The start of the 2023 NFL season is only a few days away, with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs set to take on the upstart Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 7 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
As usual, the Chiefs are expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC this season, with Patrick Mahomes and company fresh off a second Super Bowl title under head coach Andy Reid and the team confident it can become a dynasty.
However, the 2023 campaign will provide some distinct challenges for the defending champions, with the AFC being as competitive as it has been in recent memory, with a number of teams upgrading their rosters over the course of the offseason.
Despite the majority of the Super Bowl title contenders being in the AFC in 2023, at least to start the season, the Chiefs were still picked as the team to come out on top in the conference, according to ESPN analytics via NFL on ESPN.
Claim your AFC champ pick right now 👀 pic.twitter.com/WVZyyO2xaN
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 5, 2023
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the reigning AFC champions may have to start the season without two of their best players on both sides of the football.
Superstar tight end Travis Kelce suffered a knee injury this week, which puts his status for Thursday’s game against the Lions in doubt, while defensive tackle Chris Jones continues his holdout that looks like it will go into the regular season.
Although these are some major issues for the Chiefs, Kansas City is as resilient a team as there is in the NFL, so it’s hard to count them out or doubt their ability to be successful even without two of their star players.
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