2024 NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs or the field to win Super Bowl LIX?

David Helman

NFL Reporter

This is the time of year for predictions, but let’s also take a moment to focus on the present.

It’s been a long hike from February to this moment, as every team in the NFL has had to restock its roster, search for improvements and (hopefully) nail a draft class. If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also spent the past six weeks assessing everyone’s health and performance during a lengthy, grueling preseason.

But we’re here. And before the Chiefs and Ravens kick off the 2024 season Thursday night, here’s one last set of preseason power rankings (with Super Bowl odds from FanDuel Sportsbook) — before Week 1 forces us to throw all our preconceived notions out the window.

Note: previous rankings are from the beginning of the preseason.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +550

What do we really need to say? The reigning champs went out and added some legit firepower to their offense. They might be better than the 2022 and 2023 Chiefs — and those two teams won the Super Bowl. This sounds crazy, but if I had to pick a Chiefs three-peat or the field, I’m rolling with Kansas City.

2. Detroit Lions (+1)
Super Bowl odds: +1200

No notes, Lions. Last season ended in heartbreak, but Detroit has responded in all the right ways to make another run at it. The offense might be the best in the league, and the defense looks improved. Even in one of the league’s most loaded divisions, the Lions might be the class of the NFC.

3. San Francisco 49ers (-1)
Super Bowl odds: +600

The drama in the Bay this summer is just enough to make me knock the 49ers down one spot. Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams are officially back, but I’ve got a close eye on how quickly they put it together after missing training camp. This is a very veteran team, and you start to worry about wear and tear after a certain point. This is still obviously one of the NFL’s truly elite teams, but there’s still room for some slight concern.

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4. Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1300

I’m choosing to believe the Eagles have fixed the bad vibes that plagued them during that epic collapse last year. They have amassed too much talent and experience to let that happen again. And we already know that, if everything’s clicking, this is one of the very best teams in football. Another double-digit win season with a division title feels like a reasonable projection.

5. Houston Texans (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1500

Exciting to see how the Texans handle expectations. They snuck up on the entire league in 2023, but that won’t be the case now. They have all the talent in the world, but most of us are expecting them to win 12-plus games. Will that weigh on them?

6. Green Bay Packers (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1800

I started buying Packers stock in March, and I’m not backing down. Jordan Love looks like he’s going to be That Dude, and new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley can’t help but to improve his side of the ball. One more prediction, as long as I’m doing this: I think a lot of people are sleeping on Josh Jacobs‘ potential in this offense.

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7. Cincinnati Bengals (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1500

The Bengals are mostly healthy. Joe Burrow is back and looking as good as ever. The schedule looks like a relative cakewalk by NFL standards. The Bengals have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations — provided star receiver Ja’Marr Chase ends his holdout and suits up this season. It’s going to be an interesting week as we wait for clarity.

8. Baltimore Ravens (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1100

Sometimes I feel like the only person worrying for the Ravens. They lost so much on defense, highlighted by coordinator Mike Macdonald. The offensive line is also completely re-worked. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will keep them in the mix, but I’m not sure this team can reach the same lofty highs as 2023.

9. Buffalo Bills (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1700

Training camp didn’t do much to change my opinion that the Bills will be fine. They even lost Matt Milano this summer, and I still trust them to figure it out. A big part of that is having Josh Allen under center. Allen needs to be great, and he needs one or two of his young skill players to step up. I trust all that to happen.

10. Cleveland Browns (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +3500

Wild to think how high the expectations would be in Cleveland if more people believed in its quarterback. With a loaded defense and some strong talent on offense, there aren’t many excuses for Deshaun Watson. Quarterback play will determine the Browns’ ceiling.

11. Dallas Cowboys (+1)
Super Bowl odds: +1800

After a doom-and-gloom offseason, it’s been a productive training camp for the Cowboys. Their two rookie starters on the offensive line look like ballers, and they’ve signed a handful of useful veterans on defense. Of course, when you’re trying to end a famously long NFC Championship Game drought, does anyone care about preseason hype?

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12. Los Angeles Rams (-1)
Super Bowl odds: +3000

My confidence is sky-high in Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay and this offense — particularly with a re-tooled offensive line. I will say, I had a lot more faith in the defense replacing Aaron Donald during the summer before anyone had taken the field. Here in Week 1, I’m a little nervous about how well that unit can hold up.

13. New York Jets (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +1800

The potential is so tantalizing. If all the little things go correctly, the Jets truly have Super Bowl potential. It’s just a matter of how much you trust everything to go so smoothly. Personally, I’m buying it. I think Aaron Rodgers is going to ball, and I think the Jets will make their first playoff appearance since 2010. Please don’t remind me I said this in a month if it blows up in my face. 

14. Atlanta Falcons (+3)
Super Bowl odds: +2600

Back in July, I was nervous about the Falcons’ defense. Atlanta responded by trading for Matthew Judon and signing Justin Simmons. This won’t be the best defense in the league, but it’s more than good enough to complement a talented offense. It’s close, but I’ve got to say the Falcons look like favorites to win the NFC South.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1)
Super Bowl odds: +6500

I’m so conflicted about the NFC South. Clearly, I’m buying into what Atlanta is selling. But don’t dismiss the Buccaneers. I think the run game is going to be much improved this year, and the rest of the roster from 2023’s playoff run is still here. I don’t know why so many people are so quick to write them off. I see Tampa as a threat to win the division – or maybe even steal a wild-card spot.

