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The 2024 NFL season kicks off Thursday with the league's annual kickoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will start their quest for a three-peat as world champions, trying to become the first team to accomplish the feat since the 1965-1967 Green Bay Packers. 

This will be an historic season for the NFL, as the league has debuted radial changes to the kick off and created uniform possibilities that have never been seen before with flexible helmet options. A new television partner has entered the fold, while the league will enter a new country for the first time (in the first week of the season no less). 

For all you need to know on the 2024 NFL season, here's a guideline to follow along on all the changes made and the new-look schedule: 

New rules

The NFL installed quite a few rule changes this offseason in an attempt to make the game safer. As a part of these changes, the league radicalized the kickoff rule in what is arguably the biggest change in league history. 

The kickoff rule changes

Here's a explainer on the new kickoff rule:

  • The ball is still kicked from the 35-yard line, but that remains the only constant. All kicking team players other than the kicker will line up with one foot on the receiving team's 40-yard line and the kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until the ball touches the ground or player in the landing zone or end zone. The 10 kicking team players cannot move until the ball hits the ground or player in the landing zone or the end zone.
  • There will be a setup zone for the receiving team, a five-yard area from the receiving team's 30-to-35 yard line where at least nine receiving team players must line up. Seven players on the receiving team must have at least one foot on the 35 and all players in the setup zone cannot move until the kick has hit the ground or a player in the landing zone or the end zone. 
  • A landing zone has been created for the receiving team, which is between the receiving team's goal line and the 20-yard line. A maximum of two returners may line up in the landing zone and can move at any time prior to, or during, the kick. Any kick that hits in the landing zone must be returned and any kick that's short of the landing zone will be placed at the receiving team's 40-yard line (the play will be ruled dead). Any ball that will be kicked into the end zone will result in a touchback at the receiving team's 30-yard line.
  • Balls kicked into the end zone will go to the receiving team's 30-yard line (in previous years it was the 25). The NFL considered the ball being placed at the 35-yard line, but tabled that change for another year.

Hip-drop tackle banned

NFL clubs voted unanimously to remove the hip-drop tackle from the game this offseason. A hip-drop tackle is when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier's legs during the tackle.

Player that perform a hip-drop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first-down if a player uses the following techniques to bring a runner to the ground:

  • Grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms
  • Unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner's leg(s) at or below the knee

The hip-drop tackle has basically gone the way of the horse-collar tackle. 

Replay reviews

The league has expanded use for replays for these major situations involving penalties, incomplete passes, or turnovers: 

  • When there is clear and obvious visual evidence that the game clock expired before any snap. 
  • Roughing the passer penalty when the defender hits the passer's head or neck area and there is clear and obvious video evidence that the defender did not make any contact.
  • Intentional grounding and there is clear and obvious video evidence that the passer was out of the pocket area or not facing an imminent loss of yardage.
  • Unnecessary roughness for forcibly contacting a runner when he is out of bounds and there is clear and obvious video evidence that the runner was not out of bounds.
  • A ruling of a passer down by contact or out of bounds before throwing a pass is now a reviewable play.
  • An enforcement of a major foul by the offense prior to a change of possession in a situation where there are fouls by both teams. If the offense's foul is for a personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct before the change of possession, the penalties offset, and the team last in possession shall retain the ball at the spot where its foul would be enforced if it was the only foul. In this event, the team accepting the penalty can elect to replay the down at the previous spot. 

An extra challenge

  • A club's ability to challenge a third ruling following one successful challenge. If a team wins their first challenge, that team is awarded an additional challenge to be used over the course of the game. A fourth challenge will not be permitted. 

Alternate helmet rule

The NFL has announced that teams can now have a third helmet option starting this year. The alternate helmets can only be worn together with one of the team's "authorized optimal uniforms," such as a color rush, classic or alternative uniform. If an alternate color helmet is paired with a classic uniform, the helmet colors and designs must be historically compatible. 

For all the teams with alternate helmets and throwback jersey uniform schedules, click here. 

Holiday games 

The NFL will have their typical holiday games on Thanksgiving this year, having three games on the holiday (which has been the case since 2006). For the fifth consecutive year, the NFL will hold games on Christmas Day -- on a Wednesday for the first time. The league is experimenting on the Wednesday Christmas games becoming a massive hit, giving reason to have games on the holiday every year. 

The league will also hold a Black Friday game for the second consecutive year. 

Thanksgiving games

Black Friday game

Christmas games

International games

The league will hold five international games this season, including the first game to be played in Brazil. The Brazil game, played at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, will be played in Week 1 on a Friday. This will be the first international game to open a season and the first Friday kickoff in September since 1970. 

There will be three games in London and one in Germany as well. Here is the international schedule:

New television partner

Netflix has joined the NFL broadcasting partners as the league put the Christmas games up for auction, with the streaming giant winning the bid. Netflix and the NFL unveiled a three-year deal this year that will see the streaming service run live games on Christmas for the next three seasons, meaning Christmas games will be played until 2026. 

Television contract recap

The NFL has multiple television partners as the league enters the second year of a 11-year television contract. Here are the highlights of the television deal, for those who forgot: 

  • Sunday afternoon games are split between CBS and Fox. Both networks will continue to carry the Sunday afternoon AFC and NFC packages with CBS having the AFC and Fox having the NFC. CBS and Fox will each have 10 Sunday doubleheaders, with both networks airing them in Weeks 15 and 18. CBS has the early Thanksgiving game while Fox has the late-afternoon Thanksgiving game. Fox also will have a Saturday game in Week 15 on December 21. CBS has an alternate Nickelodeon telecast for one of the wild card playoff games. 
  • NBC has "Sunday Night Football" and the primetime Thanksgiving game. They also have a game on Saturday, December 21 (Week 15). Peacock gets an exclusive game once again, the International Series opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil between the Eagles and Packers (Week 1). 
  • ESPN has "Monday Night Football" and the Week 18 doubleheader on the final Saturday of the regular season. Four "Monday Night Football" games and the Saturday doubleheader will be ESPN/ABC simulcasts. Three weeks will feature two "Monday Night Football" games split between ABC and ESPN. ESPN+ will exclusively air the second game of a "Monday Night Football" doubleheader on October 21. 
  • NFL Network will have three international games and the Week 17 Saturday tripleheader. 
  • Amazon Prime Video has "Thursday Night Football" and the annual Black Friday game. Amazon also has a wild card playoff game this year. 

Schedule changes

  • The Saturday tripleheader has been moved to Week 17, after being in Week 15 in previous years. Those games will be moved to Saturday at 1:00, 4:30 and 8:15 p.m EST and aired on NFL Network with the matchups to be determined. 
  • All the Week 18 matchups do not have a designated start time. Two games will be moved to the Saturday doubleheader, designated as games with playoff implications. The league will determine start times after the conclusion of Week 17. 

Postseason schedule

All four broadcast partners will air at least one game in the wild card round, with CBS and Fox airing an AFC and NFC Wild Card game. NBC will air the Sunday night game while ESPN will air the Monday night game in the wild card round. Amazon will also have a wild card game and CBS will air a second wild card game (which has an alternate Nickelodeon broadcast). 

CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox each have one divisional round game while CBS airs the AFC Championship Game and Fox the NFC Championship Game. Fox has Super Bowl LIX. 

The wild card round will be played from Jan. 11-13, with two games on Saturday, three on Sunday, and one on Monday. The divisional round is slated for Jan. 18-19, with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. The AFC Championship Game and NFC Championship Game are on January 26. Super Bowl LIX is on February 9 (New Orleans).