NFL Analysis
1/5/25
7 min read
2024 NFL Regular Season's Most Shocking Storylines, Breakouts
If the NFL was predictable, it wouldn't be any fun.
The beauty of the league is that so much chaos can happen in a single year, and the 2024 regular season has been filled with surprises. From unlikely teams surging to make the postseason to players turning their pro careers around, this year has been filled with unexpected moments.
Now that Week 18 is in the books, let's take a look at the most surprising storylines from the 2024 season.
Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels Lead the Rookie QB Class
Six quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, the two rookie quarterbacks to lead their teams to the postseason aren't the players you might have seen coming.
Despite all of the hype surrounding Caleb Williams, it was No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels who ended up being the Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner. Daniels and his dual-threat ability helped the Washington Commanders secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC with a 12-5 record.
Daniels threw for 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 891 yards and six more scores. That dual-threat ability unlocked everything on Washington's offense and helped Terry McLaurin have the best year of his career with nearly 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns.
However, Bo Nix has been the biggest surprise of the rookie quarterback class. The last of those six quarterbacks selected in the first round, Nix has been the perfect fit for Sean Payton's offensive scheme. Nix threw for more than 3,600 yards with 29 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions, leading Denver to a 10-7 record and its first playoff appearance since 2015.
After sky-high expectations for so many of the young quarterbacks, Daniels and Nix look like the early frontrunners to be long-term franchise guys.
Derrick Henry 43-yard Touchdown pic.twitter.com/Ms1HIXNJCz
— Highlight Vault (@HighlightVault) January 5, 2025
The Running Back Renaissance
Running backs matter again.
Teams spent nearly $250 million on running backs in free agency this past offseason, signaling a shift that teams are beginning to value the position again. Those gambles paid off for the teams willing to dish out big money for top running backs.
In fact, the two top running backs in rushing yards by a wide margin were free agent pickups in Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. Barkley even had a chance to break the all-time rushing record with 2,005 yards heading into Week 18 but was benched to rest up before a playoff run.
Even Josh Jacobs got in on the action, rushing for more than 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers. Also, former Packers running back Aaron Jones had a huge impact with the Minnesota Vikings, breaking 1,000 rushing yards on the year.
The Detroit Lions looked like the best team in the league until injuries started to mount, and "Sonic and Knuckles" played a huge part in that. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery helped lead the Lions to the second-ranked rushing offense by DVOA heading into Week 18.
After so many years of pass-heavy offense, the league is suddenly loaded with exciting running backs again, and the 2025 NFL Draft will feature at least one more future star in Ashton Jeanty.
It's a great time to be able to run the football, and that trend should continue into the 2025 season.
Bryce Young Saves His NFL Career
There was a time early this season when Bryce Young looked like he was going to be remembered as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
Instead, the former No. 1 overall pick reminded everyone why the Carolina Panthers took him back in 2023.
Young was benched earlier this year after just two games, throwing zero touchdowns and three interceptions. He was thrown back into the starting lineup after an injury to Andy Dalton, and he looked like a completely different quarterback, throwing 15 touchdowns and just six INTs to end the year.
The Panthers stayed competitive in almost all of their games once Young returned to the starting lineup, even going 2-1 in their final three weeks. Young might have had the best game of his career in Week 18 in the overtime win against Atlanta, completing 25-of-34 passes for 251 yards, three scores, and zero interceptions in the victory.
According to RBSDM, Young generated a phenomenal 0.6 EPA per play for 23.5 total EPA in the upset victory. Head coach Dave Canales was so thrilled with the performance that he told reporters after the game that the Panthers "had their guy," signaling the team's intention to build around the second-year quarterback this offseason.
On top of saving his NFL career, Young has been playing with joy since returning to the starting lineup, celebrating with his teammates and smiling through the process. It wasn't a great season for the Panthers, but the turnaround from Young has the franchise trending in the right direction.
VIKINGS PICK OFF KIRK COUSINS LATE IN THE 4TH pic.twitter.com/Ke0R4rIwOd
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) December 8, 2024
Kirk Cousins Loses His Starting Job
After such a memorable career and a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason, expectations were high for Kirk Cousins in Atlanta. Instead, everything fell apart quickly, leading to the 36-year-old quarterback being benched.
It was likely going to take Cousins some time to get acclimated to a new team while rehabbing from a torn Achilles the following season. However, Cousins' level of play saw a sharp decline late in the year instead of early, making baffling decisions with the football while looking incapable of moving around in the pocket.
Cousins finished the 2024 season on a brutal run. A four-game losing streak was barely snapped with a win against the Las Vegas Raiders, but Cousins threw just one touchdown and nine interceptions during that five-game span.
Things went so poorly for Cousins before being benched that the Falcons deserve some credit for having a backup plan, making the controversial decision to take Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
While the Falcons still struggled with Penix under center, the rookie quarterback's arm talent and playmaking have him looking like the long-term option for Atlanta in 2025 and beyond. As for Cousins, it's unclear if he'll have enough left in the tank to be anything more than a backup for a team for the rest of his career.
The Minnesota Vikings Are a Contender
Regardless of what happens in Sunday night's games against the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings have firmly established themselves as a top Super Bowl contender in the NFC.
This season could have gone a lot differently for Minnesota. Their first-round quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, suffered a season-ending knee injury, forcing their hand with an unproven journeyman veteran in Sam Darnold.
Instead, head coach Kevin O'Connell helped turn Darnold into one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season. Prior to Week 18, Darnold had already thrown for 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. He ranked top 10 in multiple advanced passing categories as well, including success rate, passer rating, and adjusted net yards per attempt.
Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has turned Minnesota into one of the most formidable defenses in football. They ranked third in defensive DVOA heading into Week 18, leading the league in blitz rate to generate a league-high 22 interceptions with 31 takeaways.
It's not just that both sides are firing on all cylinders. O'Connell and Darnold have the entire team believing in their ability when the rest of the league was skeptical for so long. They have a chance at securing a first-round bye on Sunday night, but even if they can't secure it, they'll be one of the toughest outs in the playoffs.
