NFL Year in Review: Top 10 storylines of 2024, headlined by Chiefs’ title, Lions’ rise

In some ways, 2024 began and ended in the exact same spot, with Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on top of the football world. They were the road warriors in January as they muscled their way to their second straight Super Bowl championship. And as the clock ticks down on the calendar year, they sure look like good bets to win their third.

But while the Chiefs hovered over the league all year long, they didn’t always dominate the headlines across the country. The last 12 months were full of surprises (Sam Darnold can still play?), disappointments (everything about the New York Jets), and absolutely shocking developments (Bill Belichick is coaching where?).

Here’s a look at the Top 10 NFL Storylines of the Year:

1. The Chiefs’ dynasty still dominates the NFL

After the New England Patriots wrapped up their long dynasty in 2018, and Tom Brady won one more title for the road while in Tampa two years later, the rest of the NFL figured it finally had a chance to win championships of their own.

Then the Kansas City Chiefs came along.

And while their run of dominance hasn’t quite reached Patriot levels yet, it’s on its way and showed no signs of slowing down in 2024. They reached their sixth straight AFC Championship Game in January and won it for the second straight time (beating Baltimore 17-10). That sent them to their fourth Super Bowl in five years, where they beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in an overtime thriller to make them the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 19 years.

They haven’t looked quite as dominant this fall, but that hardly has mattered much. They’re 14-1, and on the verge of clinching the top seed in the AFC. And as long as quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ ankle is healthy, he and Chiefs coach Andy Reid might be well on their way to becoming the first team in Super Bowl history to three-peat.

2. The Motown Miracle: Dan Campbell turns Lions into a title contender.

When Dan Campbell was hired in Detroit and promised to build a team willing to “bite a kneecap off” to win, few around the NFL thought either the biting or winning would happen — certainly not so soon. And while its unclear if any kneecaps have actually been bitten, the winning sure did arrive in Detroit this year.

Campbell not only took them to their first playoff game in seven years back in January, but he led them to their first NFC Championship Game since 1991. They even led that game 24-7 at the half before falling to the 49ers 34-31.

This season they have looked like a Team of Destiny and arguably the most dangerous team in the NFL. They are 13-2 and battling for the NFC’s top seed. They are one of the favorites to reach their first Super Bowl ever and their first NFL championship game of any kind since they last won it all, 67 years ago.

3. A running back revival: Saquon Barkley gets Philly its money’s worth

After hearing for years about running backs being devalued around the NFL, and how general managers and coaches viewed many of them as replaceable, Saquon Barkley finally got the contract he wanted. He left the New York Giants to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles for three years and $37.75 million (with $26 million guaranteed) in March.

Then he spent the season showing everyone why he was worth every penny. Through 15 games, he has led the NFL with 1,838 rushing yards — already more than 500 past his previous career high. He’s had at least 100 rushing yards in 10 of 15 games and has 2,114 total yards. He’s been the engine of a powerful and revived Eagles offense and is threatening to become the first running back to win the NFL MVP award in 12 years.

It’s too early to tell if he’s proven to anyone that it’s wise to spend money on running backs. But he sure has proven it was wise for the Eagles to spend money on him.

4. Bill Belichick snubbed by the NFL, then goes back to school

There were eight head coaching jobs open in January, representing a full one-quarter of NFL teams. And standing right there in the pool of candidates, for everyone to see, was the man that many consider to be the greatest NFL coach of all time.

Yet only one franchise brought him in for an interview, and the Atlanta Falcons still passed Belichick over for Raheem Morris. The Washington Commanders gave him some thought, but didn’t bring him in for an interview. The other six stayed relatively far away.

Maybe they didn’t like that he’s 72 years old. Maybe they thought his eight Super Bowl rings were just too gaudy. Whatever it was, Belichick was left jobless. And that eventually led him to do what seemed unthinkable one year ago: He went back to college, becoming the new head coach at the University of North Carolina.

So with 333 wins (including playoffs, just 14 shy of Don Shula’s record, Belichick’s NFL days are officially over.

At least for now. 

5. Jim Harbaugh finally has his successful return to the NFL

He had been the NFL’s white whale, of sorts, ever since he left the league in 2015 after a wildly successful four-year run with the San Francisco 49ers. It seemed like he was flirting with a return to the league during every one of his nine years at the University of Michigan. At the very least, he entered every offseason at the top of several NFL wish lists.

It took until this year, though, in the wake of an NCAA championship, for the Los Angeles Chargers to finally hook him and reel him back in. And Harbaugh hasn’t disappointed. He took over one of the most underachieving teams in the league and immediately had them punching above their weight class. They are 9-6 through 15 weeks and a virtual lock to make the playoffs.

And with a tough defense, Justin Herbert at quarterback, and most importantly, Harbaugh calling the shots, the Chargers are one of the teams no one in the AFC wants to face.

