Though the beginning of the college football season has been electric, it still feels as if something is missing. This Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens to kick off the NFL season and fill that void. The Ravens, after adding Derrick Henry in the offseason, hope to finally have enough to get two-time and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson to his first Super Bowl. The Chiefs, on the other hand, look for a strong start to their season as they hope to become the first team ever to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. The only team to three-peat in any era were the Green Bay Packers, who won the NFL Championship from 1965-67and the Superbowl in 1967 and 1968.  

On Friday, the Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo for the NFL’s first ever Brazil game. Jordan Love and the young, exciting Packers look to extend their momentum from last season into the new one. The Eagles hope to do just the opposite, having lost six of their final seven games last year, including a humiliating first-round defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

On Monday night, Aaron Rodgers hopes to return triumphantly from a torn Achilles tendon as the New York Jets take on the San Francisco 49ers, a team that came within a fourth-down stop of winning the Super Bowl just seven months ago.  

Predictions: 

NFL MVP: Joe Burrow 

 This award should be known as the “Best Quarterback in the League award” since that is effectively what it has become — the last non-QB to win it was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Lamar Jackson won it last year and already has two awards to his name without a single ring. For him to overcome voter fatigue and win the award again would require his best season ever, which I am not counting on. Patrick Mahomes is always a good pick, but he has also won the award twice and the last two Super Bowl MVP awards. At times, it feels like the Chiefs are somewhat coasting through the regular season as they gear up for another lengthy playoff run. CJ Stroud also deserves a shoutout because, even though he is just a second-year player, the Texans ended last season as one of the most exciting young teams and then went out and added new weapons for Stroud like Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs in the offseason. While the Texans should be must-watch TV this year, Stroud is still only a sophomore, and his winning MVP feels like a bold pick. That’s why I’m going with Burrow. Fresh off an injury, Joe Burrow looks to make the Bengals relevant playoff contenders again. The last time Burrow had a major injury, he came back the following year and led the Cincinnati Bengals to their only Super Bowl appearance of the century. Perhaps his comeback this year will be similar, although it does seem the Bengals need to sort out Ja’Marr Chase’s contract situation first.  

Rookie of the Year: Caleb Williams 

Next question. If you were watching the Cotton Bowl, you know what this guy can do. He is for real. Marvin Harrison Jr. should also be exceptional, but he is very reliant on Kyler Murray’s health and production, both of which have been inconsistent the past few seasons.  

Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons 

This one is always hard to gauge. A guy could just come out of nowhere and take the cake, completely throwing off logical predictions. That being said, it feels like it is Micah Parsons’ turn. He’s finished top three in voting each of the past three seasons. He is on the Dallas Cowboys, which, let’s be honest, does not hurt his chances. And he really is that good, shifting the momentum of entire games with a huge tackle and anchoring the Cowboy’s elite defense — apart from that last playoff game against Green Bay. 

Super Bowl Winner (and loser): Cincinnati Bengals defeat Green Bay Packers (24-13) 

Wouldn’t that be awesome? Patrick Mahomes is one of the top three Quarterbacks of all time, and the Chiefs are loaded. But winning three Super Bowls back-to-back-to-back has never been done, and I am not counting on it finally happening this year. Lamar Jackson hasn’t really looked like himself in major playoff moments, and I am therefore not sold on the Ravens. Buffalo will find a way to lose a close, heartbreaking game to the Chiefs like they always do, and the Jets are exciting but not serious contenders. So, who’s left? The Miami Dolphins, but not if they have to play somewhere cold. Then there are the Bengals, poised for a huge bounce-back season with Joe Burrow coming back and the Chiefs exhausted from two straight Super Bowl runs. Also, Burrow is the only quarterback ever to beat Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game besides Tom Brady, who did it twice. If anyone can beat KC, it has to be the Bengals. 

As for the NFC, the Detroit Lions are still recovering from the end of last season, the Cowboys have become the NFL’s version of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Eagles have the potential but their performance in the back half of last season makes me want to stay away from them. The San Francisco 49ers, though likely the most talented team in the conference, have a lot of different personalities on their roster and have a huge hill to climb if they want to go back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year — something no NFC team has done since the Legion of Boom era Seahawks in 2014. That leaves us with the Packers as the last real contender in the conference, and if anyone can beat San Francisco, it’s them. I believe Jordan Love and the Packers are due for serious relevance. One of the NFL’s most legendary franchises seems to be reenergized, and with an easy division — besides the Lions — they are my pick to win the wide-open NFC this year.