This story was originally published by Dead Spin
No team has ever managed to win three Super Bowls in a row.
The Chiefs currently find themselves at history’s doorstep, though, with every major sportsbook installing Kansas City as the favorite to go all the way this season after it took home back-to-back titles.
Last season’s championship marked the third in five years for the Chiefs, who have leaned on coach Andy Reid’s teachings and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ flair to build one of the most memorable NFL dynasties of the 21st century.
But when the documentary gets made about this Kansas City team, there will be no mention of a three-peat.
We’d even be willing to bet that the Chiefs don’t make it out of the AFC this season.
Plenty of teams are in prime position to dethrone Kansas City, with the Baltimore Ravens likely serving as the Chiefs’ biggest challenger. The Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills will also be in the mix, and perhaps the New York Jets and Houston Texans can wreak some havoc as dark horses.
On paper, this Kansas City offense just doesn’t scream “champion.”
Mahomes has proven time and time again that he can make anyone look good, but is a 24-year-old Rashee Rice really ready to take over WR1 duties? How long will it take fellow receiver Marquise Brown to establish his role in a new system? Is running back Isiah Pacheco actually going to continue making major strides in the right direction?
The biggest question mark of all is star tight end Travis Kelce, who had less than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015 last season. He also hauled in just five touchdowns, matching his fewest in a campaign over the past seven years.
It’s a somewhat lackluster season by Kelce’s standards, and if the 34-year-old continues to decline, we may slowly start to see the torch passed to Noah Gray at the tight end position.
However, in the end, talent—or lack thereof—may not be the thing that ends up preventing the Chiefs from winning three straight Super Bowls.
Kansas City has blurred the lines between football and reality shows at this point. The NFL shoves Taylor Swift, Kelce’s mother, and anything and everything to do with Mahomes down our throats whenever it gets the chance, so at what point does that start affecting the on-field product?
Clearly, it hasn’t yet. The Chiefs did just fine for themselves last season while appearing in nearly every headline in the sports world and elsewhere.
But it’s hard to believe that Kansas City is the team that is supposed to be destined for a three-peat when not even the New England Patriots could accomplish the feat at their peak.
The only other dynasty we’ve seen since 2000, New England had to live and breathe football under Bill Belichick, who probably had more in common with a prison warden than he did with his fellow coaches. Still, that “Do Your Job” mentality paired with the greatest quarterback to ever play the game wasn’t enough to go back-to-back-to-back.
Maybe the Patriots’ approach just wasn’t the right one. Perhaps mixing a little bit of fun with football—like the Chiefs do—is what ultimately leads to NFL history getting made. We’ll believe it when we see it.
Should a different team hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season, don’t expect Kansas City to go anywhere. A playoff loss doesn’t spell the end of the dynasty, and the Chiefs would once again be contending for a title in 2025.
