NFL 2024 preview hub: Predictions, power rankings and everything to know ahead of kickoff

Yahoo Sports Staff

The 2024 NFL season is nearly here. We've cleared the last few hurdles on the calendar, including training camps, preseason and roster cutdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs' pursuit of their unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title begins against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Yahoo Sports is helping you gear up for the fall. Let's dive in.

Check out our breakdown of the Yahoo Sports NFL team's predictions right here.

(Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports)
(Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports)

You can watch the entire show, hosted by Yahoo Sports‘ Caroline Fenton and featuring Yahoo experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald and DraftKings’ Mike Golic Jr., right here.

Glad you asked. Frank Schwab takes you through the info you need to know.

It takes a while to get used to a star player in a new uniform.

New York Giants fans (and, based on "Hard Knocks," Giants co-owner John Mara) might feel a little ill seeing Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia Eagles green this season. There are a few other familiar stars who will look strange on a new team this season.

Here are some of the biggest names who switched teams this offseason.

A quarter of NFL teams will have a new head coach on the sideline this season.

It's less than that if you don't count Antonio Pierce, who took over the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching job on an interim basis last season after Josh McDaniels was fired. Pierce went 5-4 and was hired for the job on a permanent basis in January.

(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)

With or without Pierce, the turnover speaks to the growing impatience of NFL team owners. The new coaches all should know that if they don't win in the first couple seasons, their seat will be plenty hot.

Here's a look at all eight new head coaches for the 2024 NFL season, and what will be new for each of those teams.

In 2023, the NFL accounted for 93 of the 100 most-watched shows on television. Simply, we can't get enough of NFL games on our screens.

The NFL makes annual tweaks to the schedule with its broadcasting partners in mind. Here are the most important changes to the schedule and to broadcasts this NFL season.

What's up with the new kickoff rules?

One stat sums up how the approach to the new kickoff rules changed. In the first week of preseason, 82% of kickoffs were returned. That dropped to 74% in the second week and all the way down to 57% in the third week, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. A change of 25% from the first week to the third is telling.

The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to do something no team has ever done: win three straight Super Bowls.

The rest of the NFL is trying to stop them.

Here are the key elements of the Chiefs' success, which will again play a role in their quest — and could provide clues to how other teams can unseat the kings of the NFL.

(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)
(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)

How Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo has the NFL — and the Shanahan tree — flummoxed

The Kansas City Chiefs' offense was inconsistent last year. Sure, they won the Super Bowl and finished in the top-10 in all the underlying metrics and Patrick Mahomes was still Patrick Mahomes. But it was not a reliably efficient unit week-in and week-out in 2023.

What was reliable, and what helped carry the load for the Chiefs' Super Bowl run, was the defense led by coordinator and longtime coach Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo’s defenses during his Kansas City tenure have been the afterthought of the overall Chiefs hierarchy.

Spagnuolo, thanks to his experience of calling plays against dozens of offenses, also has aspects to his defense that are perfect for the current NFL landscape. As he has particular answers for offenses that come from the current in vogue tree in the NFL: the Shanahan tree.

“An NFL season is a marathon,” Tom Brady told Yahoo Sports. “And to have so many things go right over the course of a long season in terms of injuries, balls bouncing the right way, hitting teams at the right time, getting the right playoff position — and then you make it to the playoffs and you’ve got to have the same thing happen. You’ve got to get the right breaks. You’ve got to hit the team at the right time.”

“It’s hard enough to win one Super Bowl,” Brady said. “It’s really hard to win two. To win three in a row? There’s a reason why no one has ever done it.”

There are many different reasons nobody has done it. All you need to do is take a walk through history and pop the hood of the eight previous failed attempts. So we did that.

Age and history are working against Travis Kelce. Then again, they have been working against him for a couple seasons and you wouldn't notice.

Kelce is already an anomaly at his age. There were a few productive tight ends at age 33, fewer at age 34 and it gets really thin once the bar slides to age 35. Kelce turns 35 in October, and based on the history of NFL tight ends he's supposed to be retired or a non-factor by now.

But there were very few good 33- and 34-year-old tight ends, so maybe it's not fair to bet against Kelce being an outlier at age 35 as well. Kelce nearly reached 1,000 yards last season and was crucial in the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl run. Either way, as the Chiefs chase an unprecedented third Super Bowl championship in a row, Kelce's age is one of the biggest questions they have to wonder about.

The Kansas City Chiefs trying to win an unprecedented three straight Super Bowl titles is one of the stories of the year. Everyone knows they have the quarterback and coaching to do it, but now they’ll be relying on some new faces to help them achieve that goal as well.

Andy Reid's playbook is one of the most complex in the entire NFL, and notoriously difficult for rookies to pick up, especially wide receivers. But general manager Brett Veach has drafted well the past few years, and receiver Rashee Rice played an integral role as a rookie last season in the Chiefs' Super Bowl championship.

