Penton: Chiefs chasing third straight Super Bowl
By Bruce Penton
Bookmakers in Las Vegas say the Kansas City Chiefs are the betting favourites to win the 2025 Super Bowl, but coach Andy Reid’s team had the most underwhelming regular season of the top five or six playoff contenders.
Even though the Chiefs went 15-2, losing the unimportant last game of the season where quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a number of other regulars did not play, their regular season was coloured with mediocrity. They outscored their opponents by a grand total of 59 points in 17 games, fewer than four points per game. In fact, they won only five games by double figures, but eked out one-, two- or three-point victories on five other occasions.
Supporters say winning is the only thing that matters, and the Chiefs have been good at it the last three years. Two consecutive Super Bowl victories and being favoured for a third is all the proof KC fans need that the end result, not the route taken, is what matters.
So what might transpire between now and Feb. 9 when the AFC and NFC champions meet in New Orleans?
For most of the regular season, Detroit Lions were the Super Bowl favourites, slightly ahead of the Chiefs, before injuries began to pile up. The Lions’ defence became more porous, but a season-ending 31-9 win over Minnesota in a battle of 14-2 teams, was indicative of a correction. As some of the injured players recover, Detroit might again be the league’s No. 1 team.
Can Philadelphia Eagles be discounted? Philly has the game’s top running back, Saquan Barkley, who approached Eric Dickerson’s single-season record for most yards gained before sitting out the final game of the season, and quarterback Jalen Hurts finds wideouts A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith often enough for the team to pile up major point totals. Their defence is also stalwart.
There are three other legitimate contenders: Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills, The Ravens and Bills could both handle KC on a good day. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson is the likely Most Valuable Player, with his arm talent and running ability too much for many defences. The Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, also a strong MVP contender, finished the season 13-4 and will have home-field advantage during the first two rounds of playoffs. Minnesota is the surprise team of the top contenders. The Vikings lost their would-be starting quarterback, rookie J.J. McCarthy, to a pre-season injury, and then watched as journeyman Sam Arnold turned in a spectacular season. The off-season will be interesting in Minneapolis as the Vikings’ brass decides on their quarterback situation. Do they pay Darnold big bucks, and let McCarthy sit and learn for a couple of years? Or do they save some money by letting Darnold go free and go all-in on McCarthy?
A blown call, a dropped pass, a critical fumble or a 99-yard punt return could throw all the playoff predictions out the window. That’s why the next month is going to be great theatre for fans of the NFL.
A New York Jets executive, in a story in the Athletic, on the NFL team’s dysfunction: “The football people are not the issue. It’s, ‘Hey, I have brain cancer.’ And, ‘Well, just cut off your foot.’”
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “I've watched maybe one minute of figure skating in years, and I happened to see a replay of French skater Gabriella Papadakis’ infamous wardrobe malfunction. Is that peeking at the right time?”
Headline at the onion.com: “More Parents Say Allowing Child To Play Football Not Worth Risk Of Being Drafted By Jets”
Lizzie F. in a Chicago Bears’ mailbag: “What legal action can I take against my parents for raising me as a Bears fan? When does this become cruel and unusual punishment?”
Headline at theonion.com: “Jets Fans Required To Sign NDA Before Leaving Stadium”
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “Wonder how many owners in sports are paying attention to what the Suns are doing in Phoenix, charging $2 at concessions stands for water, soda, hotdogs, and popcorn? A small popcorn at Cineplex is $9 now. And you wonder why people don’t go to movies anymore.”
Headline at fark.com: “The Bears have ruined a lot of quarterbacks. But have they ever ruined a coach? Pete Carroll may find out.”
Columnist Dave Barry of the Miami Herald in his 2024 review: “As the Olympic Games get underway in Paris, tens of millions of viewers tune in to NBC to watch three action-packed weeks of Snoop Dogg reacting to French things.”
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Joe Polo, fifth on the U.S. gold-medal curling team, named his daughter Ailsa after a Scottish island that produces the stone for curling rocks. The kid already feels taken for granite.”
Headline at fark.com: “Sixty-five-year-old Mike Wallace to attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 after years away from the sport. Observers say it’s no big deal, he’s just a little Rusty.”
Sharon Kuruvilla, on Bluesky: “In approximately five years, a megachurch will have ads for sports betting apps during the intermission.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca