Mark Lomoglio/Associated Press
More so than most American sports leagues, the N.F.L. makes news all year. But in the final three months of the year, it cranks up a notch. With the 2019 season getting underway this week, we’ll be checking our fantasy teams, speculating if the New England Patriots will win another Super Bowl and waiting to see which players and teams will make the wrong kinds of headlines.
Here are some of the stories, on and off the field, that may be making news during the 2019 season.
Breakout Players
No player has higher expectations this season than Baker Mayfield, who threw for 27 touchdowns as a rookie last year and helped the Cleveland Browns improve from (yikes) 0-16 to a respectable 7-8-1.