• Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers Comparisons Thomas Smith, New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers hopes to last much longer than four snaps in his second season with Gang Green, and if he wants to make a mark in San Francisco, Smith will have to neutralize Bosa.
• Amary Cooper, The Cleveland Browns Comparisons Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys: Cooper, who played four seasons with the Cowboys, enters his third year with the Browns on an adjusted contract. He will face Dallas for the first time in his career after posting an 84.9 receiver rating since 2021.
• Take advantage of a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our fantasy tools throughout the season, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Starting Sit Optimizer and more. Register now!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
The time has finally come. After seven months of roster changes, new hires and transfer rumors (and a lot of holdouts), the 2024 NFL season is finally beginning.
While an exciting pre-season allows you to enjoy real football in its unbridled form, certain fixtures shine even this early on than the rest. Here are some of the most exciting fights from Week 1 that could serve as a litmus test for 2024.
Amary Cooper, The Cleveland Browns Comparisons Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys
It’s always fun to see two former teammates compete against each other, especially when they’re players of this caliber.
Cooper, who played four seasons with the Cowboys, enters his third year with the Browns on an adjusted contract. He will face Dallas for the first time in his career after posting an 84.9 receiver rating since 2021.
The receiver’s two years in Dallas overlapped with Diggs’s, who was developing into a household name. The 26-year-old had the best season of his career in 2023 – with 80.7 overall and 82.8 coverage ratings – before tearing his ACL after just two games.
Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers Comparisons Thomas Smith, New York Jets
It can’t get any better in a duel between an edge rusher and a tackle.
Bosa, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, has 415 pressures and 70 sacks in 80 career games, leading all fullbacks in pressures since 2019, with the former No. 2 pick becoming one of the NFL’s best on an annual basis.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage is Smith, an eight-time Pro Bowler who will play his first season with the Jets after 13 standout years with the Cowboys. Smith, 33, was great as always last year, finishing with a pass-blocking score of 89.3.
Aaron Rodgers hopes to last much longer than four snaps in his second season with Gang Green, and if he wants to make a mark in San Francisco, Smith will have to neutralize Bosa.
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans Comparisons Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Despite inconsistent play at center last season, Hopkins was still strong in his debut year with the Titans. The 32-year-old recorded 75 catches for 1,057 yards and an 82.3 receiving grade, which ranked 16th.th among the qualifiers.
Johnson was great in 2023. His overall grade of 90.1 was first at the position, while his coverage grade of 90.4 was only second Gardner Sauce. Remarkably, the new $76 million man allowed more than 23 yards in just one Play the whole season.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers Comparisons AJ Terrell, Atlanta Falcons
The Steelers’ matchup against the Falcons features several exciting storylines, but this battle between receiver and cornerback could prove to be the most critical.
In just two years in the NFL, Pickens has burst onto the scene with 120 catches for 1,991 yards and a receiving grade of 74.3. The former Georgia The product has proven particularly effective when targeted at the field, and has captured 50.9% of the contested catches. With Diontae Johnson transferred to Carolina, Pittsburgh relies on Pickens to refine his game in the third year, as a real WR1.
On the other side of the equation, Terrell has remained a mainstay in a revamped Falcons defense that appears to be nearly complete. The 2020 first-round pick has had ups and downs in his four years but played well last year, posting a 74.6 coverage rating. Atlanta rewarded Terrell this offseason with a four-year, $81 million contract before he hit the open market.
When the Steelers ring in Russell Wilson At quarterback and with Arthur Smith’s new scheme, they will need to get Pickens one-on-one against the Falcons’ best defensive player if they want to maintain the upper hand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders Comparisons Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers
There’s an NFL debut and then there’s starting your career against one of the best in the business. That’s the case with Alt, who will face Crosby in this divisional battle.
Crosby has become a real game-wrecker for Las Vegas, posting three straight overall grades above 90.0, and his performance at such a high level — leading all edge rushers over the past two years with 2,162 snaps — remains otherworldly.
For Alt, the fifth overall pick, it will be no easy task to prevail against such an imposing presence. Los Angeles’ new right tackle was as flawless as any tackle in college – he allowed four total sacks in three years – but he will have to maintain that dominance if the ever-present Crosby ventures his way.
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapoliscolts Comparisons Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texan
Pittman has built a promising career after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2020. The former Trojan posted a personal-best 80.0 in pass reception last season and recorded just five drops in 150 attempts. IndianaPolis made sure he wasn’t going anywhere by giving him a three-year, $70 million contract extension.
Stingley, who was selected as the No. 3 overall pick two years ago, bounced back in great fashion after a disappointing rookie season. The former LSU Star shone with an overall grade of 82.1 and an excellent coverage grade of 85.3, which earned him sixth place among all cornerbacks.
Pittman was not a target when he faced Stingley the last time these two teams faced each other in Week 18 of the 2023 season, a thrilling game that Houston to the playoffs. If the emerging star corner maintains his airtight coverage, it could mean the Texans start DeMeco Ryans’ second year with a thrilling win in the AFC South.
Tea Higgins, Cincinnati Bengal Comparisons Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots
Higgins previously established himself as WR1-Type limited to WR2 status, but his year 2023 did not look so great. The former Clemson The outstanding player finished the injury-plagued year with a pass rate of 70.9 and a drop rate of 12.5% - the lowest of his career.
Gonzalez also made a rapid rise in his rookie season, reaching an overall grade of 80.8. However, the first-round pick’s year ended after just four games due to a shoulder injury.
While the Bengals are feeling the effects of Ja’Marr Chase‘s long-standing contract dispute, Joe Burrow might require Higgins to be the first choice. But if Gonzalez can hold his own, it could give the Patriots, as underdogs, a real chance to win Jerod Mayo’s debut as head coach on the road.
Cooper Kupp And Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams Comparisons Carlton Davis And Terrion Arnold, Detroit Lions
It’s difficult to narrow this down to just one receiver versus one corner because the duo is just so phenomenal on each side. Overall, the Rams receivers versus the Lions cornerbacks are the ones to watch out for on Sunday night.
Kupp and Nacua form one of the best one-two punches in the NFL. The former has only played 1,298 snaps over the past two years as he has battled numerous injuries. Even without Kupp by his side, Nacua impressed with a record 1,468 receiving yards in his debut season and will look to maintain his amazing production, especially after the catch.
The Lions completely revamped their secondary in the offseason, including signing Davis and drafting Arnold in the first round. Davis, 27, has never performed particularly well in coverage, even allowing over 85 yards in four games last year, but the Lions expect more in the future.
Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn played Cover 3 or 4 on 46% of snaps last year, so we probably won’t get a lot of man coverage between Kupp/Nacua and Davis/Arnold. Even then, one-on-one battles between Los Angeles’ best receivers and the Lions’ boundary corners will prove to be a huge test of how solid the Lions’ secondary really is.
Keenan Allen And DJ Moore, Chicago Bears Comparisons L’Jarius Sneed, Tennessee Titans
Caleb WilliamsThe first NFL game will take place against a newly designed Tennessee Defense that features one of the better cornerbacks in the league, whose job will be to defend one of the two star wideouts.
Moore was brilliant in his first year with Chicago, setting career highs in total rating (89.3) and receiving (89.5). The Bears only added Allen to complement his efforts — who has averaged over 80.0 receiving eight times in 11 years.
Either way, it will be a difficult task for Sneed, the former Chiefs star who Tennessee this offseason. Sneed only allowed two passes over 70 yards last season en route to winning another Super Bowl, and Brian Callahan will need him to shut down the outstanding Bears he faces on every play if Tennessee wants to assert itself.
