By John Mesh
In a letter to the New York Journal in 1897, Mark Twain said “the report of my death was an exaggeration” — not “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
Despite three Super Bowl victories in six years and nine straight AFC West titles, the talking heads in the sports world already are predicting doom and gloom for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Reports of the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs are an exaggeration, but they will make for fine bulletin board motivation.
I hate to break it to these prognosticators and commentators, but the road to the AFC championship still runs through Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City — much as the road to the NFC Championship and Super Bowl will go through the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles demolished the Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl 59 after KC took Super Bowls 57 and 58.
Super Bowl LX, the 60th Super Bowl, will be held in 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.
Commentators are circling like sharks smelling blood. Many reasons are cited.
Analysts like Colin Cowherd at FS1 and Damien Woody (former NL offensive lineman) at ESPN have pointed to the significant improvements made by other teams in the AFC West (the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders).
These teams have invested in coaching staffs and rosters, narrowing the gap that the Chiefs previously enjoyed.
It has been argued that the Chiefs’ margin for error in the division is now much smaller than in previous years, due to the overall strength of their divisional rivals.
However, many analysts still believe that as long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are with the Chiefs, they will remain strong contenders.
Despite the commentary, BetMGM still lists the Kansas City Chiefs as the favorites to win the AFC West in 2025.
Kansas City opens the season Friday, Sept. 5, in São Paulo, Brazil against AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers. The game will be televised on YouTube. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Kansas high schools play their first football games of the season on that Friday night.
The Chiefs and Eagles rematch is Sunday, Sept. 14, at home. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m.
Even after their Super Bowl loss, I believe the Chiefs are capable of re-tooling and maintaining their high level of play.
I’m not going to make a prediction because I suck at predictions, but I think the Kansas City Chiefs are a good bet to get back to the Super Bowl. So should the Philadelphia Eagles.
I’m hoping for a different outcome this year that has the Chiefs winning another Super Bowl.