The 2018 NFL Season will kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 6 when the Atlanta Falcons take on the defending Super Bowl Champion, the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The 2018 offseason was one of the most unpredictable offseasons in history, with many notable players being cut (such as former Cowboys WR, Dez Bryant) and other stars finding homes with  new teams (such as WRs Jarvis Landry, Brandin Cooks and Jordy Nelson). On top of that, Todd Gurley, Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Rodgers all received monstrous contracts on their respective teams, locking them in place for five+ years.

Following the conclusion of the NFL Draft back in April, the five rookie QBs have been slowly working their way into more preseason minutes, hoping to land a starting spot in September.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see if [rookie QB] Baker Mayfield can mesh into the Cleveland Browns’ offense with newly acquired WR, Jarvis Landry,” junior Anthony Kukla said. “Baker showed immaturity in college and I want to see if he can fight through the pressure of being on the big stage.”

After the Browns went winless last season, they will look for their first win in two years week one at home against their nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There is also much excitement around the Steelers, after they fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in last year’s AFC Divisional Round.

“This may be the year the Killer B’s, [Ben, Bell and Brown], are all together,” junior Steelers fan Andrew McCloud said. “The chemistry between Ben and Brown is going to be a huge part of the Steelers season if they want to win games.”

Meanwhile in the NFC East division, the Dallas Cowboys had a down year last year, but junior Cowboys fan Sigurd Schmidt said that he believes that Dallas fans have reason to be excited for the 2018 season.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the Cowboys’ defense holds up against other good teams,” Schmidt said. “I’m also excited to see how we play with [RB] Ezekiel Elliott for the whole season, after he was suspended for six games last year.”  

Schmidt said how he is also looking forward to seeing how the Cowboys adjust to losing their superstar [TE], Jason Witten, after he announced his retirement from the NFL after 15 years.

“He was a great player,” Schmidt said. “But now that he’s gone, one of our rookies can step in and make plays at that position.”

Coaches, players and fans have been preparing for this season since the Eagles beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, reigning as champions for the first time ever. There is reason to be excited about every single team in the NFL this year, and it all starts with the Week one matchups.