NFL Warned To Beware 'Provoked' Kansas City Chiefs In 2025
NFL Warned To Beware 'Provoked' Kansas City Chiefs In 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The last thing NFL teams want in 2025, after witnessing back-to-back Super Bowls and making it to a third, is an angry Kansas City Chiefs team looking to prove a point.
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So long the dominant force in football, they had their colors lowered in the Super Bowl, and that was enough for people to sharpen their pitchforks and descend on the AFC champs.
But that might not be the smartest move.
Much like a wounded lion backed into a corner, the Chiefs only have one option in 2025, and it isn't one teams are hoping to be on the end of - to fight back.
Still featuring Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid as the top duo, along with the return of Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, and Marquise Brown, the expected improvement from Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce, coupled with Steve Spagnuolo's defense, suggests the Chiefs still have some bite.
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And for Fox Sports' Ben Arthur, when using one word to describe Kansas City's offseason, he chose "provoked."
"Following their humiliating Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles, the Chiefs are expected to have an edge in the new season," Arthur writes. "Not only did Travis Kelce commit to play in 2025, but Kansas City will also have Rashee Rice back from an injured knee that cost him all but four games in 2024."
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looks on during Super Bowl.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Beware the wounded animal.
And the Chiefs in 2025 are the definition of wounded, not physically, but mentally, with many out on them as a genuine Super Bowl contender.
For a team that got curb-stomped in the Super Bowl, they didn't need any more motivation to return with a vengeance, but they have gotten it repeatedly with those doubting their ability to still be the top dog in the conference.
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Backed into a corner, with the pitchforks pointed in their direction, this once dominant Chiefs team has something to prove.
And "provoking" this AFC giant might be the nightmare fuel in 2025.
Related: Two Chiefs Ranked Among NFL's Best 25 All-Time Players
Related: Chiefs' Travis Kelce Named Best TE 'Draft Bargain' Of Millennium
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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