NFL
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Clinical Comeback in Super Bowl 57 Confirms the NFL’s Next Dynasty Has Officially Arrived
Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sportscasting in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots. Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways. Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and a master's in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.
Get to know Stephen Sheehan betterPublished15 Feb 2023
The Kansas City Chiefs secured their second Super Bowl title in four seasons by pulling off some second-half magic… again. Only this time, it didn’t take until midway through the fourth quarter for Andy Reid’s team to take control of a winnable game.
After struggling to hold Jalen Hurts and an explosive Philadelphia Eagles offense in check during the first half, the Chiefs buckled down on defense, found a rhythm on offense, and made a big play on special teams to pull off another comeback with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
For Patrick Mahomes, becoming a two-time champion at age 27 means he at least has a legitimate shot at putting himself in the GOAT conversation one day. For the Chiefs, capping off another highly successful season by winning the sport’s ultimate prize confirms they have officially overtaken the New England Patriots as the NFL’s newest dynasty.
Two Super Bowl titles in four years make the Chiefs the NFL’s first post-Patriots dynasty
While they aren’t on the Patriots’ level, there’s zero doubt the Chiefs deserve the “dynasty” label previously worn by the Dallas Cowboys in the ‘90s, San Fransisco 49ers in the ‘80s, and Pittsburgh Steelers in the ‘70s.
However, it might not be long before Patrick Mahomes and Company are in the mix with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
After bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City for the first time in 50 years, the new face of the NFL has continued winning at a TB12-like clip. Thanks in large part to fellow future Hall of Famers Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, Mahomes has been able to pick apart defenses, rack up regular-season records and victories, and put his team in a position to have home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Now that he’s emerged victorious in two of his three trips to the Super Bowl, Mahomes is clearly a lock to be enshrined in Canton. If he adds a few more rings to his collection across the next four or five seasons, he could make Brady reconsider retirement. (We’re only half-joking.)
Kansas City’s second comeback in a Super Bowl in four years allowed viewers to see why Mahomes is truly such a special talent. The Chiefs scored on every second-half possession. They dropped 24 points on an Eagles defense that finished eighth in points allowed at 20.2 per game during the regular season.
With five straight AFC Championship Game appearances, a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback who may still have untapped potential, and a head coach who continues to close the gap between him and Belichick, the Chiefs prove they’ll be a major threat to win the Super Bowl on an annual basis for years to come.
Can any AFC team prevent Kansas City from earning back-to-back Super Bowl berths?
It certainly didn’t take long for Mahomes to enter the conversation with the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw, the 49ers’ Joe Montana, and the Cowboys’ Troy Aikman as leaders of NFL dynasties. But just five years into his NFL career, the 27-year-old undoubtedly deserves to be mentioned as an all-time great.
The scary part: Mahomes continues to refine his game like anyone who respects their craft. The incredible athlete has all the leadership traits required to be the face of an NFL franchise. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say you would take him over every other quarterback from previous dynasties other than Brady.
However, Mahomes has a few peers who could prevent him from securing a third Super Bowl ring. After all, has there ever been as much top-end talent at the most important position in professional sports?
Between Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Josh Allen, the AFC boasts three MVP-caliber signal-callers who can stand toe-to-toe with Mahomes. And the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, and Buffalo Bills all have talented rosters with big-name stars like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Stefon Diggs, and Tremaine Edmunds.
If there’s any team that looks poised to make life difficult for Mahomes and the Chiefs, it’s the Bengals. They boast more talent at the skill positions, and Burrow might be the closest thing to the next TB12 from a shoulders-up perspective.
In fact, a second iteration of Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning could come to life in the form of Mahomes vs. Burrow. With the former already two rings ahead, let’s see if the latter falls further behind or secures his first next February.
