Chiefs Dynasty Isn’t Over: Why Kansas City Remains Super Bowl Favorite

The Kansas City Chiefs set a franchise record with 15 victories last season. And yet, tons of people are writing them off this year.

The Chiefs have played in five of the past six Super Bowls, and suddenly there are people saying their dynasty is over? Perhaps we’ve reached the point of “Chiefs fatigue.”

Let’s hope nobody’s concerns are tied to Kansas City going 0-3 this preseason.

Hey, did I miss Patrick Mahomes’ retirement?

If Mahomes is still on the Chiefs, they aren’t turning into the New York Giants. You can count on another double-digit victory season for Kansas City in 2025 — and the club remaining a top contender for another Super Bowl title.

That would make 11 straight seasons of 10 or more wins, the first three with Alex Smith at the helm. The Chiefs have won 14 or more games in three of the past five seasons.

Dig a little deeper, and the doubters seem to be clinging to Kansas City’s ugly Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chiefs were down 24-0 at halftime, and the game was essentially over. When Philadelphia led 40-6 midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles were a field goal away from handing Kansas City the second-worst blowout in Super Bowl history.

Mahomes and the Chiefs did score 16 points in the final three minutes to make the 40-22 final look better in the record books. But we know better.

No matter how you slice it, how a team fared seven months ago has nothing to do with this season’s outlook.

Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the sport. As long as he’s healthy, the Chiefs will keep stacking wins. Andy Reid is still the head coach, and if there’s one thing Reid has mastered, it’s knowing when to flip the switch.

FanDuel has Kansas City’s over-under win total at 11.5. That sounds about right.

The Chiefs will be without top receiver Rashee Rice for the first six games due to a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Translation: acting like a NASCAR driver on a Dallas freeway and leaving the scene of a crash that injured people is not a good career move.

Mahomes will miss Rice, but other guys will step up. Rice played in just four games last season due to a serious knee injury, and Kansas City still moved the ball just fine.

Rookie Xavier Worthy caught 59 passes for 638 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns. There’s no reason he can’t approach 1,000 yards this season.

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown badly injured a shoulder in the preseason and played in only two games. But he does have a 1,000-yard campaign on his résumé.

And of course, there’s still that Travis Kelce guy — the 10-time Pro Bowl tight end with 1,004 career receptions.

Some folks are also worried about the defense, mostly because of how easily the Eagles did whatever they wanted in February. But you’ve got to wipe the slate clean.

The Chiefs finished fourth in scoring defense (19.2 points per game) and ninth in total defense (320.6 yards per game) last season.

Star pass rusher Chris Jones earned first-team All-Pro honors. Cornerback Trent McDuffie made the second team. Defensive end George Karlaftis had eight sacks, bringing his three-year total to 24.5. Nobody’s saying he’s Jared Allen or Neil Smith, but he’s doing just fine at 24 years old.

What can’t be overlooked: Kansas City knows how to navigate January. The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens haven’t reached the big game once in the Mahomes era. In the past six years, only the Cincinnati Bengals have prevented the Chiefs from getting there.

So, the Chiefs remain top contenders until proven otherwise. Nothing has changed for 2025.

Kansas City is still at the top of the class.