As the 2023-24 season unfolded, it became evident that the NFL was potentially entering a new era of football: Tom Brady finally retired, unexpected moments, broken records, the rise of Taylor Swift. This season was one for the books as it captivated fans across the league and continued to expand as America’s number one sport.
One of the most electric players is Lamar Jackson, who signed a 5-year $260 million contract over the off-season and led the Baltimore Ravens to the best record in the AFC, 13-4. The performance he put on led him to become the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the second time in his young career. Powered by his MVP campaign, the Ravens were the ultimate favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII, even above teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills who were also favorites.
One die-hard Ravens fan Ben Claps was filled with utter excitement before the playoffs began.
“I have a great feeling it is going to be our year,” Chaps said. “Our defense is playing lights out every game, Lamar throwing dimes, and rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers stepping up big time. The one team I do fear the most is Kansas City since you can never doubt Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.”
Claps was spot on about that.
Mahomes and the Chiefs were defending Super Bowl champions coming into the new season, looking to defend their title. They started the season hot at 6-1, and were poised to make a great postseason push. Especially with famous singer Taylor Swift appearing at games to support her now boyfriend, Travis Kelce, the All-Pro tight end. It was the biggest story in the NFL with cameras trying to show her every reaction to NFL fans. Some NFL fans were irritated at how many times she was shown during the games. No matter how many fans were annoyed, the NFL repeatedly showed Swift and even brought her fans into the NFL experience. The Chiefs ended the season uncharacteristically with a 11-6 record, going 5-5 in the final ten games. This was due to inconsistencies in the offense, wide receivers not catching the ball, and possibly Swift as a distraction. Thankfully, they were able to turn it around just in time for the playoffs.
A fan who goes by the name “Mrs. Nesbitt” had opinions about the Swift controversy.
“The NFL is about business. If they are going to show off things or people that bring them money, they will continue doing it and it is really smart. For my own views, it does get annoying when I am watching the Chiefs game when she is irrelevant to the game. She does not even ask for it either; she just wants to cheer on her boyfriend.”
Nesbitt is right about the NFL doing it for clicks and views. Swift’s fans, referred to as “Swifties,” got into watching football because of her. It expands the audience more to women than ever before. According to the Sporting News: “The revenue added by the singer came out to be an estimated $331.5 million between print, digital, radio, TV, highlights, and social media.” The impact she had on the league was clearly visible and possibly seen as the biggest story to define the 2023-24 season. The impact she brought to the league was undeniable and no wonder the NFL kept showing her.
The final four teams — the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens — met in the NFC and AFC championship games, all hoping to reach the Super Bowl. The Lions have never made it to the big game, the Chiefs wanted to repeat, and the Niners and Ravens were looking to prove the doubters wrong. Unfortunately for the Lions and Ravens they were unable to make it. The Lions blew a 24-7 lead due to questionable calls from Head Coach Dan Campbell, and the Ravens shot themselves in the foot even though they did not allow a single point to the Chiefs in the second half. This set up a rematch from the year 2020 with the Niners and Chiefs battling it out .
The Super Bowl was in Las Vegas and both teams were ready to play. The Niners were looking to get the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl win and the Chiefs were looking to repeat — the first time since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004. The first half was a defensive battle with both teams unable to score but things picked up in the second half. The game went to overtime, 19-19, for the second time in NFL history. The first time was in 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots. Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field to win the game, 25-22, on a pass to Mecole Hardman. Mahomes won his third Super Bowl ring.
This NFL season was indeed a crazy one. Lots of ups and downs, disappointments, new stars — anything can happen in the NFL. As Claps said, you cannot count out the Chiefs and Mahomes as they are the new dynasty of the league. This means that there will not be football for six months and die-hard fans’ mental health can heal in the meantime. Now the next thing to look forward to is the NFL draft. Who do you think will go first? Will the Chicago Bears, the team with the first pick, trade it or use it? Where will draft prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. go? Will Travis and Taylor get engaged? Can the Chiefs repeat? Only time will tell. Tune in for the draft in April to see which new potential stars could be drafted next.
