The Kansas City Chiefs have invaded their way into another Super Bowl, and by now the only thing that surprises me about this are the good folks who expect them to be booted out of the way to make room for a new AFC power.
No, not yet. Oh, there have been the occasional slip. But when that happens the Chiefs respond by quickly recovering to exert authority over the dominion. When Kansa City coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are ready to relinquish firm control of their AFC sovereignty, they’ll let you know. For now, the Bills, Ravens, Bengals, Texans, Chargers, Broncos and other AFC challengers must stand down. Again.
Sunday night on the other end of Missouri, the Chiefs broke the hearts of the Buffalo Bills and the passionate Bills Mafia fan base with a 32-29 conquest in the AFC Championship. This thrilling game had twists and turns and was superbly entertaining … but of course, the outcome was determined by the predictable and inevitable Kansas City triumph.
The Reid-Mahomes Chiefs secured a reservation in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six seasons. That is absolutely ridiculous. The Brady-Belichick Patriots couldn’t do that. The Jimmy Johnson Cowboys couldn’t do that. The Lombardi Packers, the Steel Curtain Steelers and the Walsh-Montana 49ers couldn’t do that. Until now, no team had the talent, championship pedigree and audacity to pull it off.
And if the Chiefs can wrestle Saquon Barkely into submission and dispose of the challenge presented by the Philadelphia Eagles, they’ll become the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowls.
And a victory would give Kansas City its fourth Super Bowl conquest in six years. Impossible? No, but certainly incredible. The only team to seize four Super Bowl championships over a six-season stretch were coach Chuck Noll’s famous Pittsburgh Steelers who did it from 1974 through 1979. But there was no free agency back then. It was easy for Noll to keep his squad intact. It was a relentless machine led by future Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Mel Blount, Lynn Swann, Franco Harris, Jack Ham, Mike Webster, John Stallworth and Jack Lambert.
Reid and the Kansas City front office have built a sensational program around Mahomes – a generational talent to put it mildly – and a few other premium stars. But they spend their salary-cap money wisely, shop prudently, and find talent that rivals often overlook. But we shouldn’t be stingy about dishing a lot of credit to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was brought in by Reid before the 2019 season.
That’s when the Chiefs started winning AFC Championships (five) and Super Bowls (already three, and going for a fourth.) Under Spagnuolo, the blitz-master, KC has allowed the fourth-fewest points in the league, ranks No. 2 in quarterback pressures, and is eighth for most sacks. The former St. Louis Rams head coach has coordinated defenses for teams that have won four Super Bowls: Giants (1), and Chiefs (2). The Giants won a second Super Bowl after Spags left to become Rams head coach.
As for the Mahomes-Reid partnership:
1) In games started by Mahomes and coached by Reid, the Chiefs are 89-23 in the regular season and 17-3 in the postseason. That’s a .795 winning percentage in the regular season, an .850 winning percentage in the playoffs, and an overall winning percentage of .803.
2) Yeah, but according to a Chiefs-hating pack of dimwits, NFL officials are responsible for this. The whole thing is rigged. The Chiefs aren’t this good. There’s no way Reid and Mahomes could win over 80 percent of their games. This is a conspiracy … NFL corruption!
3) Which is interesting to me for a couple of reasons: if the NFL wanted to give preferential treatment (via officials) to increase additional national prominence, attract even larger TV ratings, and grow more revenue … Then why do this for a smaller-market team in the Midwest? The Chiefs have had their days on top of the world. So why wouldn’t it be more beneficial to “fix” games to elevate the sad-sack, futile-fool franchises in New York (Giants and Jets) and Chicago? They are massive markets that could do more for the NFL’s growth than Kansas City. And if the NFL wants to “fix” things, then why haven’t the owners and commissioner come up with a case to force Jerry Jones out? Which is ludicrous of course. But if the league is going to rig Kansas City games, then why conspire against Jerrah? The Cowboys haven’t even played in an NFC Championship since the 1995 season; they’re the only NFC team that hasn’t made it there since then. And if anyone could find a way to “rig” something, it would be Jerry Jones. (See: NFL relocation vote, Rams to St. Louis.) The Cowboys’ comical failure to win postseason games success … how is that good for the league?
4) But … but … Bernie! The NFL rigged the relocation process and the vote to steal the Rams from St. Louis and move to Los Angeles to take advantage of a privately financed state-of-the-art venue funded by E. Stanley Kroenke? There’s no new stadium in LA unless Kroenke was willing to pay for everything, and he would only do that if the NFL let him hoist the Rams to Los Angeles. But just a second … didn’t the NFL do that when the Rams wanted to move here from LA to gain a huge financial boost from the new stadium erected here in the mid 1990s? Oh. We don’t speak of that. I forgot. Sorry.
5) The Rams back to LA was business off the field. Dirty business, sure. And that’s why the NFL settled a lawsuit with St. Louis for a cost of just under $1 billion. But corrupt business off the field doesn’t have a damn thing to do with the competition on the field. If the NFL was fixing games – and frankly, I feel like a moron for even pushing back on this junk – this entire league would be ripped apart. Do you think that maybe the sportsbooks in Las Vegas and all over the U.S. would be suspicious about such nefarious activity? Those people have sharp eyes and know when something ain’t right in the betting trends.
Don’t you think the feds would be investigating? Don’t you think that anyone participating in a plot to fix KC Chiefs games would remain totally silent, without squealing, if law enforcement had some tough questions? We’re talking major fraud violations that would destroy the NFL’s credibility as a competitive league. The NFL has absolutely nothing to gain by favoring one team over another. There would be feds raiding team owners’ luxury suites.
