Who can stop the Chiefs from winning Super Bowl 55?

The Kansas City Chiefs are the Super Bowl champions, but these five teams have the best chance to deny a repeat title for Patrick Mahomes and company.

In what was truly a thrilling Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs walked away with the Lombardi Trophy. Patrick Mahomes led yet another postseason comeback, bringing the Chiefs back from a 20-10 fourth quarter deficit to score the final 21 points of the game and snap Kansas City’s 50-year title drought.

The Chiefs are getting good odds to repeat in Super Bowl 55, with some books having their odds as low as 6-1, but they will still face heavy competition to win their second straight championship. Let’s take a look at five top contenders to take the Lombardi Trophy away from the Chiefs.

Baltimore Ravens

For most of the year the Baltimore Ravens were the best team in football, and having reigning MVP Lamar Jackson back in the saddle for his third year as a pro should make them even better. Baltimore was tripped up at home in the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans, but Jackson’s continued evolution as a passer should allow the Ravens to pose the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC. The Ravens’ defense is also ferocious, which could give the Chiefs as many problems as the 49ers did over three quarters.

New Orleans Saints

The best way to beat the Chiefs is to score points, and there may not be a team more equipped to do that in the NFL than the New Orleans Saints. Assuming Drew Brees returns for another run at glory, the Saints possess a game-breaking running back in Alvin Kamara and the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in Michael Thomas. Combine that grouping with a strong defense, and the Saints have as good a chance as anyone at knocking off Kansas City next season.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers were a quarter away from knocking the Chiefs off this year, so they should theoretically be well positioned to do it again. Jimmy Garoppolo should continue to thrive in a speed filled 49ers’ offense, while the San Francisco defense was able to slow down Mahomes and knock him off his game for three quarters. The big concern here is the Super Bowl hangover, which we saw take down the Los Angeles Rams this season.

New England Patriots

This slot is contingent on Tom Brady living up to the words of his Hulu Super Bowl ad and returning to Foxboro, but if he does than New England will be a threat once again. The Patriots do need to bulk up their offensive weapons around Brady, but their defense is more than capable of slowing the Chiefs down, which should lead to a close game. The Patriots are also one of the few teams in the league who have a coach as brilliant as Andy Reid in Bill Belichick, the unquestioned top head coach in football right now.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers did beat the Chiefs this season, albeit with the caveat that Mahomes was out for that game with a knee injury. The foundations of a strong defense are in place for Green Bay, but they will need to add more pieces to the unit to round it out. Aaron Rodgers also needs a bit more help from his skill position players, especially wide receivers not named Davante Adams, but any team with a future Hall-of-Famer at quarterback is always a big threat to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.