The end of the Chiefs dynasty, Jalen Carter’s unfortunate legacy, and what they’re saying about Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch

Will the Eagles win in another blowout? Is the Chiefs’ reign over? And did Carter do the NFL a favor with “Spit-gate?”

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter caused Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes all sorts of trouble in Super Bowl LIX.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Published Sept. 11, 2025, 1:56 p.m. ET

Neither the Chiefs nor the Eagles played their best in their season openers. The Birds were able to pull out a win over the Cowboys, but the 24-20 score was closer than a lot of people, including former center Jason Kelce, anticipated.

“I expected us to be a little bit better, I think,” Kelce said Thursday on the 94 WIP Morning Show. “I think that’s what it comes down to, and I think we need to improve over there.”

But despite the Eagles’ maybe worse-than-expected performance against the Cowboys, after the Chiefs lost their season opener in Brazil to the Chargers, most of the national conversation surrounding Sunday’s game concerns whether this is a “must-win” for the Chiefs.

That isn’t all they’ve been saying about the Eagles. Here’s a look …

Chiefs seeking ‘retribution’ for Super Bowl loss

The Eagles started the week as 1.5-point underdogs for Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch at Arrowhead Stadium, but have swung all the way around to being 1.5-point favorites, making the game a virtual coin flip.

“It’s going to be fun to watch, because, can the Chiefs keep it close?” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said. “Can they avoid that storm to push them past the brink before halftime? Because [Super Bowl LIX] was over before halftime.”

FS1’s Nick Wright (notably a Chiefs fan) said it’s “ridiculous” to think the Eagles will stomp the Chiefs again.

“Obviously there’s a chance the Eagles win,” Wright said. “It would be ridiculous to guarantee a win for either of these teams. … But there is no argument for the Chiefs getting blown out. Forget being blown out, [Mahomes] has been beaten by more than a touchdown six times.”

Wright believes the Eagles defensive front has taken a step back without Super Bowl star Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, and that the Chiefs’ offensive line will be better than it was in Super Bowl LIX, when Mahomes took six sacks and was hit 11 times.

With the Chiefs coming off a Week 1 loss and playing at home — not to mention the Super Bowl blowout — the stakes are certainly a bit higher for them than they are for the Eagles.

“It was already going to be a big game, because of the way the Super Bowl was played,” Fox’s Howie Long said. “They got mauled, and any time there’s a great team or a great player, you want your retribution. Now with the loss in Week 1, it magnifies it.”

Jalen Carter’s punishment sets a precedent

Jalen Carter isn’t getting an additional suspension for spitting on Dak Prescott. Instead, his ejection — which occurred before Carter even took a snap — is being considered a one-game suspension, and his fine is equivalent to one game check. The NFL has cracked down on taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct over the last few years, and is ramping up enforcement this season, with Carter’s ejection just the latest example of increased punishment for those infractions.

“In the past, spitting incidents such as this one resulted in fines and not suspensions,“ ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote. ” … In its announcement of the suspension, the NFL specifically mentioned its renewed emphasis on policing unsportsmanlike acts this season. Putting two and two together, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that Carter’s punishment represents a new precedent and that unsportsmanlike acts that used to result in only fines could now carry the potential for suspension.”

Meanwhile, USA Today columnist Jarrett Bell argued that not only did Carter set a precedent, he also quickly became the face of the NFL’s effort to improve sportsmanship — and did commissioner Roger Goodell a favor in the process.

“As he gears up for the chance to make the life of Patrick Mahomes a bit miserable on Sunday in a rematch of Super Bowl 59, though, Carter is undoubtedly the current face for the NFL’s campaign on sportsmanship,” Bell wrote. “Or, given his disgusting act of spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the season opener, he’s at least the poster child for what not to do in the name of sportsmanship. …

“[W]ith his sordid act, Carter unwittingly did the NFL a huge favor, too. No, Roger Goodell didn’t want the filthy controversy to dominate the water cooler talk to kick off the new season. But as the NFL messages about the need for ‘zero tolerance’ Carter showed exactly why there’s this spotlight on game-day decorum.”

Is the Chiefs’ dynasty over?

The Chiefs have been the team to beat in the AFC ever since Mahomes took over at quarterback in 2018. Kansas City has won the AFC in five of the last six seasons, and dominated its division.

Is that era coming to an end? Maybe it’s too early to tell, but Steven Ruiz at The Ringer is starting that conversation.

“The offense should be fine going forward, even if the deep-ball problem doesn’t go away, but I’m not sure that Steve Spagnuolo’s defense will be OK,” Ruiz wrote. “The unit struggled in many of the same ways it did a season ago … Defensive success now seems to be entirely contingent on Chris Jones having a dominant day. Jones remains one of the NFL’s best interior pass rushers, but that’s a lot of pressure to put on a 31-year-old defensive tackle. It’s also a lot of pressure to put on Spagnuolo, whose schemes can make up for only so much. The same can be said of Mahomes and [Andy] Reid on the other side of the ball.

“I wouldn’t bury the Chiefs after an opening week loss against a quarterback who put on a virtuoso performance, but they no longer look like a lock for a spot in the AFC championship game. Forget about teams like the Bills, Ravens, and Bengals. Kansas City could have trouble holding on to the top spot in its own division after getting outclassed by the Chargers.”