5 NFL storylines to watch in the 2020 season
The 2019 NFL season and following postseason left a few unanswered questions. We look at 5 pressing storylines for the 2020 season.
5. Are the 49ers going to have staying power?
It’s hard in the NFL to stick around at the top for long. The San Francisco 49ers came out of nowhere in 2019 and were within a few minutes of a title. Can they get back and win it with Jimmy Garoppolo under center?
History says it’s hard to win for long periods of time without an elite quarterback, but San Francisco is looking to buck that trend.
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4. Can the Ravens win in January?
Barring injury, it’s a foregone conclusion the Baltimore Ravens will be in the playoffs. Once they get there, can they finally win a game? Baltimore hasn’t won in the postseason since doing so in 2014 when Joe Flacco, Terrell Suggs and Steve Smith Sr. were headlining the roster. Under the guidance of Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have been brilliant until the playoffs, where they are 0-2.
Nobody cares about what Baltimore does in the regular season. It’s all about January and beyond.
3. What does Tom Brady do in Tampa Bay?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have mostly been an afterthought since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1976. However, they are anything but in 2020, after signing Tom Brady to a two-year deal this offseason. Brady is joined by fellow former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski in Tampa, as the duo hopes to power the Bucs to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history.
At 43 years old, is Brady washed up, or getting warmed up for a wonderful second act?
2. Is this a magical ending for Drew Brees?
At 41 years old, there’s reason to believe Brees is winding down what will certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Fame career. The veteran has done it all, and ultimately has sewn up most meaningful volume passing yards in NFL history, including touchdowns and yardage.
Read: Cam Newton Wants To Defy Narrative in New England
Now, he and the New Orleans Saints are loaded up for one final push to win his second Super Bowl before Brees becomes a broadcaster and rides into the proverbial sunset. After years of brutal playoff defeats, he has one more chance to get it right.
1. Can the Chiefs repeat?
At this point you’ve heard that the last team to successfully win consecutive Super Bowls is the 2004 New England Patriots. When that happened, Patrick Mahomes was nine years old. Now, Mahomes is trying to lead his Kansas City Chiefs to the feat, and there’s a real chance it happens.
Kansas City is the universal favorite to do so, both among pundits and sports books. If Mahomes stays healthy, the Chiefs appear a lock to win the AFC West and then be the team to beat come January and February.
