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The latest
10. Chiefs (2018-present)
By virtue of Sunday night’s win, the Chiefs earned a spot among the top-10 teams of the Super Bowl era, ahead of the 2000s Steelers, late ‘90s Broncos and Bill Parcells’ Giants of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Each of those teams also won two Super Bowls during their respective eras.
The Chiefs’ recent run of success is even more impressive considering that it is happening during the Super Bowl era. Kansas City joined the Patriots as the only teams this century to play in three Super Bowls over a four-year span. It did so despite trading away one of the NFL’s best skill players, Tyreek Hill, during the offseason.
Why they’re No. 10: Kansas City has one of the game’s all-time great coaches in Reid, the best quarterback in today’s NFL in Mahomes, and a future Hall of Fame tight end in Travis Kelce. They also have other elite players like center Joe Thuney and defensive lineman Chris Jones, as well as a slew of other talented players who contributed to the team’s most recent title and will continue to aid the Chiefs in their quest for more titles in the coming years.
The Chiefs can move further up this list if they can do something that hasn’t been done in nearly 20 years: win back-to-back titles, a feat that has only been accomplished by the Brady-Belichick Patriots since the start of the millennium.
Super Bowl LVII draws average audience of 113 million viewers | The Athletic
Super Bowl LVII, a 38-35 Chiefs victory over the Eagles in Phoenix, drew an average of 113 million viewers across television (Fox and Fox Deportes) and digital (Fox and NFL properties) platforms, according to Fox. Here’s what you need to know:
Kansas City ranked No. 1 among local market ratings for Super Bowl LVII, coming in at 52.0/87 rating/share. Philadelphia was No. 2 at 46.3/77.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show drew an average of 118.7 million viewers.
Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots versus Seahawks) remains the most-watched Super Bowl at 114.4 million viewers.
Kansas City Chiefs: Wide Receiver
The Chiefs got back to the Super Bowl despite trading top wideout Tyreek Hill last offseason. They patched together a quality receiving corps by signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and partnering them with the likes of Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson and rookie second-round pick Skyy Moore.
Of course, having Travis Kelce at tight end helped tremendously.
This offseason, though, the Chiefs could lose Smith-Schuster, Hardman and Watson in free agency. They may look to retain one of them, but with just $11 million in projected cap space, they probably won’t look to overspend on a wideout on the open market.
Retaining Brown at left tackle will be a much bigger priority. He has a projected market value of $22.4 million annually, and his contract will take precedence over any pass-catchers in free agency.
However, Kansas City will have options in the draft. It could target a wideout like Rashee Rice, LSU’s Kayshon Boutte or Boston College’s Zay Flowers at the end of Round 1.
Potential Day 2 prospects like North Carolina’s Josh Downs and Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry should also get serious consideration.
Patrick Mahomes a real contender to compete for Tom Brady’s GOAT status | FOX Sports
“You can call it a dynasty; you can call it whatever you want,” tight end Travis Kelce said Sunday after the game. “All I know is, we’re coming back next year with our heart in the right mindset while trying to get another one.”
If the Chiefs are going to be a dynasty, Mahomes is the one who makes it happen.
And if that happens, Patrick Mahomes could wind up being regarded the greatest quarterback of all time.
Will Mahomes surpass Brady as the GOAT QB?
Tom Brady, of course, retired this offseason. And it makes for a nice coincidence that Mahomes won a Super Bowl just a week after Brady decided to end his playing career. Mahomes is just starting to get hot. He’s rocketing his way into the record books, with almost unprecedented success after just six seasons. Brady set an incredibly high bar, and Mahomes has a long way to go. But he is Brady’s clearest challenger.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Year 1 hits: RB Isiah Pacheco, CB Joshua Williams, CB Jaylen Watson, CB Trent McDuffie, S Bryan Cook, LB Leo Chenal
The Chiefs rookie class was integral to Kansas City’s Super Bowl title, one that seemed somewhat out of reach after the trade of Tyreek Hill. Pacheco eventually passed all the backs on the depth chart, and while it had some lapses, the rookie cornerback trio of Williams, Watson, and McDuffie shined down the stretch in the regular season and playoffs. Even Cook flashed in the AFC title game against the Bengals.
Final NFL Power Rankings of 2022 Season | Sports Illustrated
1. Kansas City Chiefs (14–3)
Points in poll: 256
Highest-place vote: 1 (8 votes)
Lowest-place vote: 1 (8 votes)
In five years since Mahomes took over as QB1, the Chiefs have five home AFC title games, three Super Bowl appearances and two rings. He has two regular-season MVPs and two Super Bowl MVPs. Yeah, they might be No. 1 for a while.
Kansas City Chiefs NFL free agency, draft preview: What’s ahead? | USA Today
Salary Cap
Per OverTheCap, the Chiefs are projected to hit free agency with about $7 million in reserve. Mahomes, Kelce and G Joe Thuney could be candidates for restructures that create extra space, especially as it pertains to retaining Brown.
Around the NFL
Cardinals hire Eagles’ Jonathan Gannon as new head coach | ESPN
Gannon received a five-year contract.
The move comes two days after the Eagles lost Super Bowl LVII to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 and Gannon’s defense gave up 24 second-half points in letting a 10-point halftime advantage slip away.
The other two finalists for the job were Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
The 40-year-old Gannon had been the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for the past two seasons and immediately made an impact. He turned Philadelphia into a top-10 defense in his first year, and this season, the Eagles ranked No. 2 in the league while boasting two Pro Bowlers.
Derek Carr released by Raiders after nine seasons | NFL.com
Though the Saints are likely tops on the list of Carr suitors, they’re unlikely to be the only ones given the crop of teams looking for a veteran quarterback option for the 2023 season (the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets and Washington Commanders, among them).
Rapoport reported early Tuesday that Carr is expected to receive significant interest and not to be surprised if Carr takes more visits beyond his one to New Orleans.
Carr’s time with the Raiders began with Allen and Co. selecting him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. It effectively ended with two games left in the 2022 campaign when head coach Josh McDaniels benched him.
In between, Carr passed for 35,222 yards and 217 touchdowns — each of those franchise records by wide margins (Hall of Famer Ken Stabler’s second-place numbers are 16,144 yards and 47 TDs fewer). Carr was 63-79 as a starter for the franchise. During Carr’s tenure, the Raiders made just two playoff appearances — one in 2016 with him injured and the other in a 2021 season that ended with a wild-card exit.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl 2023: 7 winners, 3 losers from the Sunday’s victory
Losers
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Mahomes only had one deep attempt on Sunday. It was also Valdes-Scantling’s only target. It appeared to my eye that the receiver didn’t get to the spot where Mahomes expected him to be — which happened a few times this year. While Valdes-Scantling was the hero of the AFC Championship game, he didn’t make a noticeable impact on the Super Bowl.
Anyone trying to stop a QB sneak: Listeners of the “New Heights” podcast already knew that Jalen Hurts could convert quarterback sneaks about 93% of the time. In the Super Bowl, sneaks accounted for Hurts’ first touchdown, a second-half third down, another on the next drive, a fourth down later in the game, a third down on the Eagles’ final touchdown drive and a touchdown to tie the game. At one point, defensive tackle Chris Jones tried launching himself over the formation to hit Hurts — only to watch the quarterback convert on the second push. With the rule that allows blockers to help push ball carriers forward, the Eagles are literally unstoppable with a yard or two to gain.
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