The Kansas City Chiefs are likely still getting over the Super Bowl debacle at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, with the franchise getting curb-stomped 40-22.
The offensive line was so-so all season, and despite a 15-2 regular season, in the Super Bowl, the line was ran through by the Eagles' defensive front, giving Patrick Mahomes no time to throw.
Now, as we look ahead to the 2025 season, many wonder if the offensive line has improved enough to adequately protect Patrick, and in truth, the success of the year might depend on that.
For The Athletic, the Super Bowl loss might have just opened the eye of the rest of the league in how to stop this juggernaut.
"Kansas City went 12-0 in one-score games last season, a record that began after an Isaiah Likely toe cost the Ravens a chance at overtime," The Athletic writes. "That run of good fortune continued until the Super Bowl, when their blowout 40-22 loss to the Eagles exposed this offensive line (six sacks allowed despite zero blitzes) and might have shared the blueprint for stopping Kansas City."
Now, is it feasible to go 15-2 again? Not likely. Nor is going perfect in one-score games; the ball will bounce the other way eventually, right?
So, yes, a regression will be coming, but that is only natural, and a 12-5 or 11-6 season wouldn't be the end of the world for Kansas City and might still be enough for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and winning the division.
There is no denying that for the rest of the league, the Chiefs feel there to be got at in 2025. They have their doubters, and the biggest weakness (they think) was exposed in the Super Bowl, so all teams will be coming for blood this upcoming season.
And they might be using the Eagles' blueprint as a way to finally end the Chiefs' run for dominance in the NFL.
But will it work?
