Why Super Bowl Revenge Looks A Long Shot For Chiefs

NFL 2025 season

Dates: 4 September 2025 - 8 February 2026

BBC coverage: The Whole 10 Yards each Tuesday connected nan BBC website and iPlayer. Live matter sum each Sunday connected BBC Sport website and app, and unrecorded power commentary of selected games connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, pinch Philadelphia Eagles astatine Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday (from 21:00 BST)

It's week 2 of nan NFL play and aft 2 thrilling games won by nan Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers past week, we now person a Super Bowl rematch. The NFL conscionable knows really to create these match-ups.

The Kansas City Chiefs big nan Philadelphia Eagles connected Sunday and this is going to beryllium very absorbing because it's decidedly a revenge game. The Eagles hit nan Chiefs 40-22 successful nan Super Bowl and nullified them till precocious successful nan 3rd quarter.

I deliberation nan biggest quality betwixt nan 2 teams is their roster. You look astatine nan Eagles, they person Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown. You tin support listing each these awesome players, and I conscionable don't cognize who nan Chiefs person immoderate more. It's Patrick Mahomes... past what is that supporting cast?

Rashee Rice is suspended for their first six games and Xavier Worthy suffered a enarthrosis wounded arsenic he and Travis Kelce ran into each different successful last week's conclusion by nan Los Angeles Chargers successful Brazil.

That leaves Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster arsenic nan main receivers, which puts a batch of unit connected because nan Chiefs' tally crippled has not been terrific astatine all.

The Chargers crippled was very overmuch nan Mahomes show. At 1 point, he had much carries than anybody other connected nan field. He put his assemblage connected nan statement aggregate times - those hits adhd up, and you don't want to spot your superstar backmost risking his wellness truthful early successful nan season.

Mahomes had six scrambles and nan Chiefs only ran it 11 different times. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt mixed for 41 yards pinch 10 of those carries, and that's conscionable not sustainable.

After nan Eagles, nan Chiefs look nan New York Giants and past nan Baltimore Ravens so, realistically, they could person a 1-3 grounds aft 4 weeks.

Baltimore is simply a immense crippled and pinch nan Ravens losing to nan Bills past week, they're going to person a batch to beryllium arsenic well, to show that they want to beryllium connected top.

The Eagles person a reliable tally defence, and nan Giants person a bully defence too, truthful I deliberation that will beryllium telling, to spot really nan Chiefs are capable to tally nan ball. These 2 games stacked together, nan Chiefs almost person to deliberation astir really they are going to hole themselves to guarantee they're firing connected each cylinders for nan Ravens.

Last year, nan Chiefs won truthful galore one-score games, and they're going to person to beryllium overmuch amended to do that again. They whitethorn beryllium retired for revenge against nan Eagles but I don't deliberation they person it successful them... yet.

Rashee Rice is simply a immense portion of their violative strategy and, without Worthy, they don't person immoderate heavy threat either so, I dislike to opportunity it, but I really struggle to spot what they'll beryllium capable to do. I don't spot what their answers are correct now.

In nan off-season, nan Chiefs mislaid Joe Thuney, who was immense for them connected defence, but they did draught a near tackle successful nan first round, Josh Simmons, to thief protect Mahomes more, and brought successful different violative tackle successful Jaylon Moore, truthful they are doing nan correct things to create spot connected nan violative line.

They request to because nan AFC West is nan toughest it's been successful a agelong clip - nary of it is fixed this year. The Chargers hit nan Chiefs, nan Las Vegas Raiders person sewage amended and Bo Nix has only sewage stronger pinch nan Denver Broncos.

I still deliberation nan Chiefs will make nan play-offs but if they transportation connected for illustration this, I would beryllium concerned.

When Mahomes scrambled against nan Chargers, location was obscurity for him to go, whereas successful nan Eagles' triumph complete nan Dallas Cowboys, Jalen Hurts was successful control.

The Eagles backmost could tally nan shot erstwhile he wants to, erstwhile he's capable to make thing happen. He was not forced into a business wherever he has to tally it, and some he and Saquon Barkley did a awesome occupation connected nan ground. Hurts had 2 rushing touchdowns and Barkley had nan other.

Hurts conscionable knows nan timing and really to onslaught a defence. Then you look astatine nan receivers nan Eagles person - AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Jahan Dotson. There's conscionable truthful galore much options, whereas it feels very condensed for nan Chiefs.

You person to look astatine what Eagles wide head Howie Roseman continues to do pinch his teams. Every clip personification zigs, he zags. He's ever reasoning ahead.

Even though they mislaid starting correct defender Mekhi Becton and released a mates of different players, I consciousness for illustration they've sewage moreover better.

They were still capable to adhd 10 talented rookies from nan draft, Barkley signed a statement hold and they person conscionable traded for moving backmost Tank Bigsby.

They've besides sewage 1 of nan younger protect corps. Jalen Carter wasn't moreover successful nan crippled against nan Cowboys after his spitting incident and nan Eagles still had a beautiful ascendant win.

When you get to a Super Bowl, of people nan encephalon drain occurs. Offensive co-ordinator Kellen Moore has go nan New Orleans caput coach, but Kevin Patullo has been promoted from passing crippled coordinator and was besides Eagles caput coach Nick Sirianni's assistant, truthful he already understands a batch astir that role.

This squad has done specified a awesome occupation successful nan off-season successful truthful galore facets – connected nan field, disconnected nan field, beforehand agency – truthful I deliberation they tin decidedly make it backmost to nan Super Bowl.

But I can't opportunity they're going to triumph it because of nan Bills. That comeback against nan Ravens past week... erstwhile you've done thing for illustration that, you consciousness for illustration you tin execute thing arsenic a team, and they'll purpose to transportation that standard.

So I deliberation Bills-Eagles for nan Super Bowl. And nan Bills had amended triumph it to headdress their Highmark Stadium farewell tour. It's what nan storytellers want.

Phoebe Schecter was speaking to BBC Sport's Ben Collins