In the 2000s and 2010s, we had the NFL’s first two-decade-long dynasty with the New England Patriots. The Tom Brady dynasty ended upon his transition to Tampa Bay, but the league seems to have already found its replacement.
The newest NFL dynasty features Patrick Mahomes at the helm. Dynasties are often despised by other fanbases, and we are seeing NFL fans (those that aren’t Kansas City Chiefs fans or Swifties) turning on the Chiefs.
Yet, four years ago, this was not the case. It’s still easy to remember when the Chiefs were a team that America rallied around.
January 20, 2019: AFC Championship
In the 2018 playoffs, the Chiefs were the No. 1 seed. The Patriots were No. 2. Yet, when the two teams faced off in the AFC Championship, it felt as though Kansas City was the underdog. America watched and rooted against Brady’s team while cheering for Mahomes and his Chiefs to win. The Chiefs lost that game, but they showed America that they would soon break through as a force to be reckoned with. (Tom Brady won his last Super Bowl as a Patriot that year, taking down the Los Angeles Rams.)
The 2019 Season
The 53rd Super Bowl pitted two of the most likable teams, the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, against each other. The Chiefs won after the 49ers blew their lead in the second half. (Sound familiar?) For the most part, NFL fans were happy to see Mahomes get his first Super Bowl ring and Super Bowl MVP.
The 2023 Season
At times this past season, the Chiefs did not look like themselves. However, despite facing significant adversity on the field, the fanbase grew exponentially. This was the direct product of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dating. Swift watched as the Chiefs destroyed the Chicago Bears, spawning an incredible pattern in which the Chiefs consistently played like their old, elite selves when she was in attendance. Through it all, the Chiefs maintained a winning percentage above .500, finishing the year 10-7.
Playoffs?
January saw Mahomes play his first away playoff game in the hostile Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. A missed kick by Tyler Bass kept the Chiefs alive and sent them forward to the AFC Championship against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. A Ravens collapse allowed Kansas City to be crowned AFC Champions once again.
Every team the Chiefs faced in the playoffs seemed to self-destruct. The Chiefs didn’t have flashy performances like in previous years, but they did enough to win, and that’s all that matters.
Finally, we saw a Super Bowl rematch from nearly four years ago. Kansas City took on the San Francisco 49ers in an entertaining, low-scoring affair where the Chiefs would come out on top. Even though this was one of the Chiefs’ ugliest games of the year, they held on to win the Super Bowl in overtime.
Mahomes is now a three-time Super Bowl champion and a three-time Super Bowl MVP, and his Chiefs find themselves in elite company after winning back-to-back Super Bowls. The last team to do that was the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004. The scary part is that this season could have been considered a “down year” for the Chiefs, at least from a statistical standpoint. If their down year results in a Super Bowl win, then they will have no trouble demolishing teams and winning Super Bowls.
The Chiefs seem to be taking their place as the antagonists for NFL fans. This is now the team every NFL fan will root against and, like the Brady era, everyone will celebrate their eventual downfall.
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