A cold start
Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, the usual four preseason matches (the incumbents usually played part of the first three) have been outright canceled. The teams will therefore return to the field, in a match, for the first time on the occasion of this first day. This context should favor teams which have kept the same coaches (and therefore the same offensive and defensive systems) as well as those which have displayed the greatest stability in their workforce. The Kansas City Chiefs, who have extended their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes until 2031 (for a contract potentially worth $ 500 million), are thus considered favorites to their own succession. They will begin their title defense this Thursday night at home against the Houston Texans. Other favorites, the Baltimore Ravens of LaMar Jackson, the MVP of last season. Behind these two teams from the American Conference (AFC), the San Francisco 49ers (beaten in the last Super Bowl) and the New Orleans Saints are expected in the National Conference (NFC).
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Two more qualified teams
Small revolution, after 29 years of an identical format (12 qualified), the NFL is evolving with two more qualified (1 per conference) this season. The goal is of course to interest more teams in the play-off race until the end, but also to give a particular advantage to the best team in each conference. Now only the numbers 1 will be entitled to a weekend of rest between the end of the regular season and the start of their play-offs. The first round will be played on a 2nd-7th, 3rd-6th and 4th-5th format. Following this first round, the number 1 will face the lowest-ranked qualifier, with the other two teams playing the other conference semi-final. The home advantage always remains at the best classified until the conference final.
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Tom Brady in Tampa Bay defeat the curse?
After 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and unprecedented success (9 Super Bowls played and 6 titles), Tom Brady has changed tune in the offseason. The legendary quarterback has decided to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, accompanied by his former teammate Rob Gronkowski (who took a year off in 2019). At forty-three, the challenge is considerable and judgments about his ability to succeed without Bill Belichick to coach him will not fail. Still with Bruce Arians at the helm, receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin not to mention the recent arrival of runner Leonard Fournette (released by Jacksonville), Brady has many strengths. It remains to be seen whether that will be enough to end the “curse” that plagues the host franchise of the Super Bowl. Since 1967 and the first edition, a team has never managed to play the Super Bowl in its usual stadium. However, it is Tampa Bay which will host the mach on February 7.
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Las Vegas, LA SoFi Stadium, premieres
Three years after the Golden Knights in NHL (hockey), Las Vegas welcomes its second professional Major League team: the Raiders (from Oakland). This is a historic development for the city of Nevada. But this first season will have a bittersweet taste since it will take place without an audience in the Allegiant Stadium, located a stone’s throw from the famous “Strip” where most of the casinos are located. 400 km further southwest, another stadium will be inaugurated without an audience: SoFi Stadium, the new home of the Los Angeles Rams who will rent the venue to the Los Angeles Chargers. This huge structure, a stone’s throw from LAX airport, will have cost more than five billion dollars in total. It will be the scene of the Super Bowl in 2022 but also one of the Olympic Stadiums in 2028.
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Washington will do without a nickname this year
In an offseason that has not lacked surprise, it is perhaps the most unexpected. A few years after claiming that he would NEVER change (in all caps) the name of the Washington franchise, owner Dan Snyder backed down under pressure from the sponsors, FedEx, which gives the stadium its name. team, in the lead. The name “Redskins”, insulting Indian communities and controversial for decades, has now disappeared. And rather than choosing a new name in a hurry, Washington has decided to live a year of transition by calling itself “Washington Football Team” or WFT. The team colors remain the same: burgundy, gold and white.
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Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly, Antonio Gates are no longer there
Several iconic players have decided to put away their crampons in the offseason. Among them are Eli Manning, two champion rings and two Super Bowl MVP titles with the New York Giants. Given its low use in 2019, its retirement was expected. For the first time since 1998, there will be no Manning in the league. After sixteen seasons with the Chargers (in San Diego then Los Angeles), Antonio Gates retired with the record for touchdowns for a tight-end (116 ahead of Toni Gonzalez, 111). Not bad for a player who had opted for basketball during his time at university before reorienting himself towards US football. Luke Kuechly’s judgment was more heartbreaking. At just twenty-nine, the former Carolina Panthers linebacker has been pushed out by recurrent concussions in recent years. The defender of the year 2013 will leave the image of a player as fine strategist as a big tackle.
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Finally, free-to-air broadcasts in France on the L’Equipe Channel
Great news for this opening week of the season, the NFL will be broadcast on the L’Equipe Channel as well as on the website. Every Sunday during the seventeen days of the regular season, a poster played at 7 p.m. (French time) will be broadcast on the site for free. The site and La Chaîne L’Equipe will also offer a match during each play-off weekend from January 9 and 10, a major unencrypted premiere in France, as well as the Super Bowl.
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