Denver Broncos: How to master the Sean Payton-Russell Wilson dynamic

We don’t yet know how these two Super Bowl winners will mesh in Denver, but the Broncos don’t have time on their side. Another bad season from Wilson could lead to major changes very soon, so it’s imperative that he and his new head coach find a strong groove before they play the Chiefs twice in a three-week span in October.

Kansas City Chiefs: Can they find a viable second receiving option outside of Travis Kelce?

That’s especially the case as Kelce deals with an early-season knee injury. Nobody shined in his stead in Thursday’s loss to the Lions, but even when he returns the Chiefs have reason to wonder. With JuJu Smith-Schuster gone, the team will want to determine early how those guys like Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice and Justin Watson stack up in Patrick Mahomes’ receiving corps. It’s not something you want to linger all season.

Toney was limited following a trade to Kansas City last year and is now coming off knee surgery that cost him much of training camp, while Rice is a natural question mark as a rookie second-round pick.

Las Vegas Raiders: Is the offensive line good enough?

Particularly the right side, where Greg Van Roten beat out incumbent guard Alex Bars and tackles Jermaine Eluemunor and Thayer Munford Jr. remain question marks as well. If those guys can’t step up early, the Raiders might have to aggressively seek more help for Jimmy Garoppolo and Josh Jacobs.

Los Angeles Chargers: Can the defense do its part?

There’s little doubt that Justin Herbert and the offense should be able to take another step forward under the tutelage of new coordinator Kellen Moore, but what about a defense that ranked 12th-last in points allowed in 2022 and didn’t change much this offseason? That unit will be tested early against the Dolphins, Cowboys and Chiefs and may need to adjust if it can’t hold up.