KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A dynasty is “a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time,” according to Merriam Webster.
It’s safe to say the Kansas City Chiefs qualify after winning their third Super Bowl — the accepted standard for a NFL dynasty — in five seasons Sunday, becoming the first repeat NFL champions since the 2003-04 New England Patriots.
“We don’t determine if it’s a dynasty; you guys do,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said during Monday’s champions press conference after beating San Francisco 25-22 in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. “But I would tell you that it’s as fine a group as I’ve been around and I've been very fortunate to be around some great organizations and good teams. This group here and organization are tremendous. If somebody said ‘dynasty’ and tagged it onto us, I’d be very proud of that.”
Be proud, Andy.
The Chiefs became the ninth team to win consecutive Super Bowls and are the eighth franchise to accomplish the feat. Chuck Noll’s Steel Curtain-era Pittsburgh repeated as NFL champs twice in the 1970s.
BACK-TO-BACK SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS
Only four franchises, now including the Chiefs, have won three Super Bowl titles in five years or less.
The Pittsburgh Steelers won back-to-back championships twice between the 1974 and 1979 seasons and the Dallas Cowboys won three titles in four seasons from 1992 to 1995.
More recently, the Patriots did it twice, winning three times in four seasons from 2001-04 and three in five seasons from 2014 to 2018.
As the Chiefs join that group, it’s unquestionably dynasty stuff.
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“I hope people remember, not only the greatness we have on the field, but the way that we’ve done it,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I feel like we enjoy every single day, we have fun, we play hard and, while it’s not always pretty, we continue to fight to the very end.”
In addition to the Super Bowl wins, Kansas City also reached a fourth Super Bowl in the last five seasons and lost in overtime of the other two AFC Championship Game during Mahomes’ six seasons as a starter.
“Think about it — sixth year in the league, four Super Bowl appearances, three Super Bowls victories and three MVPs,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at Monday’s Super Bowl champions press conference. “That’s an incredible performance, incredible leader and makes the future bright for everyone in the National Football League. With no further ado, Patrick Mahomes — MVP.”
Mahomes’ three Super Bowl MVPs are tied for the second-most in NFL history behind only Tom Brady (five). He credited Reid for molding him into the dominant player he’s become after the game, but the respect is mutual.
“It helps that this guy over here is on our team and he sets such a positive attitude for everybody,” Reid said of the Chiefs’ championship DNA. “... He makes it look easy. I would tell you that, and this is a fluid game with the best athletes in this sport in the world. You narrowed it down to the top two teams in the world and he’s out there playing like he’s playing in the backyard and it’s nothing.”
Mahomes finished 34 of 46 for 333 yards, the most he’s thrown in four Super Bowl appearances, with two touchdowns and an interception. He also led the Chiefs with 66 yards rushing on nine carries.
Kansas City — as it has in all four Super Bowl appearances — fell behind by double digits, trailing 10-0 in the first half and 10-3 at halftime, but the team never panicked, not even after a fumble on the opening snap of the third quarter and Mahomes’ interception a few plays later.
“Honestly, it was just ‘be us’ — nothing more, nothing less,” Mahomes said. “Offensively, we knew we weren’t playing our best football, but we felt like we weren’t executing at a high level. ... We just said, ‘Be us; let’s be us out there and, if we’re going to go down, let’s have fun, let’s enjoy it and give everything we have, and we’ll live with the results after.’”Down 19-16 with 1:53 remaining, Mahomes went into Grim Reaper mode, finishing 13 of 16 for 100 yards with four carries for 33 yards in leading the game-tying drive in regulation and the game-winning drive in overtime.
Now, the dynasty can no longer be denied.
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