No NFL franchise in the Super Bowl era, which began in earnest back in 1967, has won the Vince Lombardi Trophy in three consecutive years. And so this current Kansas City Chiefs team is closing in on a piece of history that will secure them front row positioning in the NFL hall of fame. Having held their nerve to win both Super Bowl LVII (in 2023) and LVIII earlier this year, the Chiefs have started their 2024-25 campaign with a perfect 7-0 start, defeating potential opponents at Super Bowl LIX, such as the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, along the way.
So are we about to witness something truly extraordinary? Or can one of the NFL’s other teams step up and break Kansas City hearts?
Magnificent Seven
Anyone placing a bet on NFL 2024-25 essentially has to ask themselves one question: Is this Kansas team strong enough to overcome nearly 60 years of history that says that they WON’T win a third consecutive Super Bowl?
The sportsbooks still need some convincing because Super Bowl odds of +400 on the Chiefs—as opposed to +600 and +650 on the Ravens and Detroit Lions, respectively—suggest that the analysts are not all-in on the chances of Patrick Mahomes and co.
And maybe, looking at the stats following Gameweek 8, they might have a point.
Take any category of your choosing, and there’s a strong chance that the Chiefs won’t be top of it. That’s certainly the case on offense, where they languish in ninth place for points scored per game, as well as eleventh place for total yards per game and just 18th for passing yards per outing.
Even when we switch to defense, the picture remains somewhat the same. The Chiefs rank fifth for total yards allowed per game, and the same for points conceded per outing. So, there’s a case to be made that they aren’t elite in any department. But then… they have Mahomes. And they know how to win games. And, for the most part, their schedule so far in 2024-25 has been pretty tough.
We move to 7-0 on the season for the first time since 2013!
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 28, 2024
What they lack in star power, Mahomes aside, Kansas City more than makes up for in that ability just to win football games by any means necessary.
But if they aren’t elite in any single department, does that make them vulnerable – particularly in a one-off, playoff game?
Lions Roaring
Although they don’t boast that perfect 100% record after eight rounds of action, the Detroit Lions have gone pretty darn close at 6-1. The Lions needed overtime to see off a determined Los Angeles Rams in Gameweek 1, but since then their offense in particular has been in stunning form.
Detroit scored 31 points more in each of their three outings in October, as well as a 42-29 thumping of Seattle in the last week of September. They comfortably lead the way in terms of most points scored per game. They are yet to tackle one of the strongest franchises in the NFL, but big wins against the likes of Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys – who might be filed away as ‘respectable’ opposition – at least offer something of a marker.
📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/O4BKgO6bY1
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 28, 2024
Football fans will argue until they’re blue in the face that it’s offense, or defense, that wins championships – the true answer, of course, is that it’s a bit of both.
But in tight playoff games, where a moment of magic from an individual can make all of the difference, you’d certainly be happy to have the Lions’ abundance of offensive talent on your side; be it the currently golden arm of Jared Goff, the fleet-footed Amon-Ra St. Brown, or the explosive power of their rushing corps.
Whether Detroit’s defense can hold up their end of the bargain remains to be seen, but after eight rounds of action they are averaging just 19.1 points conceded per game.
Can anybody stop the Chiefs? Maybe this is the Lions’ time to roar.
