After the Kansas City Chiefs missed out on a historic Super Bowl three-peat, expectations are high that they will be more motivated than ever to win another title in the 2025 season.
Sure enough, much of the focus is on Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce as the new campaign approaches. Mahomes himself said following their Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that it was "worst thing in the world" and that it's "going to hurt for a while."
The Chiefs QB did add, however, that the loss will "motivate" him to be "even better" for the rest of his career.
As for Kelce, his future in the NFL was a major storyline earlier in the offseason, with talks about a potential retirement hovering over him. Nonetheless, he decided to return for his 13th season in the pros.
While it remains to be seen if he will play beyond the 2025 campaign, the 35-year-old tight end emphasized that he's focused on helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl again and nothing else.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (R).
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (R).
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
While the attention is on Mahomes and Kelce, though, Chiefs fans also have plenty of expectations for the other members of the team, one of whom is defensive end George Karlaftis.
After a season that saw Karlaftis record 8.0 sacks and 35 combined tackles, the Kansas City faithful are certainly hoping to see the 24-year-old elevate his game.
On Friday, the Chiefs asked their followers to predict how many sacks Karlaftis will register in the 2025 season, and fans didn't hesitate to share their responses.
"Double digits," a fan simply said. Another one had a similar response, sharing, "10 plus."
"30 Sacks," a supporter added, while a fourth follower had a more realistic answer, writing, "13.5."
A social media user stated, "George is a beast and I say he gets 11 sacks this season!"
"Definitely gonna rack up 10+ sacks," a poster confidently remarked.
In his three-year NFL career so far, Karlaftis has only recorded double digits in sacks once, which was during the 2023 season when he tallied 10.5 sacks. In his first year, he had 6.0 sacks.
Sure enough, Karlaftis has the ability to be a defensive star for the Chiefs, and if he lives up to the fans' expectations, it's not hard to see the team fighting for the Super Bowl title once again.