Who could stop the Chiefs from winning their third game in a row? Can the Jets and Bears live up to expectations?

For the first time in nearly two decades, an NFL team has a chance to accomplish something never done before: win three Super Bowls in a row.

The Chiefs will try to do what eight previous contenders in league history – most recently the 2005 Patriots – have failed to do, and they have most of their horses back. With Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and a defense that is arguably in the top 10, Kansas City’s chances are pretty good.

But 31 other teams stand in the Chiefs’ way, including a crowded AFC that includes two supposed contenders who have their respective quarterbacks back from injuries: the Bengals (Joe Burrow) and the Jets (Aaron Rodgers). On the NFC side of the coin are the 49ers, hungry for their first Lombardi Trophy in three decades after a few close losses, and they have enough serious contenders in there, including the powerhouse Lions, the still-dangerous Eagles and Cowboys, and up-and-coming teams like the Packers and Bears.

This season, the NFL is teeming with exciting storylines, just the way we like them.

Can Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or CJ Stroud beat the Chiefs — or can Jim Harbaugh and the suddenly significant Chargers seriously challenge them? Can the Lions, Texans, Bengals or Bills go from serious contenders to first-time Super Bowl winners? And how will this much-touted rookie QB class — with three starters in Week 1 and a fourth (Drake Maye) waiting in the wings — fare in Year 1? I can’t wait to find out.

I reshuffled my preseason rankings due to some developments in August, though I’m prepared for that to backfire considering I dropped the Rams and upgraded the Steelers just before last season. I tried not to let the preseason pixie dust sway me as much this time around, but I’m willing to take a beating either way.

Stay with us all season long for the weekly Franchise Stock Watch, and be sure to check out the Power Rankings Podcast every week, where NFL Network’s Mike Yam and I analyze the ups and downs of the 2024 NFL season leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Let the time passPeople. Football is back.