6) And why the hell do you think the Chiefs need extra help to win games? The opponents they’ve taken down in the playoffs were really good teams for the most part. And those teams – especially Buffalo – had many chances to beat KC but failed to make winning plays with the game on the line. If you are one of the lost-your-mind souls who really think something was afoul Sunday night in Kansas City – then you are indirectly accusing Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid of being in on it. Because if he made that catch late in the game, the Bills were set up to kick the winning field goal.
7) And why would the NFL want the Chiefs to win the AFC Championship when the hard-luck Bills were a better story, an underdog story, a more enchanting story, with much greater appeal to fans that are burned out on the Chiefs? Fans who want a “fresh” Super Bowl? The most entertaining, new and attractive matchup would have been Josh Allen and the Bills vs. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. But those teams weren’t good enough to beat the Chiefs and Eagles, respectively. And this was nothing unusual. Rockheads should pay attention; No. 1 seeds in each conference have now won 22 of the last 27 AFC-NFC title games.
8) I think the NFL would help its credibility by improving officiating and taking advantage of advanced technology by putting a microchip in the football that can be utilized to make accurate readings on where to spot the ball … you know, to determine whether a team picked up a first down on a play that presented no definitive picture, either way, based on the available TV angles.
9) I understand Chiefs fatigue. Just as I understood Patriots fatigue. Really, I get it. Did you know that 15 of the last 24 AFC Championship games involved the Chiefs or the Patriots? Did you know that 14 of the last 24 AFC titles have been captured by the Patriots or Chiefs? Did you know that eight of the last 10 Super Bowls have been won with either Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes playing quarterback? Dynasties have abounded in all four of the major sports leagues in North America. So why do so many simple minds think this is some sort of aberration in the NFL?
10) It’s human nature to hate on teams that are successful over a long period of time. Fans without a hometown, regional or family-related rooting interests “hated” the Lombardi Packers, the Noll Steelers, the Landry Cowboys, the Walsh-Montana 49ers, the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys, the Elway Broncos, the Manning Colts, the Al Davis Raiders, etc. That’s how it goes in sports. Cycles. You don’t shouldn’t have to be a brainiac to understand this. As a kid I was crushed when the Baltimore Colts lost to the Lombardi Packers … and furious when the Colts were knocked out of the playoffs (twice) by those great Steelers teams.
But I never accused those teams of cheating or being propped up by cheating. Why? Because (A) I’m not a pathetic idiot, (B) I respect greatness even if my team loses to greater teams, and (C) this was before too many of my fellow American citizens were dumbed down by the internet.
There have been so many remarkably accomplished teams in sports. It doesn’t mean the most successful teams are cheating or benefitting from a rigged outcome to attain championship-caliber excellence over an extensive run of seasons.
You know what happens? These great teams stall out. The dynasties fade. New powers take over. What were the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan? Why have the New York Yankees failed to win a World Series since 2009? Have you looked at the New England Patriots lately?
The long-ago NHL dynasties in Montreal, and Long Island New York? When did Edmonton last win a Stanley Cup? Where did the Chicago Blackhawks go after winning all of those Stanley Cups during Joel Quenneville’s time as coach? What became of the St. Louis Cardinals beyond the Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright glory-days era? Good grief. Welcome to the sporting life. Are you new here?
11) Why don’t we look at the viable, otherwise impressive teams that keep failing when the opportunity is there to send the Chiefs packing? I think that might have something to do with this. (Yes: that’s sarcasm.)
Joe Burrow (Cincinnati) is the only quarterback other than Brady to defeat Mahomes in the postseason. Brady did it twice; once for the Patriots, the other time for Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. But Burrow [– who lost a rematch to Mahomes in the 2022 AFC title game – hasn’t gotten another shot at KC because the cheapskate Bengals won’t put a good defense around him.
Josh Allen is 4-1 against Mahomes during the regular-season but 0-4 against Mahomes in the postseason. We know that Allen’s Bills can beat the Mahomes-led Chiefs because we’ve seen it. But the Bills haven’t pulled it off in the playoffs. Hey, make a play. Win the game.
Burrow did that, rising up to beat the Chiefs – in Kansas City, no less – to win the 2021 AFC Championship. Again: make a play and win it. Yes, it’s that simple. If Burrow did it, then why can’t Allen do it? Or Lamar Jackson? Why can’t other top quarterbacks take advantage of the Chiefs and Mahomes when they’re vulnerable and beatable?
Why do so many of Mahomes’ opponents buckle under the pressure of trying to overthrow him with a triumph within reach? All of the diaper-baby whiners should think about that instead of blaming the officials.
Jackson, Baltimore’s quarterback, is 1-5 against Mahomes overall. In the postseason, Mahomes has beaten Allen four times. He has single victories over Jackson, Burrow, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud and others.
In the regular season Mahomes has defeated 54 different starting quarterbacks while stockpiling 106 wins in 132 games. Hey, he’s good! Imagine that! He’s really good!
Heck, Mahomes was even 3-1 against Tom Brady in regular-season showdowns. He has seven regular-season wins over Justin Herbert, four over Russell Wilson, three over Philip Rivers, three over Kirk Cousins, and two over Roethlisberger.
Mahomes has regular-season wins Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Burrow. Mahomes has fought off and prevailed over a few younger quarterbacks drafted in the first round including Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray, Justin Fields, Jordan Love and Bryce Young. Mahomes takes on all comers. And he’s won just over 80 percent of his starts. One day, he won’t be as excellent, his skills will erode, and then it will be time for other quarterbacks to move ahead of him. (Ask Aaron Rodgers, among others, about that.)
It might be a while. Mahomes is 29, he’s been a starter for only seven full seasons, he already ranks second to Brady all-time for most career postseason victories, and he’ll be aiming for his fourth Super Bowl ring in five years. You may not like it. But you’re just going to have to deal with it.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie