The Kansas City Chiefs will represent the AFC in Super Bowl 59, marking the fifth time in the last six seasons the team has reached the final game of the season. Fans across the NFL have been vocal about the fatigue of seeing the Chiefs play for yet another championship, and one former player is looking ahead to 2025 and made his thoughts known on social media.
Jonathan Stewart Predicts Who Will ‘Save the AFC’ in 2025
Former Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Stewart was a first-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2008. He played for the Panthers for 10 years before finishing his career in 2018 after one year with the New York Giants.
Stewart is arguably the best running back in Panthers franchise history. He holds club records for total rushing yards (7,318) and attempts (1,699) and is second all-time in rushing touchdowns (51).
Regarding the present game, the former running back went on X to make a bold prediction about who will come out of the AFC in 2025.
Stewart has tasked Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals to dethrone the Chiefs next season. Burrow is the only active quarterback to beat the Chiefs in the postseason, so Stewart didn’t exactly go out on a limb with his prediction.
Joe Burrow will save the AFC next year from being bullied by the chiefs!
— Jonathan Stewart (@Jonathanstewar1) January 28, 2025
Can Joe Burrow and Bengals Dethrone Chiefs in 2025?
The unprecedented run Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have been on has only seen three bumps in the road in the seven seasons he’s been Kansas City’s starting quarterback. One of those, however, came against the Bengals.
In the 2021-22 AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs led 21-10 at halftime but needed a last-second field goal to extend the game to overtime. Yet, it was Cincinnati who won the game late in the extra period on a short field goal by Evan McPherson.
The story, however, was that Burrow defeated Mahomes.
It was Burrow’s second season in the NFL. He threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns on the year despite taking a career-high 51 sacks. The Bengals won the AFC North and knocked off the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans before defeating Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game.
The ride ended in Super Bowl 56 with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but Burrow solidified himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
That was his best professional season until 2024, when he threw for 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns. He finished the season ranked fifth in PFN’s QB+ rankings with an 88.5 (B+) grade and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career.
Based on his results, it’s no surprise that Cincinnati’s offense was a juggernaut all season, finishing No. 7 overall in PFN’s Offense+ rankings with an 83.4 (B) grade.
The Bengals were held down, unfortunately, by their defense, which finished with a 66.9 (D) grade and a bottom-five standing in PFN’s Defense+ rankings. As a result, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has since been fired, and Cincinnati hired Al Golden as his replacement.
Burrow has proven he can elevate the players around him, but the Bengals need to give their guy a chance by improving the offensive line and potentially re-signing wide receiver Tee Higgins. Burrow has shown he can beat Kansas City when it matters most, but he’ll need more from his team to get another shot at Mahomes in 2025.
