Myles Garrett, Patrick Mahomes and Jesse Minter: The NFL's biggest storylines on road to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles
The 2026 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots, live on Sky Sports from 1.20am in the early hours of Thursday; Super Bowl 61 takes place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday February 14
Tuesday 8 September 2026 06:24, UK
From a Los Angeles Rams super-team to the return of Patrick Mahomes, we guide you through some of the biggest storylines heading into the 2026 NFL season on the road to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles.
The new campaign begins on Wednesday night when the defending champion Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.20am in the early hours of Thursday.
Super Bowl or bust for the Rams?
The phrase 'all in' can be over-exhausted at times in the NFL, but rarely has it been as glaringly-fitting than in the case of the 2026 Los Angeles Rams. They made the biggest move of the offseason by acquiring reigning Defensive Player of the Year and generational pass rusher Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns, traded for Kansas City Chiefs star cornerback Trent McDuffie, reunited him with free agent corner Jaylen Watson and welcomed back Aaron Donald as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year came out of retirement to forge one of the most frightening defensive tandems in NFL history alongside Garrett.
Stop them and there is already an existing core of Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and chess piece safety Quentin Lake for which to account.
They enter the season led by reigning MVP Matthew Stafford at quarterback, have one of the league's most talented wide receivers in Puka Nacua, boast an upper-tier rushing attack of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum and just produced the NFL's most potent offense on the way to the NFC Championship Game last year, where they fell short against the champion Seattle Seahawks in a game more Super Bowl-esque than the Super Bowl itself. They are favourites for a reason.
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A new era in Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens are desperate to cash in on the prime of their generational quarterback, and so moved on from head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons this year in view of a fresh look to their Super Bowl charge. They would turn to former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle as the men to help Lamar Jackson lead the Ravens over the line following a playoff-less campaign on the back of three Divisional Round exits and an AFC Championship Game defeat in six seasons.
Between Jackson, Derrick Henry and Doyle's offensive scheme, the Ravens have the potential to be one of the league's most destructive play-action run-heavy attacks. Questions remain of a receiving core spearheaded by Zay Flowers, but there are high expectations for third-round rookie Ja'Kobi Lane.
A slow start and marquee injuries, namely to Jackson himself, cost Baltimore in 2025, so too one of the worst pass defenses in football. Minter had been instrumental in transforming the Chargers' defense during his time alongside Harbaugh, and arrives armed with the personnel to orchestrate one of the league's best units behind all-action safety Kyle Hamilton, a returning Nnamdi Madubuike and offseason addition Trey Hendrickson.
Can McDaniel unleash Herbert?
Despite his demise in Miami, former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel remains one of football's most prized offensive architects as he takes his expertise over to California. There he has been tasked with unlocking the best of Justin Herbert as the new offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, whose franchise quarterback is yet to shake the monkey of a first career playoff win off his back. For all the blockbuster arm talent, Herbert's chief criticism remains his modest postseason record, but McDaniel and his whacky wizardry is in town to change that.
It remains a team somewhat built on 'ifs' as far as their AFC West challenge is concerned. 'If' star offensive tackle tandem Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater can rediscover their best after combining for just six games due to injury last season, 'if' running back Omarion Hampton can be a difference-maker, 'if' Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston is enough firepower for Herbert on the outside, 'if' first-round pick Akheem Mesidor can make an immediate impact to a slightly understaffed pass rush, 'if' Tuli Tuipulotu, Derwin James and a 35-year-old Khalil Mack can preserve Minter's influence with last season's top-10 defense.
Herbert is a freak, but he is not immune to queries, and this is his best chance yet to firmly nestle himself among the AFC's perennial contenders.
The post-Patullo Eagles
It was a strange 2025 season in Philly, where the Eagles clinched the NFC East division title amid a storm of locker room tension and frequent offensive sputters during the defence of their Super Bowl title. It would culminate in a wild-card round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers and the eventual departure of wantaway wide receiver AJ Brown, who appeared to drift from quarterback Jalen Hurts while being critical of Kevin Patullo's play-calling within an attack that slumped to 24th in total yards.
Patullo was fired as offensive coordinator this offseason and replaced by former Green Bay Packers quarterback coach Sean Mannion, who will turn to DeVonta Smith as his No 1 passing threat along with a new supporting cast of Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks and rookie Makai Lemon in the Eagles' bid to adapt to life without Brown.
Legendary coach Jeff Stoutland retired this offseason, but leaves what remains one of the league's most accomplished offensive lines. Behind it sits Saquon Barkley, whose cut exploits should thrive in Mannion's outside zone plant-and-go scheme as he responds to a perceived 'down' year. On the opposite side of the ball Vic Fangio still pulls the strings to one of the most talent-rich personnel groups among NFL defenses, for which there appears zero concerns. All eyes turn to the Hurts and Mannion marriage.
Which Mahomes do we get back?
The Kansas City Chiefs missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014 last season on the back of reaching seven straight AFC Championship games and five Super Bowls in six campaigns, three of which they won. It was also the first time since 2015 that they failed to win the AFC West, slumping to third with a record of 6-11 as offensive frailties finally caught up with them. To make matters worse quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL and LCL in December, for which he underwent immediate surgery. He is back - but how back? And are THEY back?
Andy Reid's dynasty men had found themselves in a rare place on the periphery, Mahomes enduring his worst statistical campaign and a once high-powered attack finally fizzling out into nothingness having long-been rescued by Steve Spagnuolo's defense. You would be hard pushed arguing Mahomes is not still the NFL's best quarterback, and hard pushed believing he will not wrestle back his command of the league at some stage, but the Chiefs await to see just how quickly he can get back to being the same dynamic out-of-structure menace in the wake of his recovery.
Travis Kelce is not the same defining wrinkle to Reid's playbook at the age of 36, while Rashee Rice faces a 'prove it' year as Mahomes' lead receiver after playing just eight games in 2025. The Chiefs did, though, seek to ease their quarterback's return by signing Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III as a new dimension to an uninspiring backfield, while replacing Matt Nagy with returning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, a popular figure in their past Super Bowl success. A Mahomes, Reid and Spagnuolo trio might, meanwhile, still be the best in football.
Sean Payton's Championship-contender Denver Broncos will not give up the AFC West easily, though.
Cincinnati's 'this-is-it' year
Joe Burrow insists he is tired of waiting, tired of kicking Cincinnati's Super Bowl can down the road, tired of saying 'next time'; for him, this is it, the chance to get back to the 'Big Dance', the chance to win it all. Rarely do you doubt his confidence, rarely do you not believe in his ability to lift a Lombardi, but between injuries, including to Burrow himself, and roster imbalance the Bengals have never quite worked it out since falling at the final hurdle against the Rams at Super Bowl LVI.
They have now missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, an astonishing mini-drought considering that, behind Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can be one of the most explosive aerial attacks in football.
An apparent move towards more play-action and under-center looks is a fascinating and long-coveted wrinkle to a Bengals offense criticised for becoming stale at times under Zac Taylor. In truth, though, it has never really been deficiencies on offense to prompt their struggles, but instead their consistent issues on defense. They just traded a first-round pick for Dexter Lawrence and acquired edge rusher Boye Mafe - but is it enough?
Super Bowl slump or surge?
'Run it forward' was the term used by Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald this offseason as Seattle prepare to defend their Super Bowl crown following February's dominant win over the New England Patriots. And there is no reason they cannot map out a route back to February's finale.
Kenneth Walker's exit raises some fresh uncertainty in the backfield, but this is still a complete roster brimming with playmakers and overseen by perhaps the top defensive mastermind in the league currently. Sam Darnold is coming off a season in which he performed like a top-10 quarterback to shun critics for good, feeding Jaxon Smith-Njigba on his way to a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards.
Macdonald and Aden Durde's defense, meanwhile, ranked first in EPA per drive and first in points allowed with little evidence of a decline threat. Besides Walker and the addition of rookie running back Jadarian Price, the one sizeable change comes on the sidelines as Brian Fleury takes over play-calling duties for the first time following offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's departure to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Nonetheless, another Super Bowl run is on the cards.
It feels like a different story in New England, where you cannot help but brace for the possibility of regression for a Patriots team that flew ahead of schedule by reaching the Super Bowl. It would end in a humbling defeat to a far greater Seahawks team, but that should not deter from Drake Maye announcing himself as a long-term solution to the Patriots' quarterback problems. He reaped the rewards of daring to be the most aggressive passer in football, and the Patriots provided him with much-needed perimeter depth this offseason by welcoming AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs.
TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson are capable of joining the best rushing attacks in the league, Christian Gonzalez is an elite cornerstone on a defense that ranked eighth in yards and fourth in points, but there are still concerns in the trenches over a lack of star quality to their pass rush and an offensive line that allowed 47 sacks last year.
Is this finally Allen's time?
Nothing underlines the Mahomes and Reid effect quite like the sight of the Buffalo Bills firing Sean McDermott, the Baltimore Ravens parting with Harbaugh and Burrow's call for urgency to the Cincinnati Bengals' Super Bowl push. Granted, Mahomes and Reid did not dump any of them out last season, but it is for Kansas City's dynasty dominance that the agony of all three has been prolonged, particularly in the case of Josh Allen and the Bills.
Much like Jackson in Baltimore, the Bills have a responsibility to maximise the best of their alien quarterback, behind whom they have been banging on the Super Bowl door. They are nursing the wounds of fresh playoff disappointment after suffering an overtime loss to the Broncos to mark their fourth divisional-round defeat in the last five years, as much prompting the end of McDermott's reign. Joe Brady was subsequently promoted to head coach while Jim Leonhard was hired as Buffalo's new defensive coordinator in the organisation's bid to get over the line.
