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Chiefs Named No. 1 Contender To Dethrone Eagles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated May 20, 2025 7:32 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs will be on a redemption tour in 2025 after the curb-stomping they suffered at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles to end the three-peat chance in the Super Bowl.

After an offseason that saw some key pieces leave, and some so-so ones come back the other way while retaining others (Nick Bolton), Kansas City has a lot more skeptics than it did a year ago.

Still, when you have Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and one of the best defensive minds in football (Steve Spagnuolo), you still have a lot going for you.

And while some aren't sold on the Chiefs having the fuel needed to make it back to the top of the NFL mountain, for NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha, Kansas City is the No. 1 threat to dethrone the Eagles...if they fix one thing.

"The Chiefs are always a safe pick when you're talking about teams that could contend for a championship," Chadiha writes. "They've won three of the last six Super Bowls and they've played in five overall since Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback in 2018.

"There's a lot to like about Kansas City, including the fact that burgeoning star wide receiver Rashee Rice returns from injury and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones remains one of the most disruptive interior players in football. However, the Chiefs are not going to win another championship unless that O-line improves. Everything this team aspires to revolves around that."

So, despite many jumping off the bandwagon, the defending AFC champs still have the necessary weaponry on both sides of the ball, plus their big-game mentality, which has served them so well, still in their back pocket.

Expected to be the AFC West champs again, which would make it 10 straight titles, the Chiefs will be playoff-bound, and make no mistake, the "aura" around Mahomes at that time of year still bugs teams.

If the Chiefs do make the postseason, it won't matter what their seeding is; they will lurk as most teams' bogeyman. Just because the Eagles showed them a clean set of heels in the Super Bowl doesn't mean they are now suddenly an also-ran.

They have a chip on their shoulder, and as we know, Mahomes doesn't take too kindly to that sort of chatter.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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