16. Miami Dolphins (-1)
Super Bowl odds: +2200

I’m still just as worried about Miami as I was in July. The offense is going to look like a pinball game and put up crazy numbers. My question is whether the offensive line can hold up any better than it did last year. On top of that, how are Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips going to recover from injury? Lots of big questions in Miami.

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17. Chicago Bears (-1)
Super Bowl odds: +3500

We’re all hyped for Caleb Williams, we all have big expectations for what this team can be. But here in Week 1, the Bears now have to go out and prove it. It’s rare to see a team that went 7-10 the year before enter a season with this many eyeballs on it. That’s a testament to the offseason Chicago has had. Now, it’s time to live up to the billing in the regular season.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +4500

Apparently, it’s a hot take to say you believe in Trevor Lawrence in 2024, but I do. The Jags were in the thick of the AFC race when they ultimately fell apart last year. The defense should be better, and first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. looked like a star in training camp. If Jacksonville can sort out its offensive line, these guys could surprise some people.

19. Seattle Seahawks (+1)
Super Bowl odds: +5500

Feels like a lot of the preseason hype is on Geno Smith and the exciting receiver room. Understandably so. Personally, I can’t wait to see how quickly Mike Macdonald can turn Seattle’s defense into a fire-breathing unit like the ones we saw in Baltimore. With pieces like Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Williams and Riq Woolen on hand, we might not be waiting long.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers (-1)
Super Bowl odds: +5000

Russell Wilson was good enough to win the starting job in Pittsburgh. Is he still good enough to keep the Steelers in playoff contention? Mike Tomlin’s track record suggests so. But very quietly, it’s such a brutal miss to lose out on Brandon Aiyuk at the last minute. The receiver situation behind George Pickens feels awfully dicey. 

21. Indianapolis Colts (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +5500

We all know the stakes: If Anthony Richardson hits on his unworldly potential, the Colts will be a problem for the rest of the AFC. Bluntly, we just haven’t seen enough of the guy to know for sure. It’s hard to know how to feel about Indy until we’ve gotten a longer look at Richardson in Year 2.

22. Arizona Cardinals (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +8000

Write the Cardinals off at your own peril. Kyler Murray is back, and he now has some exciting talent around him on offense. Never mind the fact that Arizona’s defense still needs a lot of work; this team should be a blast to watch — on offense, anyway.

23. Minnesota Vikings (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +8000

It’s time to see just what Sam Darnold has learned over the past few years. He’s got one more shot at a starting job, and the Vikings are a much better team than the Carolina teams he played for in 2021-22. If Darnold is good, this is a surprisingly frisky Vikings team. If he’s bad, a fourth-place finish is on deck.

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24. Tennessee Titans (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +15000

The goal is simple: figure out whether Will Levis is a franchise quarterback worth building around. The Titans might not be good enough to win the AFC South, but they’re certainly good enough to give their young QB a fair evaluation. If Levis is in fact a franchise guy, Tennessee might have a shot at making the playoffs.

25. Washington Commanders (+3)
Super Bowl odds: +12000

It’s only preseason, but I’ve seen enough from Jayden Daniels to be excited. There will be growing pains, but he looked so poised and decisive during the preseason. The Commanders will probably finish with a losing record, but they’re going to have a heck of a lot of fun along the way.

26. Los Angeles Chargers (+1)
Super Bowl odds: +4000

It feels dangerous to doubt Jim Harbaugh, but I just don’t see enough pieces on this roster to inspire confidence. I still believe in Justin Herbert, but is the surrounding talent on offense good enough to help him? It just feels like this is a reset year, and the hope is that the Chargers will be frisky in 2025.

27. Denver Broncos (+4)
Super Bowl odds: +25000

Maybe I’m buying the Bo Nix hype a little bit, because I had the Broncos ranked 31st six weeks ago and I’ve bumped them up a bit. I still don’t think Denver’s going to win a ton of games, but if Nix is a good player from the jump, it will go a long way toward restoring confidence in the Sean Payton regime.

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28. New Orleans Saints (-3)
Super Bowl odds: +10000

I’m not convinced the Saints’ offensive line is noticeably improved from 2023. And if the protection isn’t good, Derek Carr’s going to struggle. It’s a harsh reality, because the Saints should have a defense that keeps them competitive every week.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (-3)
Super Bowl odds: +10000

I’ll keep saying it: The Raiders’ overall roster is pretty solid, the issue is just that their QB room is one of the worst in the NFL. Maybe Gardner Minshew can work his magic again like he did in Indianapolis, but I think Vegas is going to be hamstrung at the game’s most important position. That’s tough to overcome.

30. New England Patriots (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +30000

Jacoby Brissett is going to get the nod for Week 1, and my guess is Drake Maye will get his first shot to start by Halloween. The problem is, I just don’t think the supporting cast on offense is good enough for either of these two to be successful.

31. New York Giants (-2)
Super Bowl odds: +15000

I started the preseason thinking that Daniel Jones wouldn’t be the Giants’ quarterback in 2025, and I’m not moving off my spot. I think the hope in New York this season is that Malik Nabers and this offensive line will grow into promising pieces that can help the Giants’ next QB.

32. Carolina Panthers (no change)
Super Bowl odds: +25000

I’m dying to move the Panthers higher, because there’s legitimate reason for optimism that Bryce Young and this offense will be better. Seeing is believing, though. This is where the Panthers have to start the season until they prove otherwise.

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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