10 things we want to see happen in the 2023 NFL season
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) plays in an NFL preseason football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023. Bills safety Damar Hamlin made the cut, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Aug. 29. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced their final cuts in paring their roster to 53 players. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
1. The Jets and the Giants both in the playoffs at the same time. That’s only happened five times in their combined histories, the last time at the end of the 2006 season. After this baseball season, New York deserves it!
2. A fully healthy, fully happy, fully committed Odell Beckham Jr. playing for the Ravens. We haven’t seen that in a long time and even though he will be turning 31 and coming back from multiple knee surgeries, it’d be nice to get just a few more glimpses of his unique aerobatics on the football field.
Baltimore Ravens' Odell Beckham Jr. works out during the team's NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 27, 2023, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Credit: AP/Julio Cortez
3. Someone breaking Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record of 22.5 which has now stood for… about 22.5 years. Nick Bosa, Micah Parsons, Matthew Judon, Maxx Crosby, even Von Miller … let’s get this done!
4. Damar Hamlin playing in all 17 games.
5. Even more in-season trades. They used to be extremely rare in the sport but this new generation of general managers grew up playing fantasy football and has no problem swapping personnel. Christian McCaffrey, Kadarius Toney, Robert Quinn and T.J. Hockenson all switched teams mid-season last year and made impacts for playoff teams.
6. More scoring on special teams. Only 0.6% of NFL kickoffs (6 out of 1,013) and 0.3% of punts (3 out of 952) were returned for touchdowns during the 2022 regular season.
7. An emergency third quarterback who comes into a game and leads his team to a comeback win. The NFL brought back the rule that allows teams to carry that third QB after last year’s 49ers debacle in the NFC Championship Game.
8. The fun gimmicks Kansas City will inevitably come up with on offense. It’ll be hard to top last year’s “snowglobe” formation, but if anyone can do so it’s Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
9. A 2,000-yard receiver. The NFL has never had one, but given the proliferation of passing in the league and the 17-game schedule these days it’s about time someone cracks the 2K barrier. The race is on between Justin Jefferon, Ja’Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill and others.
10. Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley besting all of the statistical over/under prop bets that the NFL-sanctioned gambling sites set for him a year after he was suspended by the same league for betting on sports.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) reacts after getting a pass interference call during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Miami Dolphins, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. Credit: AP/Gary McCullough
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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