The Kansas City Chiefs are in the best position of any team to win three straight Super Bowls in a long time.
On the surface, that’s not exactly a bold statement when it’s been almost 20 years since any team won back-to-back Super Bowls, giving them an opportunity to do something that has never been done: win three Super Bowls in a row.
The biggest reason? Their competition or lack thereof.
To be clear, the Chiefs have not looked dominant or even all that great yet. Even so, they have still found a way to win close games late against projected playoff teams because, well, that is what the Chiefs do.
Chiefs' AFC West Domination
The reason why it feels like they are uniquely qualified to at least get back to a third straight Super Bowl is the complexion of the AFC and, in particular, the AFC West.
Let’s start with their division. The Chargers and their new coach, Jim Harbaugh, are off to a 2-0 start. Although, they haven’t faced a murderer’s row to start the season with a home game against the Raiders followed by a win against the hapless Panthers, who have since benched their quarterback.
The Chargers roster still appears to lack the playmakers to be taken seriously as a contender. However, new offensive coordinator Greg Roman deserves some credit for getting production out of guys like Quentin Johnston and J.K. Dobbins to start the year.
Still, most experts and the betting lines have the Chargers as about a .500 team and thus on the outside looking in for a playoff berth.
The Raiders, meanwhile, got a massive win against the Ravens on Sunday but are not being taken seriously by anyone as a playoff contender. A journeyman quarterback with a first-time NFL head coach is not the typical formula for a winning season, let alone a legitimate postseason adversary. They are projected to win six or seven games.
Last and probably least, the Broncos have a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix who is learning on the job — putting it kindly. They were considered one of the NFL’s worst teams coming into the season and are trying to prove they can be competitive.
Put it all together, and the Chiefs appear to be in a much easier division than the other top AFC contenders in the AFC North and AFC East. That means the Chiefs have a terrific chance to get the No. 1 seed and the bye that comes with it, although they proved last year they don’t need it.
Other AFC Contenders
As for the rest of the conference, at least from a roster standpoint, their biggest threats from a year ago, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, appear to have taken a step back.
The Ravens are off to a 0-2 start, as they break in three new starters on the offensive line, while the Bills deserve credit for racing out to a 2-0 start despite moving on from several core players like Stefon Diggs, Connor McGovern, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, etc.
A strong argument could be made that the Chiefs' biggest threat in the AFC is the upstart Houston Texans. They are 0-2 and the only team in their division with a win this season, which gives them as much chance — if not more than — as the Chiefs to capture the No. 1 seed.
Plus, they have a star young quarterback in C.J. Stroud, who they believe can take them to the promised land after he led them to a division title and a playoff win as a rookie. The question is whether Stroud and the Texans are ready to take down Mahomes and company when everything is on the line in January.
Why Don't Teams Three-Peat?
As a guy who was on the last NFL team to try for a three-peat, the 2005 Patriots, my experience tells me the biggest impediment to the Chiefs making history is themselves. There is a reason why it has never been done before. There are probably many reasons, chief (no pun intended). Among them are injuries that tend to mount as the season goes along.
Heck, that was the only reason New England signed me that season. They had already lost star left tackle Matt Light and stalwart center Dan Koppen due to season-ending injuries and brought me in for depth as other guys got banged up late in the season.
It is the same reason why running backs with 400+ touches tend to have down seasons the following year: the Chiefs' core has played many more games and snaps than their competition.
Speaking of running backs and injuries, the Chiefs put Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve this week. Perhaps, the cumulative effect of their back-to-back extended playoff runs is already having an impact.
If they can somehow avoid the myriad of maladies that typically affect most teams in their shoes and utilize their fortunate positioning in the AFC West, they might just have a chance to make history.
