4B TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 THE NEWS LEADER Find the best brightest talent to help your company shine! Post your job listing today! Scan here postjob.newsleader.com With the Staunton News recruitment platform, your job listing is guaranteed to be viewed by our audience of qualified candidates. With the 2024 NFL draft complete, one of the few remaining points of spec- ulation before the summer break is the schedule release. No date has been set for the full slate of regular-season games to be rolled out, though the second week in May has been the landing spot for at least the last few years. But fans even have to wait that long until learning the matchup for the open- er. The Kansas City Chiefs are set to kick their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl as the ex- pected host of the opener.
But which of the eight opponents set to travel to Ar- rowhead Stadium next season are best suited for the spotlight of taking on Pat- rick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in Week Here are the eight possible matchups for the Chiefs in the opener, ranked from least appealing to most appealing: 8. Denver Broncos: Kansas 16-game win streak over its AFC West ri- val is over, but the gulf between the two franchises might be greater than ever. Outside of Patrick Surtain II, Denver is hurting for top-tier talent, and rolling rookie quarterback Bo Nix out for his NFL start at Arrowhead against Steve relentless blitzes could prove disastrous. Even with the familiarity factor, this is the matchup with the greatest poten- tial to get out of hand early, as the Bron- cos count on the Chiefs performance that helped key last upset. 7.
Las Vegas Raiders: Last stunning loss to Las Vegas on Christmas served as the nadir of the season and perhaps the turning point in the Super Bowl trajectory. Still, for as healthy as the revenge element is, a quarterback matchup of Mahomes vs. Gardner Minshew or Aidan is a non-starter for this stage. 6. New Orleans Saints: No need to spend much time contemplating this possibility, as little chance this perpetually middle-of-the-pack team gets the nod.
The opener is a chance to highlight an exciting rematch or shifting dynamics. Neither factor is at play here, with the two franchises only having met three times since 2012 and New Orleans re- sisting any changes to a ros- ter that cracked the postseason in the last three years. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Tom Brady long gone, this Super Bowl 55 rematch carries little intrigue. Not a bad pure football matchup, es- pecially with the three-time defending NFC South champions bringing back their core after re-signing Baker May- and Mike Evans this But not much of a selling point from a national perspective.
4. Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Har- baugh wrapped up last season in college football by sealing national title and perfect season. Could he kick a new campaign in the NFL with his long-awaited return? Surely, many will want to tune in early to see how the former San Francis- co 49ers coach fares in his profes- sional action in almost 10 years. What better litmus test than the two-time de- fending champions? Therein lies the problem, however. While Justin Herbert gives this match- up at least a little sizzle, hard to envi- sion how a run-focused roster taken numerous hits throughout the season could actually hold up, especial- ly if the Bolts fall in a hole early.
3. Houston Texans: Now en- tered the territory of the legitimate con- tenders. The Texans would somewhat mirror last selection of the Detroit Lions, as a franchise that been a staple of marquee matchups Houston was one of four franchises without a prime- time game last season becomes capti- vating amid its rapid rise. C.J. Stroud stands out as one of the few massive hits at quarter- back in recent years, and perhaps the lone under-25 passer who could be ready to go toe-to-toe with Mahomes.
Stefon debut with Houston, wherever it takes place, also likely will be one of the more compelling Week 1 story lines. But would the NFL open with these two teams after it did so four years ago? roster is completely from the one Kansas City overwhelmed in Andy inaugural title defense, but maybe the league looks elsewhere while still a promising slot for this tilt later on. 2. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Bur- season-ending wrist injury drained all the entertainment value out of last edition of what has be- come the best rivalry. Pushing this matchup to the front of the line would be a natural response, as a game that could rank as one of the big- gest of the season would spark even greater widespread interest regarding how the star quarterback fares immediately upon his return.
Burrow, who is 3-1 against Kansas City, said on the Kelce podcast last month that the Bengals built to the Chiefs. This upcoming season will help deter- mine not only the veracity of that claim, but also if Cincinnati can resume its place as Kansas primary competi- tion in the AFC. 1. Baltimore Ravens: In so many ways, a rematch of last AFC ti- tle game feels like the right call to kick the 2024 season. Baltimore is no doubt itching for its shot to make up for its many missteps in the contest that brought its previous campaign to a close.
With the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson trying to keep pace with Mahomes and Kelce, the star power would be even a novelty element as two-time rushing champion Derrick Henry joins the top-ranked ground game from 2023. Ranking possible foes for opener Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz USA TODAY Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson passes against the Chiefs on Jan. 28 in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. GEOFF TODAY SPORTS.
