Here’s a startling thought: What if the Chiefs’ dynasty isn’t yet at the halfway point?
Most sports dynasties are relatively short-lived — Yankees (1996-2001), Cowboys (1992-95) and Islanders (1980-84), for example — but Tom Brady and Bill Belichick kept the Patriots on top for two decades. Even the Bulls (1991-98) reigned supreme longer than the Chiefs have so far.
About to appear in their fifth Super Bowl since 2019 and their third straight, the Chiefs haven’t been slowed by parting with stars Tyreek Hill, Tyrann Mathieu and L’Jarius Sneed … or by the rise of likely three-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson as a rival … or by teams raiding their coaching staff and front office … or by injuries this season to playmakers Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco and Hollywood Brown.
So, what could end the dynasty? The truth is that the Chiefs are well set up to keep it going.
They had the fourth-youngest roster in the NFL when the season began and the sixth-youngest among the 14 playoff teams.
Of the 22 players who started in the AFC Championship game:
But, if you are suffering from Chiefs fatigue, here are five ways the dynasty could end:
1. Mahomes gets bored
Even the most cutthroat compeтιтor of the past 40 years, Michael Jordan, retired from the NBA for two years to play minor league baseball. If he hadn’t, the Bulls might have won eight straight championships (instead of a pair of three-peats).
This is not to say Mahomes — who seems to have more fun on the field than anyone — will test his baseball DNA. He was a 37th-round draft pick of the Tigers out of high school.
But mega NFL stars Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson and Andrew Luck all unexpectedly walked away from this brutal sport in their primes. Never say never.
2. Andy Reid retires
Speculation about the 66-year-old Reid’s coaching future dominated chatter last Super Bowl — before he signed an extension through 2029. Of course, Reid is under no obligation to see out that deal.
Reid is 29 regular-season wins behind Bill Belichick for No. 3 all-time and 55 behind Don Shula for No. 1.
If and when Reid walks away, Mahomes would have to learn a different play-caller for the first time. The Patriots lost both their offensive and defensive play-callers after winning their third Super Bowl in four years (2004) and didn’t win again until 2014.
Allowing outgoing great coaches to hand off to a right-hand man (like Steve Spagnuolo or Matt Nagy) for the sake of continuity rarely works.
3. Travis Kelce and Chris Jones prove irreplaceable
Kelce, 35, appears closer to the end — is this his final game? — than the 30-year-old Jones.
But they are the two other sure Hall of Famers playing who have been part of all five Super Bowl appearances with Mahomes.
The Chiefs have shown uncanny restraint by not overpaying to keep stars, instead cost-effectively filling holes through the draft.
Why would Kelce and Jones be any different? Well, you are talking about arguably the greatest тιԍнт end of all-time and the second-best best defensive tackle of a generation (Aaron Donald). That’s different than Mathieu, Sneed or Orlando Brown Jr.
4. A worthy rival to Mahomes emerges
During Brady’s nine-year gap between Super Bowl wins, he lost playoff games against counterparts Jake Plummer, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez (as well as the Manning brothers). It feels impossible that Mahomes would lose to some second-tier quarterback, considering his 16-3 playoff record includes two losses to Brady.
The NFL’s four best quarterbacks all reside in the AFC, but in the playoffs Mahomes is 4-0 against the Bills’ Josh Allen, 1-1 against the Bengals’ Joe Burrow and 1-0 against Jackson.
Maybe Burrow gets another crack at the puzzle that Allen can’t solve? Or maybe rising star rookie Jayden Daniels becomes the Eli Manning to Mahomes’ Brady impersonation in Super Bowls?
It took ascendant young all-time greats in Edmonton to end the Islanders’ remarkable run of 19 straight playoff series wins.
5. Flukes, injuries and controversies
Are there skeletons in the Chiefs’ closet? As the Patriots became hated, they began to deal with self-inflicted scandals such as Spygate and DeflateGate. Breaks like the “Tuck Rule” evened out on plays like the “Helmet Catch.”
The Chiefs have had a slew of players and an ᴀssistant coach (Reid’s son) arrested during this era.
On the field, all it takes is the bounce of a ball to change the course of history.
What if the Bills’ Dalton Kincaid made that circus catch last week in the AFC Championship game? Would it be remembered like the “Sea of Hands” play that ended the Dolphins’ run in 1974? Or Mariano Rivera’s error for the Yankees in 2001?
Joe Montana’s injury with the 49ers in 1990 ended a dynasty.
Then again, the Chiefs were just riddled by injuries and went 15-2. So there might not be Kryptonite to find here.
