, Philadelphia and their fans are looking to wash away a bad taste in their mouths from the end of the 2023 season.

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Including their Wild Card round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia dropped six of their final seven contests. It was a stunning fall from grace for a team who had started the year 10-1, and seemed to be well on their way to making the Super Bowl for a second straight season. Head coach Nick Sirianni will need to have the team focused from the opening kickoff in Week 1.

The Dolphins appear to be on the right track, having made the postseason in consecutive seasons. Their high-flying offense is one of the most fun attacks to watch in the NFL. However, this has not lent itself to playing well in December and January, as the elements seem to hinder their ability. As a result, they need to win as many games as possible in favorable weather early in the year.

In addition to their pattern of swooning late in the season, Miami’s schedule looks to be extremely challenging down the stretch in 2024. In December and January, they’ll have to play the New York Jets twice, the Houston Texans, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Cleveland Browns. Dolphins fans will have to hope that they’ve built a comfortable cushion before that point.

New York’s hopes and dreams were crushed four snaps into the 2023 season, as Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles. It turned into a torturous experience for Jets fans, who watched the entire campaign wondering how things might have been different had Rodgers not gotten injured.

An anonymous general manager told Bleacher Report that the Jets’ “expectations are unrealistic.” With that being said, anything less than a deep playoff run would be a disappointment for a team with such a high opinion of itself. Faltering in the beginning of the season would make an already tense situation even more tenuous.

The Panthers have been stuck in the doldrums for the last several seasons. Carolina is hoping to claw out of the basement of the NFL under new head coach Dave Canales, who helped engineer a strong campaign from Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay last season. The franchise is in dire need of something to look forward to.

2023 number one overall pick Bryce Young struggled to make a positive impact as a rookie, and Carolina is hoping that Canales can unlock something in him to help him improve. If Young doesn’t show marked improvement in his second year, the Panthers will be staring at yet another rebuild ahead of the 2025 season.

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