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The Kansas City Chiefs had to work hard to earn their third Super Bowl win as a franchise. Winning the Super Bowl nets the champions the luxury of playing the first NFL Game of the following season on Thursday Night Football. Here are five potential opponents for them in that opening game.
Who will the Kansas City Chiefs play first in 2023?
#5 - Detroit Lions
It's been a while since the Lions could be this optimistic going into a new season, the team pulled off nine wins in 2022. They were only one win away from securing a playoff spot. After some strange decision-making in the 2023 draft, the Lions have a serious chance at winning a weak NFC North Divison in 2023, thirty years on from their last division title (1993).
The Lions have an exciting offense with big play potential. Goff had one of the best seasons of his NFL career, which earned him a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster in 2022. Amon St.Brown has been a great WR1 option getting 2,000+ yards in his first two seasons. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery showed strength on the ground for the Lions.
If the Kansas City Chiefs and Detriot Lions go at it at Arrowhead on opening night, it should be an exciting high-score game that will build up hype for the 2023 season.
#4 - Miami Dolphins:
The ex-Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill would love a shot to get back at his old team while the entire world watches on primetime. Hill has had some harsh words for his old team which would not have gone down well in the Kansas City Chiefs' locker room, and the fans will never forget.
Tua may have some health concerns going into the 2023 season. Dolphins fans will hope he can stay healthy all season. You would have to assume nothing would happen in the pre-season to Tua, and he will be good to go on opening night. WR sensation Jaylen Waddle gives the Dolphins a big play threat against a Chiefs defense that struggled to defend the deep pass in 2022.
Big free agency signing Jalen Ramsey should improve the Dolphins's defense and drive fear into some quarterbacks, with the exception of Patrick Mahomes. A Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins game could produce any scoreline and will be worth staying up for no matter where you live on the planet.
#3 - Buffalo Bills
These two teams have a lot of bad blood. The Kansas City Chiefs broke the Buffalo Bills' hearts in the 2021 Divison game in an overtime classic that saw the creation of the NFL's new overtime rules. The two teams also played last season at Arrowhead, and Buffalo got revenge in the regular season. However, the Bills would not get a rematch against the Chiefs in the playoffs as the Bengals walked all over them.
The Bills' locker room will not have any fondness for the Chiefs. Stefon Diggs, Dalton Schulz, and Von Miller will want to get one over on Kansas City.
Josh Allen is capable of any play at any moment. He showed that last year at Arrowhead by making big plays in the blink of an eye and beating Mahomes twice in a row in regular season games. Allen and the Bills can certainly hang with the Chiefs and would love to start 2023 with a bang. The Bills played the opening game of the 2022 season, beating the Rams in LA, 31-10.
#2 - Cincinnati Bengals
The Chiefs and Bills may dislike each other, but there is genuine hatred between the Bengals and the Chiefs as they have played four different times in the last two years. Joe Burrow beat Mahomes three times in the 2022 calendar year. This included two regular season games. Most importantly, Burrow and co. beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. A lot of trash talk came as a result of this.
Eli Apple invited Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman to the Super Bowl in LA, but they respectfully declined. The term Burrowhead was being thrown around going into the 2022 championship game, yet again it went down to the wire. The Chiefs kicked a game-winning field goal after a flag on the final play of the game. This was a heartbreak for the Bengals who were looking for a second Super Bowl trip in a row.
Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase absolutely cooked the Chiefs alive in those four games, and Joe Burrow has always found big plays against the Chiefs, throwing for 400 yards and four TDs in his first win over Mahomes. The four Chiefs and Bengals games in two years have all been decided by just three points, This is a no-brainer for the schedule makers.
#1 - Philidelphia Eagles
The odds of the two Super Bowls teams meeting the following year and the winner having the game at home is pretty uncommon. The stars have aligned though in 2023. The Super Bowl that was decided by a call from the refs will live long in the memories of both teams.
All the bettors have these two teams as one and two going into the 2023 season, backing the odds of a rematch in Las Vegas. Jason Kelce has decided to return for one more year to get another crack at his brother Travis. Andy Reid, who was once the Eagles' coach, has found so much success with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has created a link between these two teams forever.
Jalen Hurts had the game of his life in Arizona running for three TDs and one through the air, earning him the biggest contract in league history. The injured Mahomes had an answer for everything the Eagles did. It's clear these two are the best QBs in the league. Devonta Smith and AJ Brown will cause nightmares for Kansas City Chiefs fans who are sick of getting burnt by wide receivers. The two combined for 196 yards in the Super Bowl.
Travis Kelce and Mahomes will, once again, look for a historic season as a duo, and the Kansas City Chiefs had numerous changes on offense and defense in free agency and the draft. The Philadelphia Eagles easily have the best roster in the league and had the best draft day according to many.
A Super Bowl rematch at Arrowhead seems difficult to pass up on.
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