After anything but a boring offseason, the NFL’s 102nd year is set to kick off this Thursday with the defending champion Buccaneers’ hosting the Cowboys. Since last season ended, there have been a slew of moves by teams across the league to try to get an edge with plenty of drama mixed in as well. That being said, here are the top 20 story lines going into the 2021 NFL season.
Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports (Brady); Bob Self/Florida Times-Union/USA TODAY Network (Lawrence); Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/USA TODAY Network (Rodgers)
1. Second year with COVID-19 in the NFL
The NFL’s first year in a COVID-19 world saw the season end on schedule, but not without some speed bumps in the form of multiple rescheduled games.