2024 NFL Kickoff Game odds: Super Bowl champion Chiefs set at 10.5 wins next season, favored to open vs. Ravens
No team has won three straight Super Bowls. Will Kansas City accomplish the feat next season?
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The Kansas City Chiefs are officially a dynasty after winning their third Super Bowl in the past five seasons on Sunday – rallying from double-digit deficits in all three games – but no team has won three straight titles in the Super Bowl era. At DraftKings, Patrick Mahomes & Co. are +650 second-favorites to win Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, and DK already has set the Chiefs' over/under season win total at 10.5. Which team will they open against in the annual Kickoff Game on Sept. 5? SportsLine oddsmakers favor Baltimore slightly over Cincinnati.
The Chiefs became the first team to defeat four of the top six defenses in regular-season points per game in a single postseason. They became the first repeat champions since the 2003-04 New England Patriots, snapping the longest such drought in NFL history.
Kansas City is the fifth team and fourth franchise to win three Super Bowls in a five-year span along with the 1970s Steelers, 1990s Cowboys, 2000s Patriots and 2010s Patriots. Know this, however: No back-to-back Super Bowl winner has even returned to the big game in the following season. The last major American pro team to win three titles in a row was the 2000-02 Los Angeles Lakers.
Coach Andy Reid and tight end Travis Kelce already said they would return next season instead of retiring – although Kelce might have about one billion reasons to quit if things continue to go well with Taylor Swift. Reid became the fifth head coach with at least three Super Bowl wins, joining Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs and Bill Walsh.
While Mahomes was certainly deserving of winning his third Super Bowl MVP Award, an argument absolutely could have been made for Kansas City defensive lineman Chris Jones as he was dominant. For example, with the 49ers facing a third-and-4 from the Kansas City 9-yard line in overtime, Jones broke through the San Francisco line to pressure QB Brock Purdy into throwing away the ball despite Jauan Jennings breaking free for a possible touchdown. The Niners would settle for a field goal, and the Chiefs won the game on their next possession.
You may remember that Jones missed the 2023 Kickoff Game, which Kansas City lost at home to Detroit, because he was holding out for a new deal. The sides ended up agreeing on a one-year, $19.5 million contract, but Jones will cost a lot more this offseason. Using the franchise tag on him would cost more than $32 million, which would be the largest tag hit for a non-quarterback in NFL history. CBS Sports ranks Jones as the potential No. 1 free agent in the league. Cornerback L'Jarus Sneed is also set for free agency. He led the team in passes defended and interceptions this season.
Kansas City will play in the Kickoff Game – Thursday, Sept. 5 on NBC – for the record-tying fourth time. An AFC title game rematch against 2023 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson (tying Mahomes with his second regular-season MVP) makes a ton of sense, especially as the Ravens will be contenders again (+900 to win Super Bowl 59). Jackson has never played in the Kickoff Game, as Baltimore hasn't played in it since 2013.
Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow has become one of the AFC's top QB rivalries, and the Bengals have never played in the Kickoff Game (neither have the Cardinals, Browns Jaguars or Chargers). Would the league and NBC want Texans-Chiefs again after that was the matchup for the 2020 Kickoff Game?
Generally speaking, divisional games are not played in the Kickoff Game (Packers-Bears in 2019 was a special occasion to start the league's 100th season). The only "interesting" AFC West matchup, with all due respect to the Raiders and Broncos, would be Chargers at Chiefs in Jim Harbaugh's first game back as an NFL coach with Los Angeles.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which team will the Chiefs host in the 2024 NFL Kickoff Game?
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