The Kansas City Chiefs hope to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls this season.
The best way to do that is to be the AFC's No. 1 seed, which will require winning games early and often.
The NFL is releasing the full schedule for the regular season on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET but has already announced the Chiefs will be hosting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 and Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
Both teams will be tough matchups out of the gate. With quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, they are expected to be Super Bowl contenders. However, tight end Travis Kelce wouldn't have it any other way.
"I do like playing the potential, like, top teams in the league early," Kelce said on his "New Heights" podcast. "I'd rather play them early or like midseason. I don't like playing at the end of the season outside of the division. I just feel like it's too close to the playoffs and if I have a chance to play them in the playoffs, I want to keep that game fresh."
There's an argument for both sides. Even the best teams must shake off their rust at the beginning of the year, but it's almost guaranteed they'll be fully healthy or close it.
The first game of the regular season is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship game, this time in Kansas City.
The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in Baltimore to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII. It will likely be a close affair once again.
Kansas City's second game of the year will be the fifth installment of Patrick Mahomes vs. Burrow.
Burrow has dominated the series, going 3-1 (regular season and playoffs) against the Chiefs while passing for 1,252 yards, nine touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Kansas City's recent success has been due to their late-season runs. So, a slow start is nothing to worry about for Kelce and the Chiefs if that's how things play out.
