By Frank Pingue
(Reuters) – The NFL season kicks off this week with the Kansas City Chiefs eyeing an unprecedented run of dominance, San Francisco 49ers still stinging from their Super Bowl loss and Aaron Rodgers hoping to showcase his pre-injury form with the New York Jets.
With quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the helm of a potent passing offense that features dominant tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs are the team to beat and looking to become the first franchise in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row.
The Chiefs cemented their dynasty status in February when they captured a third championship in five years while Mahomes earned his third Super Bowl MVP award, tied with Joe Montana for the second-most of all-time, behind Tom Brady’s five.
Kansas City face a tough test in Thursday’s season opener against the Baltimore Ravens and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, a team that led the NFL with 13 wins last season before losing at home to the Chiefs in the penultimate round of the post-season.
“I don’t think last year’s too much on your mind,” said Mahomes, whose Chiefs were stunned by Detroit in last year’s season opener after raising their championship banner.
“You’re so focused on trying to get better, and we’re playing the best of the best Week One.
“So we’re going to see where we’re at. We’re going to have to go out there and play our best football early in the season. All we can do is go out there and be our best.”
PLAYOFF DROUGHT
The Jets, who last made the post-season in 2010 and own the longest playoff drought in major North American professional sports, will put their hopes on the shoulders of 40-year-old quarterback Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
Rodgers joined the Jets in a blockbuster trade last year but his highly-anticipated debut with the team was cut short when he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles less than four minutes into the game.
Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, who is expected to be Rodgers’ preferred target this season, credited the future Hall of Fame quarterback for the impact he has had on the entire team.
“The guy is just so great and so us, as competitors and athletes, we want to match that greatness,” said Wilson. “We want to find a way to reach his level and he brings that out in us with just the way he is.”
The 49ers will be eager to get started after squandering two late leads in their 25-22 overtime Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs but could be slow out of the gate when they open their season on Monday against the Jets.
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey, the reigning offensive player of the year, missed pre-season due to a calf strain. In addition, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams — another two key pieces in the team’s offense — missed pre-season due to contract negotiations.
Elsewhere around the league, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the NFL’s reigning offensive rookie of the year, could be even more dangerous given the off-season acquisition of four-time Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs.
The Chicago Bears have not finished with a winning record since 2018 but are optimistic given quarterback Caleb Williams, who they took first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, and an impressive accompanying cast on both sides of the ball.
This season will also feature five international games, the first coming on Friday when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers meet in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the NFL’s first-ever game in South America.
Three October fixtures will be held in London followed by a November clash in Munich.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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