One of the things with historic records is that they are there to be broken.
There’s never been an NFL franchise that has won three consecutive editions of the Super Bowl – a hoodoo that dates back the best part of 60 years.
So can the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl champions in 2023 and 2024, prove that records are there to be broken in 2025?
Patrick’s Hat-Trick
Sportsbooks like Sports Interaction will price up their Super Bowl futures well in advance of the new season, while tweaking the lines even after the action has gotten underway. And it won’t come as a surprise to learn that the Canadian operator is coming down heavily on the side of the Chiefs, making them +600 favourites to win a third consecutive Super Bowl – despite the weight of history being against them.
Although such things are subjective, there’s also an element of objectivity about a team that has already gone to the well twice in recent years – needing late heroics to see off the Eagles in 2023, and then overtime to battle past the 49ers in February.
What a night 🏆 #SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/vanuIKYuZP
— Super Bowl (@SuperBowl) February 12, 2024
Kansas possesses players capable of pulling these irons from the fire, including the defensive duo Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, as well as the playmaking abilities of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The 28-year-old continues to confound critics who expect a regression in his form. Mahomes enjoyed the best postseason of his career in 2023-24, completing more passes than ever before and surpassing the 1,000-point mark.
It’s no wonder that the Chiefs are so hard to beat with Mahomes dictating the play, although several other franchises – with impressive young quarterbacks of their own – will be out to cause a shock in 2024-25.
No Quarter Given
Although having a quality quarterback in your midst doesn’t guarantee success in the NFL, it certainly helps – in fact, you won’t find many Super Bowl champions that didn’t have a safe pair of hands acting as playmaker.
In Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills have the NFL’s other superstar QB. He passed 4,000 passing yards for the fourth consecutive season in 2023, while also rushing for 523 yards himself – highlighting the danger, and variety, that he possesses.
The Cincinnati Bengals missed out on the playoffs last season, but they were hardly aided by a series of injuries to star quarterback Joe Burrow. Assuming he can stay fit, his partnership with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase could well see the Bengals become the surprise package of 2024-25.
.@KetteringHealth Injury Update: QB Joe Burrow has a right wrist injury. His return is questionable.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) November 17, 2023
Another quarterback-wide receiver combination this season could be that of Houston Texans duo C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins. Of the starting QBs, nobody through for more yards per game in the regular season than Stroud, while Collins ran in 1,297 yards of his own.
If they fire, and the Texans are able to recruit sensibly in other areas, Houston could be a surprise contender for Kansas’ crown.
Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and hell hath no fury like a San Francisco 49er scorned – you can see just how tough a historic three-peat will be for the Chiefs this season.
