The NFL playoffs are about to begin and the Kansas City Chiefs get to watch from the comfort of their couches. Not because they are eliminated, but because they have the coveted bye week that comes with the no. 1 seed. As they watch the first round of games like the rest of us, they'll see quite a few familiar faces from Super Bowls past also vying for a Lombardi.
Ironically the one team that the Chiefs have already faced in a Super Bowl rematch (and won, both times), the San Francisco 49ers, didn't even make the postseason. That still leaves four other teams that the Chiefs have already faced before: the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Based on current play, here are the Super Bowl rematches I would like to see from best (most likely for Chiefs to win) to worst (most likely to lose).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This rematch of Super Bowl LV would be extremely cathartic for the Chiefs. After getting blown out by Tom Brady's bunch in Patrick Mahomes' only Super Bowl loss, I have no doubt that this game would end in the opposite faction.
There are also two other factors of intrigue to this matchup. The first is that the Chiefs "barely" beat the Bucs in the regular season, infamously going into overtime when Todd Bowles decided not to go for 2 points after the tying touchdown. The image of Baker Mayfield throwing his had back when the Chiefs won the coin toss still flashes through my brain regularly. I'm sure Mayfield wants that opportunity back.
The second is the matchup between Mayfield and Mahomes. This sort of rivalry goes all the way back to their college days when Patrick took the starting quarterback job from Mayfield at Texas Tech. After Mayfield transferred to Oklahoma the two had one of the most ridiculous duels you'll ever see. Baker threw for almost 550 yards. Thinks that's a lot? Mahomes threw for almost SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY YARDS. And still lost. I don't think it's a coincidence that Baker has never beat Mahomes in the NFL.
Green Bay Packers
This would be a rematch of the mythical Super Bowl I, or AFC-NFC Championship as it was originally called. For a long time it felt crazy that the Chiefs had played in the very first Super Bowl, but they did. Vince Lombardi and the Packers handled them pretty easily, reinforcing the belief at the time that the NFL was completely superior to the AFL.
Ever since then the Chiefs and Packers haven't seemed to be "good" at the same time enough for this rematch to happen. But it could be likely now. The Packers have seemingly stumbled into their third straight franchise quarterback with Jordan Love and looked decent throughout most of the season. Their play near the end tapered off so it also wouldn't be a surprise if they lost in the Wild Card round.
As for the Chiefs, this would be another fun "revenge game" if you can call it that after 57 years. At the very least Patrick Mahomes has to reenact the Lenny Dawson photo from this game. And speaking of Dawson, a symbolic choir huddle just before their last victory formation would really bring this game full circle.
Minnesota Vikings
A rematch of Super Bowl IV would definitely make some Vikings fans angry and nervous. The Vikings have been good, but I don't think anyone would expect them to beat the Chiefs. Kind of like nobody expected the Chiefs to beat the Vikings back in 1969. That was the lone championship for Kansas City for a very long 50 years.
And now the Chiefs could have a chance to make history by winning a third straight Super Bowl against the team they beat for their first Super Bowl. I feel like that would officially send the Vikings into a oblivion as they experienced their fifth Super Bowl loss at the same time as history is made in the three-peat.
This seems like the third-most likely matchup (outside of the Lions and Eagles), but it would still be a fun game filled with lots of nods to history.
Philadelphia Eagles
This rematch of Super Bowl LVII would be another edition of the "And Reid sticks it to his former team Bowl". Talk about coming full circle. The three-peat could begin and end with Philadelphia watching their most winningest coach hand them an L for the second time in three years.
And I am all here for it. Especially the Nick Sirianni tears, outbursts, and inevitable meltdown that would come with this game. Hopefully during it too. If there was ever one coach that would get ejected during a Super Bowl, wouldn't it be Nick Sirianni? We can only dream.
I would prefer this one not to come down to the wire like last time. I also admittedly think it would be the most difficult matchup the Chiefs could get out of any of the NFC teams, including even the Detroit Lions. Still, it would be nothing short of poetic and epic.
Which Super Bowl matchup would prefer? Which would you love to see? Which would you not want to see? Let us know in the comments!