Dynasty? Check.
All-time great quarterback on his way to being the best? Check.
All-time great head coach? Check.
Back-to-back Super Bowl victories? Check.
So what's next for the Kansas City Chiefs? History. They can become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls if they win another one next season. Fresh off their 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night in Super Bowl LVIII, the Chiefs were already talking about doing it again. Three-peat will be the theme of the season.
That might sound crazy, but considering this Chiefs team was loaded with flaws, had to win two road playoff games to get to the Super Bowl and looked lifeless for much of the first half Sunday night, who are we to doubt them?
They have Patrick Mahomes after all. He once again proved why he is on his way to being the best ever. By winning his third Super Bowl in six years, plus his third Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes is on his way to chasing down Tom Brady's seven titles.
Against the 49ers, Mahomes seemed off early as the offense struggled, yet he found a way to turn it around and win the game with a touchdown drive in overtime. In all three of his Super Bowl victories, he has rallied the Chiefs from 10 down.
This Chiefs team was certainly beatable this season, yet here they are again as champions. They need to do some offseason work, mostly notably finding a big-play receiver, adding tackle help, re-signing Chris Jones and L'Jarius Sneed, and hoping Andy Reid doesn't walk away. But with Mahomes they will be right back in the thick of it again.
The Chiefs end the season as the top team in my Power Rankings, which seemed a long shot when they lost to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day. But that just shows you the value of having that guy under center.
The 49ers are in the second spot, with the top spot once again slipping out of their hands. Coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the best in football, but he has now blown two 10-point leads in Super Bowl losses to Mahomes.
That has to sting.
The 49ers will be contenders in the NFC again next season, but two tough losses in the Super Bowl will be tough to get past. Super Bowl hangovers are real for the losers by the way. Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles this past year.
I picked the 49ers to win it all before the season, but picked the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. That's because I am not picking against Mahomes again in the playoffs. It just isn't sane to do so as he showed us again in this postseason that greatness and history will be his legacy -- and it's only just begun.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | What's to think they can't win three or four more as long as Patrick Mahomes is slinging it? They do need to get him help for that offense. | 6 | 12-1-0 |
| 2 |  | The Super Bowl losses have to haunt Kyle Shanahan. But they have a quarterback for the long run in Brock Purdy. | -- | 6-7-0 |
| 3 |  | Lamar Jackson has won two MVPs, but he has to win in the postseason. That's how quarterbacks are defined, which he has to know is a major talking point now. | 2 | 8-5-0 |
| 4 |  | The injuries crippled their defense last season, which led to them coming up short again. That begs the question whether the window is closing or does Josh Allen keep it open? | -- | 10-3-0 |
| 5 |  | It was a magical year for the Lions as they went to the NFC Championship Game. One thing they have to do, though, is improve the defense. | 1 | 12-1-0 |
| 6 |  | They go into the 2024 season with a ton of pressure once again on Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott. No playoff victories will mean a new coach in 2025. | 3 | 5-8-0 |
| 7 |  | Jordan Love showed down the stretch and into the playoffs that he is their guy for the long term and they can win big games with him. The change in defensive coordinators should be good. | 3 | 9-4-0 |
| 8 |  | With C.J. Stroud establishing himself as a big-time player at quarterback and DeMeco Ryans as coach, the Texans will be competing for titles for a long time. The future is bright. | 4 | 8-5-0 |
| 9 |  | They made the playoffs after a ton of injuries and picking up Joe Flacco off the scrap heap. With Deshaun Watson and others like Nick Chubb back, they should again push for a playoff spot. | 4 | 3-10-0 |
| 10 |  | They were decimated by injuries last season, but they still enter 2025 with a lot of questions. The No. 1 question is what kind of contract do they give Tua Tagovailoa since he has a year left. | 2 | 6-7-0 |
| 11 |  | This young team made the playoffs in a surprise to most everyone last season. As they get older, they will get better and could push the 49ers in the division. | 2 | 7-6-0 |
| 12 |  | They've made some changes this offseason to the staff after a disappointing 2023 season. They really seemed to have that Super Bowl hangover. | 1 | 11-2-0 |
| 13 |  | The top priority this offseason is bringing back Baker Mayfield. He played well enough last season to show he is their guy. | 1 | 7-6-0 |
| 14 |  | They have to decide what to do at quarterback. Is Kenny Pickett the answer? Do they acquire a veteran with Mason Rudolph set to be a free agent? | 1 | 10-3-0 |
| 15 |  | They were one of the bigger flops of the 2023 season. They just never seemed to build on the momentum of the year before, which is why they made some changes to the staff. | -- | 3-10-0 |
| 16 |  | They have a new offensive coordinator, which should help liven up the offense. Klint Kubiak will bring the 49ers-style offense with him. | -- | 5-8-0 |
| 17 |  | When they lost Joe Burrow, their season was done -- even if they hung around for a while. They will be back competing for a Super Bowl in 2024. | -- | 5-8-0 |
| 18 |  | They have some young talent that they can use to build around Anthony Richardson as he returns for a second season. The future looks good. | -- | 6-7-0 |
| 19 |  | They did the wise thing in keeping Antonio Pierce as the coach. Now he has to decide what to do at quarterback. | -- | 2-11-0 |
| 20 |  | They hired defensive wizard Mike Macdonald as the head coach. He will improve the defense with his complex style of play. | -- | 8-5-0 |
| 21 |  | Do they keep Justin Fields or draft Caleb Williams first overall? If they keep Fields, what can they get for the top overall pick? | -- | 4-9-0 |
| 22 |  | The big question is if Kirk Cousins will be back or not. They should make that a priority after finding out what life was like without him. | -- | 11-2-0 |
| 23 |  | New coach Raheem Morris has one job at the beginning of his tenure: Find a quarterback. If he doesn't, it won't matter how good he is as a coach. | -- | 6-7-0 |
| 24 |  | Russell Wilson will be gone, so they have to draft a quarterback and even sign a veteran. That situation was awful last year in Sean Payton's first season. | -- | 8-5-0 |
| 25 |  | They surprised many with how well they competed in 2023. Expect them to make a nice improvement in 2024 - even possibly pushing for the playoffs. | -- | 6-7-0 |
| 26 |  | The return of Aaron Rodgers will make them much better, but Robert Saleh enters a year where he has to be a playoff coach or else. | -- | 3-10-0 |
| 27 |  | New coach Brian Callahan has one job, which is to build around Will Levis. Callahan has the reputation as an offensive guy to do it. | -- | 3-10-0 |
| 28 |  | They will have a new look on defense with a new coordinator, but the offense has to be better as well. Daniel Jones will be the guy, but do they also draft a quarterback? | -- | 2-11-0 |
| 29 |  | Jerod Mayo has a real challenge taking over for Bill Belichick in large part because of the roster Belichick left behind. The quarterback position isn't good, which has to be fixed. | -- | 3-10-0 |
| 30 |  | Jim Harbaugh will make this a more physical team on both sides of the ball. He changes teams and programs with his coaching. | -- | 8-5-0 |
| 31 |  | New coach Dan Quinn and new general manager Adam Peters have work to do, but there is talent on the roster. What will they do at quarterback? | -- | 8-5-0 |
| 32 |  | New coach Dave Canales has a tough job trying to turn this team, and especially Bryce Young, around. If he does that, this team will make strides. | -- | 3-10-0 |
