Dynasty Warriors
Putting aside for a moment the basic fact that the word "dynasty" in a sports context is a completely arbitrary term, the question for the moment is, "Are the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty?" Before we dive into the question, let me forefront my bias. Not only am I a Patriots fan, but I deeply, deeply hate the Kansas City Chiefs. I'm not going to pretend this is a purely impartial analysis. As far as I'm concerned, though, it doesn't need to be impartial to be clear.
To define an NFL Dynasty, we have to look at the teams considered Dynasties. The 60s Packers, the 70s Steelers, 80s 49ers, 90s Cowboys, and the 2000-2019 Patriots. There are too many stats to compile, so let's just look at Super Bowls. The Packers won 5 Championships in 7 years, including the first two Super Bowls. The Steelers went 4-0 in six years, including two back-to-back wins. From 1981-1994, the 49ers went 5-0, under two different quarterbacks. The first four were enough for a Dynasty, but the fifth made the argument for the organization, not just special players like Joe Montana. The Cowboys went 3-0 in four years, and they did it in such dominating fashion, no one questions their dominance in such a short period of time.
To define an NFL Dynasty, we have to look at the teams considered Dynasties. The 60s Packers, the 70s Steelers, 80s 49ers, 90s Cowboys, and the 2000-2019 Patriots. There are too many stats to compile, so let's just look at Super Bowls. The Packers won 5 Championships in 7 years, including the first two Super Bowls. The Steelers went 4-0 in six years, including two back-to-back wins. From 1981-1994, the 49ers went 5-0, under two different quarterbacks. The first four were enough for a Dynasty, but the fifth made the argument for the organization, not just special players like Joe Montana. The Cowboys went 3-0 in four years, and they did it in such dominating fashion, no one questions their dominance in such a short period of time.
That brings us to the Patriots. The 2000s Patriots were so unconventional, even after winning 3 super bowls in four years, the Dynasty label was questioned. A lot of the criticism back then sounded similar to the Chiefs this season. The schedule was too easy. Losses to bad teams. Wins too close. Not beating bad teams badly enough. Not an even team; winning on the backs of the defense. Tom Brady is no Joe Montana, no Troy Aikman. This team went 16-0 in the regular season, and still the general concensus was they weren't a real Dynasty unless they won the Super Bowl. And they didn't. Then they lost the next Super Bowl they appeared in. The critics did not stop questioning the Dynasty until TEN YEARS after their last Super Bowl victory when they took down the Legion of Boom and the rising star of Russel Wilson in Super Bowl XLIX.
There is no question that the best team of the last six years is the Chiefs. Every year, they are the team to beat. They've appeared in five of the last six Super Bowls. So let's JUST compare six year spans. Packers 1962-1967 went 4-0 in NFL Championships. Bradshaw's 70s Steelers, 4-0. Montana's 49ers from 1984-1989, 3-0. Cowboys in the 90s, 3-0. Patriots 2001-2006, 3-0. Kansas City Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes, from 2020-2025, 3-2. The obvious and very biased conclusion would be that those 2 losses keep them from being a Dynasty, but to be fair, let's keep going. Making it to 5 super bowls in six years is an accomplishment, but ask the Buffalo Bills if just appearing in Super Bowls makes you great.
Each of the other Dynasties also had at least one statement win. In 1961, the Packers beat the Giants in the NFL Championship 37-0. In Super Bowl XXIV, the 49ers dropped the biggest point differential in Super Bowl history (55-10) on the Broncos. In Super Bowl XXVII, the Cowboys put up 52 points on the long-suffering Bills, leaving them with only 17. In that first stretch, the biggest statement the Patriots made was taking down the Greatest Show on Turf, even if the game was close. Their real statement would come much later. The Steelers didn't really have one statement game, but when you hold an unmatched win record, you get a Dynasty pass. You also have to consider they were doing it against Hall of Famers Frank Tarkenton and Roger Staubach (whom they beat TWICE).
The Chiefs made a different kind of statement. In each of their wins, they were at one point behind by 10 points and came back. This became the narrative of their wins, the never-give-up spirit and the depth of play on both sides of the ball that never really put them out of contention. But that was in the wins. The losses are where the cracks start to show. The Patriots show that a team can lose Super Bowls and still be considered a Dynasty (side note: 1961 is still considered part of the Packers Dynasty, even though they lost the NFL Championship 13-17). Let's take a closer look at the Patriots' nine Dynasty Super Bowls.
Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots were up 14-3 at the half against an unstoppable team, and even in the closing minutes, there was a sense this Brady kid could pull out the win.
Super Bowls XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX: Close, back and forth games the Patriots could have lost, but found a way to win.
