Last season's Super Bowl loss was tough for the Kansas City Chiefs. So they have to respond in the best way in the 2025 season. And that, according to a prediction, will be by winning Super Bowl LX.
But who will they face in the big game? That's the most surprising part of ESPN's Bill Barnwell's pick.
It's not the reigning champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. It's not the popular NFC pick, the Detroit Lions, either. Instead, Barnwell is rolling with the Green Bay Packers.
Whoever said Micah Parsons won't improve the team could be shocked if Barnwell's prediction comes true.
But the Packers won't have the last laugh. Here's what Barnwell predicted on Wednesday.
According to the columnist, the Chiefs will return to the Super Bowl, a prediction he has made repeatedly in recent years.
"The Chiefs haven’t won every year, of course, but I don’t regret picking the team that has won two titles and advanced to two more Super Bowls over that span," Barnwell wrote.
Despite forecasting a possible regular-season decline, he said Kansas City remains the safest bet on football's biggest stage. He projected the Chiefs winning 12 or 13 games, competing for the AFC's top seed and pushing through the postseason to claim a fifth championship.
The surprise came in his NFC choice. After weighing the Eagles and Lions, Barnwell instead turned to Green Bay. Barnwell is confident about the team's chances after their blockbuster trade for Micah Parsons.
"Adding one of the best players in football to a team I already was excited about this year? That works for me," he wrote.
But that won't be enough for the Packers to stop Patrick Mahomes' team. Barnwell's final score: Chiefs 24, Packers 17.
Green Bay's last championship came in the 2010 season. Ending that drought will take the right moves, and trading for Parsons was a step in that direction. If it doesn't happen this season, the Packers still look set to contend for a title in the next five years.