The National Football League offers us a good one tonight. The two Super Bowl teams from last year’s final leg to earn the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and the only two teams in the entire NFL that could take the field with more wins and less losses between them this season. The Kansas City Chiefs play host to the team they beat in Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles.
When one thinks of the Chiefs, the first thing to come to mind is their dynamic quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. And while he remains the pinnacle of quarterback play in the NFL, it might surprise you to know that the Chiefs have allowed the fewest points in the league this season. At the same time, their 2023 offense is ranked in the middle of the league; 14 teams have scored more points than the Chiefs entering play this week.
So, if Mahomes still leads a solid offense, and Andy Reid’s defense has allowed the fewest points in the league, you might assume that the Chiefs appear poised for another Super Bowl run.
Not so fast.
The Chiefs have a couple marks against their chances of advancing to their fourth Super Bowl in five years. First, they lost their season opener to the Detroit Lions. Does that matter? It sure does. Only one of the previous 57 Super Bowl winners lost at home on opening day. For the record, that was the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Second, the Chiefs come into tonight’s game with one less win than the visiting Eagles and it is Philadelphia, who could well have the eye of the tiger in their quest to erase that bitter Super Bowl defeat.