Burrowhead and potential game in Ireland - 5 storylines for this weekend's NFL

Michael McQuaid of Pro Football Ireland looks at some of the key storylines ahead of the second week of the 2024 NFL season, which gets underway tonight (1.15am Irish time) with the visit of the Buffalo Bills to Miami.

A marquee Thursday night matchup

The first game of week 2 will see the Buffalo Bills travel to the Miami Dolphins for Thursday Night Football. Both teams faced significant challenges in the first week of the season but both outfits dug deep to get a win.

Former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick played for both teams and will be part of the Amazon commentary team (also Sky Sports in Ireland) that covers this game.

Speaking with Pro Football Ireland this week, Fitzpatrick expressed his desire to see a potential NFL game in Ireland in the future.

"I think its got to happen", he said. "We're taking the necessary steps. We just saw the game in Brazil… I think it’s time. Dublin would be an awesome place to play an NFL game."

Burrowhead

As far as matchups go, the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs this weekend is box-office. Imagine a packed Croke Park for Kerry-Dublin in July. The atmosphere in Arrowhead Stadium will be off the charts.

In early 2023, after the Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game, Bengals slot corner Mike Hilton pointed at the television cameras and said, "We'll see y'all in Burrowhead," referring to the Chiefs' home. Cue a rivalry like never before.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is coming back after a torn ligament in his right wrist, which he suffered around halfway through last season. He and his team did not look right in a very surprising loss at home to the New England Patriots in the first week of the season.

On the flip side, the Chiefs got off to