Who could Super Bowl champion Chiefs face to kick off 2023 season?

The Kansas City Chiefs hoisted their second Super Bowl trophy in four seasons with Sunday’s thrilling 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, sparking dynasty chatter as we hit the offseason months.

The Chiefs joined the 2003-07 Patriots as the only teams in NFL history to win 75-plus games in a 5-year span (including playoffs). The 2003-07 Patriots also won two Super Bowls and lost one in that span (won 77 games in total, most in a 5-year span in NFL history).

Andy Reid joined Bill Belichick, Don Shula and Tom Landry as the only head coaches in NFL history with 200-plus regular season wins and multiple Super Bowl victories.

And, of course, Patrick Mahomes won his second Super Bowl MVP award. Mahomes is only the seventh QB in history to win NFL MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season (first since Kurt Warner in 1999).

It’s never too early to start thinking about who K.C. will face to kick off its latest dynasty defense.

The NFL Kickoff game traditionally takes place at the Super Bowl winner’s house. For the ’23 season, K.C. is set to host the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Let’s take a look at our top four matchups to kick off the 2023 campaign:

Cincinnati Bengals

The budding AFC rivals, who faced off in back-to-back Conference Championship games, would kick off the 2023 campaign with a bang. MVP Patrick Mahomes against Joe Burrow would be a marketer’s dream scenario, with months of promos leading up to Week 1. Even with inevitable offseason turnover, the Chiefs and Bengals provide two evenly-matched teams that play intense games. The league would have little fear of a dud kicking off the season. The Bengals’ high-flying offense featuring Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins against a Chiefs young secondary that corralled the Eagles in the Super Bowl. The remanence of the “Burrowhead” talk that ended in the AFC Championship would be reignited, this time with K.C. providing the taunt as Super Bowl champs. Who would say no to another Mahomes-Burrow battle to start Week 1 of the 2023 season?

Philadelphia Eagles

Let’s kick off the 2023 season where Super Bowl LVII finished. The Chiefs stormed back in the second half Sunday after getting punched in the mouth by the Eagles in the first half. Even on a tweaked ankle, Mahomes led K.C. to a spirited second-half comeback victory. The back-and-forth affair was made-for-TV drama. A late flag on James Bradberry — which the corner admitted was a hold — took some of the pizzazz off a potential historic ending. Kicking off the season by giving the Eagles a chance to avenge their Super Bowl loss would be a full-circle opportunity.

Buffalo Bills

Can I interest you in Josh Allen versus Patrick Mahomes to start the 2023 campaign? The NFL might not want the Bills in the kickoff game in back-to-back seasons, but there is no denying the intrigue Allen & Co. bring to the table. After a disappointing end to the season, Buffalo is in reload mode, hopefully adding more playmakers to the offense around Allen and Stefon Diggs this offseason. If Von Miller makes it back for Week 1 from his season-ending injury, it will bring added juice to the kickoff game as the legendary pass-rusher attempts to corral the MVP. The Bills have knocked off K.C. at Arrowhead stadium in each of the past two seasons, which could help build fuel for the Super Bowl champs.

Detroit Lions

How about a wild card matchup to kick off the season? Detroit is sure to be the darlings of the offseason after falling short of the postseason in 2022. If the NFL decided to put the Lions in the Kickoff Game matchup versus the Super Bowl champs, it would speak volumes about how the league feels about their chances of building upon that hot streak in 2023. Dan Campbell himself provides enough storylines to fill headlines heading into opening week. Then there is the upstart offense behind OC Ben Johnson that could provide a fun-filled matchup against Andy Reid’s powerful point-generating system. However, with the Lions, there’s always the possibility of a let-down, particularly given the defense’s up-and-down play. Would the league risk Mahomes blowing an opponent out of the water in Week 1?

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