Super Bowl XLII: There was a sense early on that the upstart Giants had the undefeated juggernaut's number. But the final score was 17-14. This game was one bad Giants mistake from going the other way. The Patriots kept it close for 60 minutes; the other team just wanted it more.
Super Bowl XLVI: This was maybe the sloppiest Super Bowl of the Dynasty era. The Patriots started the game with a god damn safety. Receivers couldn't receive. Morale was the lowest I've ever seen. But still, it was a one score game. Up to the end, there was a chance the Patriots could have won.
Super Bowl LI: THIS was the Patriots' statement game. I had watched the Patriots lose before, but I had never been so convinced this team would lose, behind 28-3. I remember being at previous Super Bowl parties where Giants fans (or, let's face it, all non-Patriots fans) were gloating in my face that the game was over. But I had hope that this team could march down in the final minute and do some magic, even when they ultimately didn't. When Julio Jones had that super human toe-tapper, for the first time in 7 Super Bowls, I knew with absolute certainty they were going to lose. But they didn't.
Super Bowl LII: Of all the back and forth Pats Super Bowls, this was the back-and-forth-iest. But still, it was only an 8-point game, and I believed they could pull it out.
Super Bowl LIII: Look, we all know this game sucked, but at no point was a Patriots defeat certain.
I think you know where I'm going with this.
Super Bowls LV and LIX were absolute embarrassments for the Chiefs. A 31-9 final score. A 34-0 score before the Chiefs put anything on the board. Only once in NINE Super Bowls did the Patriots ever fall behind by even close to that much, and they WON that game. To be considered a Dynasty, it can't just be about winning. It has to also be about how you lose. Was it shocking that the Patriots beat the Greatest Show Rams or the Boom Seahawks? Hell yeah it was. But those were dominant teams looming on the precipice of Dynasty, and they lost to a Dynasty by just one score. The Steelers beat their arch rivals the Cowboys by 4 points each time. The 49ers beat their rival Bengals by less than a touchdown each time. These are losing, non-Dynasty teams that showed up on the biggest stage and fared better than the Chiefs did those two losing years.
The Chiefs deserve all the credit for their dominance... over the AFC... but you can't choke this badly, twice, and get the highest ceremonial honor fans give a team. Undoubtedly great, dominant team. Not a Dynasty
And as a footnote, let's touch on Brady vs. Mahomes. Of course, Mahomes will get in the Hall of Fame no matter what else happens. The GOAT debate is always tough. Bradshaw was better than Staubach, and he proved it twice. Bradshaw was better than Tarkenton. Montana beat Marino, Esiason, and Elway. Aikman beat Kelly, twice. But Brady never played Montana. We'll never know, head to head, who would win. We do know Brady beats Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Jared Goff, oh yeah, and Patrick Mahomes. Brady beat Mahomes in Super Bowl LV as a Buccaneer after defeating him two years earlier in the AFC Championship as a Patriot.
So that's what apples to apples looks like. The Brady Patriots also went 3-2 in their first five Super Bowls, and it wasn't until they won their fourth did people admit they were a Dynasty. And it wasn't until Brady did the impossible two years later that he was declared the GOAT. It's too late for 4 wins in 6 years, but maybe 4 wins in 7 years and we can even start talking Dynasty. Maybe if Mahomes can stop choking when the team is down. Maybe if this team can maintain a level of inconsistent dominance like the Patriots, they can overcome their losses to work their way back to being considered on par with the rest of these teams. They're just the best team we have right now, which isn't saying much.
There is no question that the best team of the last six years is the Chiefs. Every year, they are the team to beat. They've appeared in five of the last six Super Bowls. So let's JUST compare six year spans. Packers 1962-1967 went 4-0 in NFL Championships. Bradshaw's 70s Steelers, 4-0. Montana's 49ers from 1984-1989, 3-0. Cowboys in the 90s, 3-0. Patriots 2001-2006, 3-0. Kansas City Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes, from 2020-2025, 3-2. The obvious and very biased conclusion would be that those 2 losses keep them from being a Dynasty, but to be fair, let's keep going. Making it to 5 super bowls in six years is an accomplishment, but ask the Buffalo Bills if just appearing in Super Bowls makes you great.
Each of the other Dynasties also had at least one statement win. In 1961, the Packers beat the Giants in the NFL Championship 37-0. In Super Bowl XXIV, the 49ers dropped the biggest point differential in Super Bowl history (55-10) on the Broncos. In Super Bowl XXVII, the Cowboys put up 52 points on the long-suffering Bills, leaving them with only 17. In that first stretch, the biggest statement the Patriots made was taking down the Greatest Show on Turf, even if the game was close. Their real statement would come much later. The Steelers didn't really have one statement game, but when you hold an unmatched win record, you get a Dynasty pass. You also have to consider they were doing it against Hall of Famers Frank Tarkenton and Roger Staubach (whom they beat TWICE).
The Chiefs made a different kind of statement. In each of their wins, they were at one point behind by 10 points and came back. This became the narrative of their wins, the never-give-up spirit and the depth of play on both sides of the ball that never really put them out of contention. But that was in the wins. The losses are where the cracks start to show. The Patriots show that a team can lose Super Bowls and still be considered a Dynasty (side note: 1961 is still considered part of the Packers Dynasty, even though they lost the NFL Championship 13-17). Let's take a closer look at the Patriots' nine Dynasty Super Bowls.
Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots were up 14-3 at the half against an unstoppable team, and even in the closing minutes, there was a sense this Brady kid could pull out the win.
Super Bowls XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX: Close, back and forth games the Patriots could have lost, but found a way to win.
Super Bowl XLII: There was a sense early on that the upstart Giants had the undefeated juggernaut's number. But the final score was 17-14. This game was one bad Giants mistake from going the other way. The Patriots kept it close for 60 minutes; the other team just wanted it more.
Super Bowl XLVI: This was maybe the sloppiest Super Bowl of the Dynasty era. The Patriots started the game with a god damn safety. Receivers couldn't receive. Morale was the lowest I've ever seen. But still, it was a one score game. Up to the end, there was a chance the Patriots could have won.
Super Bowl LI: THIS was the Patriots' statement game. I had watched the Patriots lose before, but I had never been so convinced this team would lose, behind 28-3. I remember being at previous Super Bowl parties where Giants fans (or, let's face it, all non-Patriots fans) were gloating in my face that the game was over. But I had hope that this team could march down in the final minute and do some magic, even when they ultimately didn't. When Julio Jones had that super human toe-tapper, for the first time in 7 Super Bowls, I knew with absolute certainty they were going to lose. But they didn't.
Super Bowl LII: Of all the back and forth Pats Super Bowls, this was the back-and-forth-iest. But still, it was only an 8-point game, and I believed they could pull it out.
Super Bowl LIII: Look, we all know this game sucked, but at no point was a Patriots defeat certain.
I think you know where I'm going with this.
Super Bowls LV and LIX were absolute embarrassments for the Chiefs. A 31-9 final score. A 34-0 score before the Chiefs put anything on the board. Only once in NINE Super Bowls did the Patriots ever fall behind by even close to that much, and they WON that game. To be considered a Dynasty, it can't just be about winning. It has to also be about how you lose. Was it shocking that the Patriots beat the Greatest Show Rams or the Boom Seahawks? Hell yeah it was. But those were dominant teams looming on the precipice of Dynasty, and they lost to a Dynasty by just one score. The Steelers beat their arch rivals the Cowboys by 4 points each time. The 49ers beat their rival Bengals by less than a touchdown each time. These are losing, non-Dynasty teams that showed up on the biggest stage and fared better than the Chiefs did those two losing years.
The Chiefs deserve all the credit for their dominance... over the AFC... but you can't choke this badly, twice, and get the highest ceremonial honor fans give a team. Undoubtedly great, dominant team. Not a Dynasty
And as a footnote, let's touch on Brady vs. Mahomes. Of course, Mahomes will get in the Hall of Fame no matter what else happens. The GOAT debate is always tough. Bradshaw was better than Staubach, and he proved it twice. Bradshaw was better than Tarkenton. Montana beat Marino, Esiason, and Elway. Aikman beat Kelly, twice. But Brady never played Montana. We'll never know, head to head, who would win. We do know Brady beats Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Jared Goff, oh yeah, and Patrick Mahomes. Brady beat Mahomes in Super Bowl LV as a Buccaneer after defeating him two years earlier in the AFC Championship as a Patriot.
So that's what apples to apples looks like. The Brady Patriots also went 3-2 in their first five Super Bowls, and it wasn't until they won their fourth did people admit they were a Dynasty. And it wasn't until Brady did the impossible two years later that he was declared the GOAT. It's too late for 4 wins in 6 years, but maybe 4 wins in 7 years and we can even start talking Dynasty. Maybe if Mahomes can stop choking when the team is down. Maybe if this team can maintain a level of inconsistent dominance like the Patriots, they can overcome their losses to work their way back to being considered on par with the rest of these teams. They're just the best team we have right now, which isn't saying much.
posted by Daroff at
4:08 PM
This blog is not to be taken seriously. Seriously. I take this seriously, but you shouldn't. You should do what you want, but you'll probably enjoy this more if you don't take anything I say seriously. I mean, I mean what I say, but it's not serious. Oh also, swearing is hilarious. It shouldn't be, but it is.
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