When the NFL’s 104th season begins Thursday, football MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes will start looking for his fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons.
Quarterback Mahomes, 27, who led Kansas City to its second Super Bowl title in four seasons last February, will lead the Chiefs in Game 1 against the Detroit Lions.
He’s tasked with leading Kansas City to the conference finals for a sixth straight season and looking to win Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
Most NFL clubs start their seasons on Sunday, while Buffalo visits the New York Jets, led by four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, on Monday.
“I think I’ve always had that grudge,” the positive Mahomes pointed out. More importantly, I understand how lucky I am to be here. Normally, you don’t have these opportunities to win a Super Bowl for a long time, Fortunately for us, that window is very large.”
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The Chiefs’ defense is missing a key player, with tackle Chris Jones still out of contract and hoping for a better deal.
Jones, 29, who started every game in his seventh NFL season, all with Kansas City, set a career-high 44 tackles and tied his career with 15.5 sacks new highs.
“He’s the best defensive player in the league,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said. “He’s worth all the money in the world.”
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Mahomes’ lead receiver, Kelce, had 110 receptions last season for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns.
While the Chiefs remain the favorite to beat, no club has won back-to-back Super Bowls since Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to NFL titles in 2004 and 2005.
But the legendary Brady will miss his first season since 1999, when he retired after a record seven Super Bowl victories.
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There are many other clubs waiting to claim the throne, including the Jets, where Rodgers, 39, joined from Green Bay in April.
“I think we have a legitimate opportunity to do that,” Rogers said. “I think we’re one of those teams.”
He’ll lead a rebuilding club to victory that hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1969 and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010.
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Chemistry is as important as talent, Rodgers said. “There’s a lot of talent on this team,” Rodgers said. “We’ll see if the other part comes together.”
The Eagles, led by quarterback Jalen Hertz, lost to Kansas City in the Super Bowl seven months ago, but are also expected to play against San Francisco, the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills The team competes with the Cincinnati Bengals, who have sat out Joe Burrow. Trained for nearly six weeks due to a calf injury.
Detroit comes to Kansas City on Thursday looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and win a playoff game for the first time since the 1991 postseason.
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Last season, the Lions won eight of their last 10 games and went 9-8, their best season in five years.
Jared Goff, who played quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams until the 2019 Super Bowl, returned to the offense after passing for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.
Baltimore signed quarterback Lamar Jackson to a five-year, $260 million contract extension and paid $15 million for three-time All-Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Injured the second ligament last time he played in the 2022 Super Bowl. He tore his knee.
If the two work well together, the Ravens can fly even higher.
“I’ve got a great group of people around me, and now I feel like it’s time to step up,” Jackson said.
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