Bold NFL Predictions for 2024: Cousins leads Falcons to top of NFC South

Football did not exactly take kindly to predictions in 2023. 

Last spring brought us an off-season headlined by long sagas in Green Bay and Baltimore, which saw one MVP (finally) relocate to New York while another landed himself some well-earned job security at home. 

Once the season started, it quickly became clear that the story of 2023 would be told through injuries and backup QBs, upsets and rollercoaster-like results, turning pre-season predictions on their heads and making way for new heroes on a near-weekly basis. 

So, what might be in store for 2024? We’ve got a few ideas. 

Super Bowl LVIII will be a battle of the wild cards

Just seven teams have won the Super Bowl after qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card: the 1980 Oakland Raiders, 1997 Denver Broncos, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2007 New York Giants, 2010 Green Bay Packers, and 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There has never been a Super Bowl in which both sides have been wild cards… until 2024, that is. 

Can anyone topple the unstoppable top-seed Ravens? Are the Chiefs vulnerable for an upset? Will the 49ers misstep enroute to the Conference championship? It’s never safe to bet against the league’s best, but considering the 2023 season has been full of surprises pretty much every week — upsets, blowouts, scores that make you look twice — it’s only fitting that the final game of the campaign should bring the same kind of energy. 

With the first overall pick of the 2024 draft, the Chicago Bears… stick with Justin Fields

Bears general manager Ryan Poles stuck with his young QB last spring, and he’s poised to be faced with the same decision again in 2024. Thanks to Poles’ trading away of the first overall pick last year to Carolina, he now approaches a franchise-altering off-season as he holds the Panthers’ No. 1 overall selection as well as the Bears’ own top-10 pick in a draft well-stocked with quarterback talent. 

For all the turmoil in Chicago over the years, the Bears find themselves in favourable territory here if they want to build around Fields. There’s no doubting the third-year quarterback’s dynamic skillset and game-breaking rushing abilities — the question is whether the Bears can surround him with the talent to help him succeed. And the answer, in this draft, is yes. 

Drafting No. 1 wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. would be a great place to start. Or, Poles could trade out of the first pick again and draft help on the offensive line. While there is a compelling case to be made for starting fresh with a rookie QB, the Bears would be wise to build around what they’ve got. 

Belichick’s New England tenure ends as legendary coach takes the reins in Washington

You have to read this in Bill Belichick’s post-game press conference voice to make it really sing: “We’re onto Washington.”

Rumours of this season being Belichick’s final campaign at the helm of the New England Patriots have been circulating from the start — so much so, that predicting he’ll stay might be the bolder of the predictions. And despite the curiosity of seeing the legendary Patriots coach head west to collaborate with Justin Herbert in L.A., his next destination (and, perhaps his final coaching destination?) should be closer to home with the Washington Commanders. The team is reportedly set to part ways with Ron Rivera at the conclusion of the season. 

There’s a personal connection to the area: Belichick grew up in Annapolis, MD — just a 30-minute drive from the Commanders’ home field — as his father coached at the U.S. Naval Academy. There’s also a strong football case, too: The Commanders currently have the second overall pick — one ahead of New England — which would set up Belichick to start a new chapter with a new rookie QB. 

Kirk Cousins leads the Atlanta Falcons to the top of the NFC South

The off-season ahead is once again looking like a busy one for the quarterback carousel, with standout backups perhaps penning new deals while a handful of veterans are approaching free agency. 

Kirk Cousins’ 2023 campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion due to a torn Achilles, and with an expiring deal it’s entirely possible we’ve seen the last of Cousins in purple and gold. The relationship between Cousins and Vikings management is reportedly strong, as is the bond between the QB1 and head coach Kevin O’Connell, but father time is undefeated and Minnesota may choose to start fresh by drafting their next franchise QB rather than lock up an aging Cousins. With a core in flux between contending and not, a lot rides on that decision this off-season. 

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, there’s no question about the direction of the Falcons: It’s time to contend. Atlanta’s head coach, Arthur Smith, is reportedly secure in his job for at least another year — but he doesn’t have time to start fresh with a rookie after second-rounder Desmond Ridder didn’t pan out. The Falcons have all the offensive tools just waiting for an experienced veteran to distribute the ball to, and a little salary cap space to spend. Plug in Cousins and see what happens.