The Kansas City Chiefs have been ready to move on from the season-opening 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers for a few days now. Patrick Mahomes & Co. had no business losing to an AFC West rival they've dominated for the last decade, but there isn't anything they can do about that now. The Chiefs must learn their lesson, move on, and focus on a Week 2 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Well, it turns out it only took until Sunday for the Chiefs' heartbreaking loss to take on a new meaning.
Chiefs' Week 1 Loss Looks Even Worse After Sunday
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Chiefs are at the bottom of the AFC West as each of their rivals tasted victory in Week 1. After the Chargers won on Friday, the Las Vegas Raiders notched a 20-13 road win over the New England Patriots before the Denver Broncos sent their fans home happy with a 20-12 victory against the visiting Tennessee Titans.
Being at the bottom of the division is bad on its own, but that isn't the end of it for the Chiefs. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of Kansas City's biggest AFC rivals, yet head coach Andy Reid's team still had to watch Zac Taylor's squad pick up an undeserved 17-16 win against the Cleveland Browns.
On top of that, one of the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills is guaranteed to emerge victorious from the Week 1 Sunday Night Football Showdown. Meanwhile, Kansas City gets to spend the next few days with a 0-1 record that's tied with the likes of the Patriots, Browns, Tennessee Titans, and Miami Dolphins — the type of teams that should never be mentioned in the same sentence as the Chiefs.
Regardless of how good a team looks on paper or its recent successful history, the Chiefs' start to the 2025 season is a reminder that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. Interestingly enough, starting the season somewhat as an underdog could benefit KC in the long run.
After all, the rest of the league has often seen the Chiefs as the NFL's team to beat since Mahomes took over under center. Starting the season off with a loss now has people underestimating the latest Super Bowl runners-up, which could help the Chiefs catch the opposition off guard, with their first chance of doing so coming against the Eagles in a week.
Oddsmakers are already underestimating Kansas City despite the upcoming Super Bowl 59 rematch happening at Arrowhead Stadium. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing the Chiefs as 2.5-point home underdogs to the Eagles, which should serve as further motivation to put the league on notice with a bounce-back performance.
Otherwise, the Chiefs will be forced to continue playing catch-up throughout September.