For as long as Allen is healthy and on the field, the Bills will remain Super Bowl contenders. There is a strong case for him being the league's most defining 'X factor' such has become his ability to strap an entire team to his back while combining for the most total touchdowns by any quarterback since entering the league in 2018. It is for him, with the help of last season's league rushing leader James Cook, that the Bills rarely stray from a place at the top of offensive rankings.
This year's marquee addition is wide receiver DJ Moore, while the major interest lies with a new-look defense that introduces Bradley Chubb and CJ Gardner-Johnson following something of an exodus including Joey Bosa, AJ Epenesa, Matt Milano and Tre'Davious White.
Coen and Johnson - the sequel
Liam Coen and Ben Johnson both issued a warning of new contenders to the rest of the league during impressive maiden seasons as the respective head coaches of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears, each punching a ticket to the playoffs and each finding joy with their No 1-pick quarterbacks. Will they take the next step?
Trevor Lawrence delivered the most clinical, most commanding year of his Jags career by a distance as he threw for 4,007 yards and 29 touchdowns to 12 interceptions while also rushing for nine scores on the way to the wild-card round, where Coen's side were eventually stopped by the Buffalo Bills. It featured an eight-game winning streak to finish the campaign as the Jags' offense took flight alongside an Anthony Campanile that ranked fifth in EPA/play. Questions come in a backfield that just lost its chief rushing threat in Travis Etienne, making for a new-look committee attack led by Bhayshul Tuten.
Elsewhere, Johnson lived up to his billing as one of the most exciting modern offensive minds in football as he won 11 games in his first year while taking the Bears to the divisional-round of the playoffs. He conjured one of the most dynamic rushing schemes in the league and proved the perfect coach to put Caleb Williams in positions to succeed, cutting down on the negative plays and embracing his proclivity for the spectacular. Sure, accuracy inconsistencies are still under the microscope, but the makings of a formidable coach-quarterback tandem are there. Chicago's bigger concern is perhaps its shortage of pass rush threats.
Will the Cowboys and Texans make elite units count?
Only the Los Angeles Rams flaunted a more potent offense than the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 as a triple-threat of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens through the air was complemented by long-awaited rushing success thanks largely to Javonte Williams.
The stunning decision to trade away Micah Parsons was, meanwhile, followed by the Cowboys' defense ranking third-worst in yards allowed, worst against the pass, and worst in points allowed. It became a point of focus this offseason as the Cowboys hired Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator, traded for former Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary and spent the 11th overall pick on safety Caleb Downs. Even a middle-of-the-road defense would be enough to put this team in contention, with Dak an outside MVP candidate and the Lamb-Pickens receiver axis as frightening as perhaps any in football.
It was a contrasting tale in Houston as DeMeco Ryans' Texans defense tormented the league while ranking No 1 in yards allowed, second in scoring and second in EPA/play. Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter were unplayable up front, while Derek Stingley cemented his status as a premium lock-down corner at the core of a dogged, hard-nosed, suffocating unit that would led their side's route to the divisional round of the playoffs.
The attention turns to CJ Stroud amid contract negotiations with the quarterback, who threw four interceptions in the postseason loss to New England having not quite built on his emphatic rookie campaign as many had anticipated. The offensive line had been a contributing factor as one of Houston's glaring weaknesses, general manager Nick Caserio seeking to strengthen protection for Stroud by adding Wyatt Teller, Braden Smith and first-round rookie Keylan Rutledge. He also traded for running back David Montgomery as added juice to an attack ranked 18th in yards, and 22nd in rushing last season.
Murray in Minnesota
In another life Kyler Murray would/might/should be one of the most talked about epitomes of footballing escapism such is the talent of a quarterback joystick with the arm and wheels to wreak havoc. It has been nothing short of a slog and a disappointing chapter of irrelevance since the marquee contract featuring his widely-ridiculed homework clause in Arizona, but he enters the 2026 season as perhaps the most high-profile resurrection candidate.
Murray turned the page on his career this offseason as he signed with the Minnesota Vikings, teaming up with a head coach in Kevin O'Connell famed for his quarterback-whispering qualities, evidenced through Sam Darnold's career rebound.
Murray has swiftly ousted JJ McCarthy as the starting quarterback and will now take the reins on an offense led by the league's best receiver in Justin Jefferson, accompanied by a talented cast of Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings and TJ Hockenson.
Murray is among the most intriguing case studies as he seeks to revive his career within the most gifted cohort of weapons and coaches he has experienced since being selected as the No 1 pick in 2019. That includes an 'X factor' of a defensive coordinator in Brian Flores who continues to roll out one of football's most inventive, full throttle, blitz-heavy units.
Watch the 2026 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every London game, Thanksgiving and every minute of the playoffs on the road to Super Bowl 61 in Los Angeles.
