Ravens v Chiefs kicks off action - all you need to know about NFL season

The caller NFL play is upon america and past beckons for the Kansas City Chiefs.

After winning the past 2 Super Bowls, they person the accidental to go the archetypal squad to triumph 3 connected the bounce.

Star players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are acceptable to look fierce contention successful the AFC Conference, however, with the long-suffering New York Jets looking to get successful connected the act.

After losing caller backmost Aaron Rodgers conscionable 4 snaps into past year's play opener, the Jets person bolstered their roster for the instrumentality of the NFL's four-time Most Valuable Player.

Lamar Jackson was past season's MVP aft helping the Baltimore Ravens to the regular season's champion record, and they person brought successful Derrick Henry, the league's two-time rushing leader.

The Chiefs defeated the Ravens successful the play-offs, earlier beating the San Francisco 49ers successful Super Bowl 58, and those teams are favourites to conscionable again successful the NFL's title decider.

But 2 rivals successful the NFC Conference anticipation to situation the 49ers having picked up imaginable superstars successful the draft.

This play the large crippled returns to 'the Big Easy' and the roadworthy to Super Bowl 59 successful New Orleans starts successful Kansas City connected Thursday (01:20 BST Friday), with a repetition of past season's AFC Championship crippled betwixt the Chiefs and Ravens.

At the commencement of past season, immoderate inactive questioned whether the Chiefs were a dynasty arsenic they were yet to triumph back-to-back titles.

They enactment an extremity to that statement by winning connected the roadworthy during the play-offs earlier coming from down to beat the 49ers successful Las Vegas.

They person reached 4 of the past 5 Super Bowls, winning three. Most importantly, past play they became the archetypal squad to triumph consecutive titles since the New England Patriots successful the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Now the Chiefs and backmost Mahomes tin spell 1 amended with a Super Bowl 'three-peat', thing nary different NFL squad has managed - not adjacent the Patriots with Tom Brady.

In the NFL's 104-year history, the Green Bay Packers won 3 consecutive titles from 1929-31 and 1965-67, but lone the past 2 of those titles were successful the Super Bowl era.

That makes them 1 of 8 teams to triumph back-to-back Super Bowls, with 3 making it arsenic acold arsenic the Conference Championship crippled the pursuing play - the Pittsburgh Steelers (1976), the 49ers (1990) and the Dallas Cowboys (1996).

"I mean, there's a crushed wherefore no-one's ever done it," said Brady, who makes his NFL broadcasting debut arsenic Cleveland big Dallas connected Sunday.

"I'm not saying it can't beryllium done. It surely can. And the Chiefs person a large accidental to bash it. They've got a batch of large pieces successful place."

After luring Rodgers from Green Bay connected a two-year woody past year, it was thought to beryllium Super Bowl oregon bust for the Jets.

Well, past play was precise overmuch a bust arsenic Rodgers tore his Achilles minutes into his debut. In 1 fell swoop, the Jets' Super Bowl model was slashed successful half. There is nary warrant that Rodgers, 40, volition play adjacent year.

The Jets already had a coagulated defence but person bolstered their violative enactment to springiness Rodgers greater extortion arsenic they purpose to halt the NFL's longest progressive play-off drought. It stretches backmost to the 2010 season, erstwhile Rodgers claimed his solitary Super Bowl triumph with Green Bay.

Should the Jets extremity that grim run, they volition look a full caller situation to spell each the mode arsenic the AFC Conference is stacked with imaginable Super Bowl contenders.

The Cincinnati Bengals are the past squad to person stopped the Chiefs reaching the Super Bowl, earlier they lost to the Los Angeles Rams successful 2022, and they person backmost Joe Burrow backmost from injury.

CJ Stroud aims to travel up a good rookie season, erstwhile helium led the Houston Texans into the play-offs, portion Cleveland and Baltimore person 2 of the NFL's champion defences.

The Ravens besides led the NFL for rushing yards past play and person signed devastating moving backmost Derrick Henry to signifier what could beryllium a frightening tandem with dual-threat backmost Lamar Jackson.

San Francisco person been knocking connected the door. Over the past 5 seasons they person reached the NFC Championship crippled 4 times, booking a Super Bowl spot twice.

Yet the 49ers are inactive waiting for their archetypal NFL rubric since 1994, truthful is their Super Bowl model closing?

Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams person resolved their declaration issues truthful astir of their star-studded roster remains, but they could present beryllium drinking successful the past accidental saloon.

The 49ers were fixed a scare successful past season's play-offs by some the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who should some amended aft exceeding expectations past term.

The Philadelphia Eagles reached the Super Bowl successful 2023 and looked connected people for a rematch with the Chiefs earlier suffering a late-season slump.

They person brought successful moving backmost Saquon Barkley from the New York Giants, their divisional rivals, arsenic they purpose to regroup.

The Chicago Bears famously passed connected Mahomes during the NFL draught successful 2017, and traded distant the archetypal prime successful 2023 to springiness Justin Fields different twelvemonth astatine quarterback.

After different underwhelming season, and with this year's draught being loaded with breathtaking quarterbacks, determination was no mode the Bears were going to miss retired connected Caleb Williams.

A generational endowment connected the tract with a superstar persona disconnected it, helium could go the franchise backmost Chicago person ne'er had.

The Bears besides had the ninth prime and added receiver Rome Odunze to springiness their fans anticipation of a swift turnaround, arsenic the Bengals, Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars person managed successful caller years.

The Washington Commanders besides expect a alteration successful fortunes having drafted Jayden Daniels arsenic a grounds six quarterbacks were taken successful the archetypal 12 picks.

Look retired for Drake Maye with the New England Patriots, though the Minnesota Vikings person mislaid JJ McCarthy to injury.

The NFL's bid to turn the crippled internationally continues this season.

Schedule makers person besides worked their magic to make mouth-watering match-ups for primetime TV, opening with the play opener.

The opening play continues with the archetypal regular-season crippled to beryllium played successful Brazil arsenic the Eagles look the Packers successful Sao Paulo connected Friday (01:15 BST Saturday), portion the archetypal Monday nighttime crippled (01:15 BST Tuesday) sees the Jets sojourn the 49ers - the squad Rodgers supported arsenic a lad and who overlooked him erstwhile they had the archetypal prime successful the 2005 draft.

There's a Super Bowl rematch successful October, a Thanksgiving triple-header, different Black Friday game, positive 2 games connected Christmas Day.

The Brazil task is 1 of 5 planetary games this season, with the NFL returning to Munich successful November portion determination volition again beryllium 3 games successful London successful October.

There volition beryllium a lucifer played successful Spain successful 2025 portion Australia and Ireland are among the markets being considered for aboriginal planetary games.

Like past year, the Jacksonville Jaguars are playing astatine some Wembley and Tottenham, truthful erstwhile Wales rugby prima Louis Rees-Zammit could marque a mid-season instrumentality to the UK.

Rees-Zammit spent the summertime with the Chiefs earlier joining the Jags' signifier squad and tin beryllium promoted to the progressive roster up to 3 times during the season.

The aforesaid goes for the different 4 athletes who besides came done this year's planetary subordinate pathway and are present with NFL teams - Travis Clayton (Buffalo Bills), Bayron Matos (Miami Dolphins), Praise Olatoke (Carolina Panthers) and Charlie Smyth (New Orleans Saints).