6. Lamar Jackson wins second MVP, makes run at a third

The Baltimore Ravens quarterback began 2024 by leading his team to the AFC Championship Game, where they ran up against the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty. But at least that freed him up to accept his second NFL MVP award, which he won in a landslide a few weeks later.

He’s not the favorite to win it again this year — that honor goes to Bills quarterback Josh Allen — but maybe Lamar Jackson should be. He’s actually had an even better season in 2024 than he did in 2023. Through 15 games, he’s thrown for 3,787 yards and 37 touchdown passes, which are both career highs. And he’s only thrown four interceptions all season long. He’s also run for 765 yards.

A few more big games down the stretch and he might be a real threat to become the seventh player in NFL history to win the MVP award three times — quite a feat considering he’s still only 27 years old.

7. Jets’ Aaron Rodgers experiment implodes

The Jets put everything they had into Aaron Rodgers when they acquired him in 2023, only to watch disaster strike when he tore his Achilles just four plays into that season. But 2024 was going to be their long-awaited revenge season. Rodgers was healthy and they were ready to finally end, at the very least, their 13-year postseason drought.

Now, of course, it’s 14 years and counting after a forgettable, dysfunctional season for both the team and the quarterback. Rodgers, with the exception of a few brief flashes, has been a shell of his former self. His 41-year-old body has been beaten down by injuries and he’s looked like an old man hanging on too long. He struggled so much that the Jets fired both their coach and general manager, and surely have to think about firing Rodgers before paying him the $35 million option bonus he’s due in 2025.

Rodgers’ reputation has taken a beating along the way too, with everything from his decision to skip minicamp to his public airing of grievances to his embrace of conspiracy theories. He might want to play next season, but the Jets need a new beginning, not more of his sad end.

8. The Rise of the Rookie QBs (especially in Washington, D.C.)

Quarterbacks were taken 1-2-3 in the NFL Draft back in April. Five went in the top-10 picks and six were taken in the first round overall. At the time, it seemed like a desperate and mad rush for teams trying to find hope at the sport’s most important position.

In hindsight, it looks like most of them were right.

Led by Jayden Daniels (the No. 2 overall pick) who has helped transform the Washington Commanders into an actual playoff contender – which he proved again with a wild, 5-touchdown performance in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 22 — it has been a terrific year (mostly) for the rookie quarterbacks. Drake Maye (No. 3) has finally ushered in a promising post-Tom Brady future in New England. And Bo Nix (something of a surprise pick at No. 12) has turned the surprising Broncos into a playoff team, too.

Yes, it’s been a down year in Chicago, but even there, the No. 1 overall pick (Caleb Williams) has shown glimpses of a brighter future. And with Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8) just getting started in Atlanta, with a blowout win over the New York Giants, only J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 and out with an injured knee) has been a non-factor this year.

So, for three of the franchises that took quarterbacks in April, this season has already been a turning point. At some point, it might be remembered that way for all six, too.

9. Sam Darnold’s very unexpected resurrection

At age 27, Sam Darnold’s fate seemed to be as an NFL backup and a cautionary tale. Once the third overall pick in the draft (2018) with talent that had scouts drooling, he was ruined by a series of bad teams and bad coaching. He flamed out in New York with the Jets, was a disaster in Carolina, and his one year as a backup in San Francisco only led to a chance to back up with the Minnesota Vikings, too.

Then Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy got hurt and look what happened next. Darnold came of age. He’s led the Vikings to a 13-2 record, while completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,776 yards and 32 touchdowns — all career highs — with only 11 interceptions. There was even some “MVP” talk earlier in the season, and he’ll surely get some votes. And now many legitimately wonder if the Vikings will reward him with a lucrative contract and let someone else see what McCarthy can do.

Somebody figures to take a multi-year shot at Darnold in the offseason, one year after nobody wanted to give him a starting job. He completely revived his career and reminded everyone that sometimes even the most talented players just need some good coaching and a little time.

10. Cowboys redefine “all in” (by not going “in” at all)

The Cowboys just finished their third straight 12-5 season followed by their third consecutive flame-out in the postseason, when owner Jerry Jones seemingly had enough. He vowed that the Cowboys would be “all in” on 2024, setting the tone for a run at their first title in 29 years.

Except that apparently wasn’t really what he meant, as he showed in a remarkable offseason of inactivity. The Cowboys left their two biggest stars (Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb) unsigned until the last possible moment, essentially holding their salary cap space hostage. And what space they did have, they barely used — most notably in the deep and underpriced running back market where they could’ve found Derrick Henry or Josh Jacobs for an affordable song.

That set a bad tone for a season that then devolved under the weight of injuries, especially after they lost their depth while watching a parade of valuable players leave in free agency. The Cowboys are 7-8 and playing hard down the stretch, but they’ve been officially eliminated from the playoffs. Now they get to spend 2025 celebrating the 30th anniversary of their last championship season.

So the only thing they were really “all in” on was being all out.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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