Here are four offensive rookies to keep an eye on as the Chiefs get ready to defend their throne for the second straight season, including WR Xavier Worthy, OT Kinglsey Suamataia, TE Jared Wiley and RB Carson Steele.

Can other teams replicate Kansas City's recipe for success? It's complicate, according to several NFL executives, coaches and players who talked to Yahoo's Jori Epstein.

While the Chiefs have the obvious advantage of continuity and consistency with head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the way, the rest of the equation has evolved over the team's six years of dominance that has included three Super Bowl titles.

A few years ago, the team was build around a high-powered offense. Last year, it was all about a stingy defense and an offense that did just enough. Outside of a few members, players have come and gone. The one thing that's remained: winning.

Mahomes, as a professional, is currently the best of both worlds. But it wasn’t all perfect within the structure as far as his final result in college, whether it was because of his footwork, a pressured throw or a shoddy job by his pass catcher. But there were signs of his process being extremely advanced. Whether you want to characterize it as “feel,” “football IQ,” “ball knowledge” or being a “film rat,” Mahomes showed off the little things that add up to bigger results.

The Kansas City Chiefs are favored to win another Super Bowl, which would be their third in a row. But some teams aren't that far behind in the odds.

While it's getting harder to believe that Patrick Mahomes and Co. will lose in the playoffs, it can happen. Which teams are the most likely to end the Chiefs' quest for a three-peat? The easiest guide is to check out the odds to win Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs lead the Super Bowl odds at +550, and they're +300 to win the AFC.

Here are the top six teams with all the odds from BetMGM.

(J'Kel Anderson/Yahoo Sports)
(J'Kel Anderson/Yahoo Sports)

It seems like Rashee Rice will avoid suspension, with it dragging on beyond Week 1. The Marquise Brown injury isn't ideal but he won't miss much time. The way the Chiefs used rookie Xavier Worthy is an indication that they think he can be an impact player right away. Patrick Mahomes has had a 5,000-yard season and a 50-touchdown season, and neither are off the table for him again in 2024.

The Lions had some injury scares during training camp and preseason but it doesn't seem like any major contributors will miss Week 1. We'll have to see if rookie first-round pick Terrion Arnold gets a starting nod for Week 1 after missing time in August with a pectoral injury.

Read Nos. 3 through 32 of Frank Schwab's power rankings heading into the season, which promises hope for several franchises who've never won the Super Bowl.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has somehow picked up a reputation of cycling through head coaches on a whim. The opposite is true.

Jones is excruciatingly patient with his coaches. Since Jason Garrett took over after Wade Phillips' midseason firing in 2010, Garrett and Mike McCarthy have been Dallas' only two head coaches. Inevitably, the Cowboys flame out in the playoffs and everyone assumes Jones will fire his coach, but he's fired a coach only once in 14 years.

That doesn't mean McCarthy has a job for life. At some point he needs more success in the playoffs or Jones will make a change. Does that mean he's one of the seven coaches on the hot seat entering the NFL season? Here's our list.

(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)
(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)

Not every NFL player can be C.J. Stroud or Puka Nacua.

Those two were fantastic right away as rookies and became instant stars. It takes other players more time. Sometimes injuries set them back. Others just need the chance to play before they shine.

We see veteran breakouts every season in the NFL, and here are 10 players in a great spot to break out this NFL season, including a pair of Detroit Lions and a 2023 draft class quarterback.

Last season, Jordan Love had a pivotal season in his career. Even halfway through, we didn't know which direction it was headed.

Love struggled early in his first season as the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback, then caught fire late. He went from a question mark in early November to a tie for the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history this summer. His four-year, $220 million deal is a good lesson for all the players whose careers are at a crossroads this season.

Here are 10 high-profile players facing make-or-break seasons, headlined by Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.

How will the Cowboys pay Micah Parsons? What is Dak Prescott's future? How much should the 49ers pay Brock Purdy? Will the Jets boom or bust in their all-in season? How bad will the Giants miss Saquon Barkley?

There are simmering situations across the NFL as we kick off. Read about them here.

Cowboys CB Daron Bland. Browns RB Nick Chubb. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson. Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase. As the season opens, plenty of big names are either out injured, suspended by the league, or holding out for a new contract.

Here are the key injuries, suspensions and holdouts to keep in mind as we start the NFL season.

Dallas Cowboys: Is this the Dak Prescott finale in Dallas?

With the CeeDee Lamb extension in the books, Prescott’s extension will be the cloud hanging over the franchise until there is some kind of resolution. Cowboys ownership has said publicly there is no ticking deadline on the deal but it’s highly unlikely that Prescott will reach an agreement once the season begins.

