A few days removed from Super Bowl LIX, the Kansas City Chiefs are now regrouping from a brutal 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. A nearly three-year reign over the NFL comes to an end with a busy offseason ahead.
The Chiefs have a number of free agents heading into this period and legendary tight end Travis Kelce has contemplated retirement.
Without any moves official, it is perfectly clear that the 2025 roster may have an entirely new outlook.
While Kansas City navigates these changes, their vaunted foes are in hot pursuit. The Buffalo Bills nearly clipped them once again in the AFC Championship Game and the Baltimore Ravens remain a threat with Lamar Jackson commanding their group.
Sunday the Chiefs learned that the strongest challenges are not confined to their conference. The Eagles’ beat down showed this team has some major change in order if they want to maintain their stranglehold of the AFC
But ESPN’s overhaul tier list still has Kansas City atop the list of major contenders, alone in that category with Philadelphia. One loss does not define a proven winner in this league though reputation could be in play here.
The aftershock of the Super Bowl loss has signaled a vibe could shift heading into the 2025 offseason. So how do the Chiefs respond to keep their run going?
Their receiving room would be a good start. None of their pass catchers could create any separation against an admittedly adverse Eagles secondary. But Patrick Mahomes needs a better crop of pass catchers to supplement what Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice bring to the table.
Staying on that side, Kansas City must evaluate what proved to be a porous offensive line. Trey Smith could get picked up in free agency, meaning the Chiefs’ best lineman would be gone and make the reset of this area much more difficult.
Defensively, decisions will need to be made on players like Justin Reid and Nick Bolton while keeping the salary cap in mind.
A singular loss should not draw too much reaction in most cases. The Chiefs loss to a truly dominant Eagles team to drop their first Super Bowl in a few years should not many alarms.
But there is a clear expectation and standard that this franchise has become accustomed to. When that status could be in jeopardy, there is plenty reason to take action.