With the extension decks now clear of the Lamb talks, Dallas can now focus solely on Prescott until Week 1 kickoff on Sept. 8. While I don’t think it’s a great sign that a Prescott deal didn’t get done while the team was in Oxnard for training camp, I do think the order of affairs were designed to get Lamb’s extension done first. So technically, a Prescott deal is still on the anticipated schedule.

For those seeking optimism beyond the Lamb deal getting done, fans can also take heart in Trey Lance having showcased in the preseason that he’s nowhere near being a starting NFL quarterback. That five-interception exhibition finale should be a not-so-gentle reminder to ownership of what it could be like going back into a quarterback-needy abyss.

One other thought that should be suggestive that an extension is coming in the next 10 days: There is no clear Plan B at the position for Dallas in the event Prescott leaves in free agency. Any promising scenario is going to cost assets and money, and still have a significant element of risk (see Denver’s trade for Russell Wilson in 2022). The obvious move with the least amount of risk is still signing Prescott to an extension. Just like it has been for the past year.

Read Charles Robinson on every NFC team's QB situation.

Welcome to QB Room, Charles Robinson's new weekly quarterback-centric NFL column at Yahoo Sports. (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)
Welcome to QB Room, Charles Robinson's new weekly quarterback-centric NFL column at Yahoo Sports. (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports)

For better or worse, wideouts Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone. While there’s plenty of room to debate how that may cut down on distractions, and improve offensive chemistry and Allen’s mindset, there’s definitely lost talent and experience to weigh as well. In the wake of those changes, Allen has to lift a far less proven cast of wide receivers. That’s a lot of pressure, which seems to invite more of the “hero ball” playmaking that has gotten Allen into hot water in the past — not to mention absorbing a lot of physical punishment.

For this to work in a way that doesn’t require Allen to put on cape every single game, running back James Cook must continue on his upward trajectory that saw him take a sizable career jump last season. It’s also going to necessitate that pass-catching tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox become high-level staples of the scheme. Arguably the biggest contribution is going to have to come from rookie first-round pick Keon Coleman, who could feasibly see as many targets as top-10 picks Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. If Coleman can step into the No. 1 wideout role, which is there for the taking, it would be instrumental for the Bills’ Super Bowl hopes.

Read Charles Robinson on every AFC team's QB situation.

There aren’t too many outright new ideas in football. Much like the old adage about there only being seven plots, there are only so many ways to draw a line on a whiteboard. There are definitely different colors and angles with which you can draw those lines, though.

I wanted to share a few concepts that I expect to see more of this season and beyond. Whether from college, last season, or something that has started to proliferate this preseason.

Read Nate Tice's debut weekly column, and check back Thursday for the next installment ahead of kickoff.

(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)
(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)

One more week, just a few more sleeps. The Ravens and Chiefs will be kicking off the new NFL season in a matter of days and the race toward New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX will be on.

As we enter the calm before the storm, let’s take a look at four players who will be among the most important players in the NFL and how their presence can shape the league's landscape. The group includes to big-name QBs in new situations, an anchor in the trenches of what could be an explosive offense, and a low-key star making a big shift in the champions' defense.

Can you feel it? Can you smell it? The NFL season is just a day away and there’s a whole lot to be excited about as we prepare for kickoff. For this Four Verts column, we’re going to focus on four storylines to key in on for the season:

The Dallas Cowboys might be OK, at least for this season.

What does Year 2 look like for Bryce Young?

The Rams' defense post-Aaron Donald might be rough.

And can anyone snatch the AFC North from the Ravens?

Here's a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2024 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team's games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.

And here's a handy glimpse at the Week 1 broadcast schedule (all times Eastern):

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024

Friday, Sept. 6, 2024

  • Eagles vs. Packers: 8:15 p.m. (Peacock)

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024

  • Steelers vs. Falcons: 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • Cardinals vs. Bills: 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • Titans vs. Bears: 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • Patriots vs. Bengals: 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • Texans vs. Colts: 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • Jaguars vs. Dolphins: 1 p.m. (CBS)

  • Panthers vs. Saints: 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • Vikings vs. Giants: 1 p.m. (Fox)

  • Raiders vs. Chargers: 4:05 p.m. (CBS)

  • Broncos vs. Seahawks: 4:05 p.m. (CBS)

  • Cowboys vs. Browns: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)

  • Commanders vs. Buccaneers: 4:25 p.m. (Fox)

  • Rams vs. Lions: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Sept. 9, 2024

  • Jets vs. 49ers: 8:15 p.m. (ESPN, ABC)

We've revamped our NFL podcast lineup, with new shows, new groupings and a new schedule. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Tuesdays with Nate Tice and Matt Harmon

Thursdays with Nate Tice and Charles McDonald

McCoy & Van Noy

Tuesdays with Gerald McCoy and Kyle Van Noy

Sunday nights with Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab

Wednesdays with Jason Fitz and Jori Epstein

Fridays with Jason Fitz and Charles Robinson

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