Now that we have now had the possibility to bask within the glory of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl victory, it’s a good time to mirror on exactly what the staff has simply achieved — and surprise what may lie forward.
I’ll be trustworthy: despite the fact that I knew that the overwhelming majority of followers (together with all the published hosts) have been choosing the Philadelphia Eagles to win the championship sport, I used to be a lot much less apprehensive concerning the Tremendous Bowl than I had been for the AFC Championship sport. For some motive, this bizarre feeling had settled over me. I’ll do my greatest to elucidate it.
There are a lot of causes the NFL has change into the most well-liked sport in the US — and by a large margin. The video games are superb. The gamers are the perfect on the planet. From Week 1 to Week 18, practically each single sport is critically necessary. Lastly, the league has performed a incredible job of making precise parity; the schedule and wage construction offers each staff the chance to compete.
However you could do not forget that about 5 years in the past, individuals have been starting to surprise concerning the sport’s future. Among the many subsequent era of gamers, which of them may lead the NFL to its future? Which quarterbacks could be collaborating within the subsequent nice “Brady vs. Manning” rivalry? And which groups have been going to start new dynasties?
We noticed the good ones do it, didn’t we?
Because the Tremendous Bowl period started within the late 60s, it was the Inexperienced Bay Packers — led by the good Vince Lombardi, whose identify now graces every championship trophy. Within the 70s, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the precise coach and the precise gamers (together with a draft class with 4 eventual Corridor of Fame inductees) to show 4 a long time of distress right into a decade of dominance. Within the 80s, head coach Invoice Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to a number of championships. Within the 90s, Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman piloted the Dallas Cowboys to 3. Then within the new millennium, Invoice Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have been within the huge sport 10 occasions over 20 years.
There are those that will contend that it’s untimely to use the “D” phrase to Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. However there isn’t anybody who can argue the staff isn’t properly on its method.
Because the Tremendous Bowl approached, I got here to appreciate that if Kansas Metropolis was actually changing into the league’s subsequent dynasty, there was no method the staff was going to lose the championship sport. It had lastly dawned on me: the Chiefs aren’t simply making historical past. They’re additionally repeating it.
In each considered one of these nice dynasties, groups merely didn’t lose video games just like the matchup towards the Eagles. Each a type of nice squads had defining moments the place they went from being nice to being historic.
Let’s bear in mind: the 2022 season was imagined to be about rebuilding a staff that was now with out its best receiver. Analysts weren’t choosing different AFC West groups to win the division as a result of they have been so good. As a substitute, they believed there was no method that Kansas Metropolis might keep its dominance over its closest rivals.
However nobody thought the Chiefs might truly be higher (and extra harmful) than ever — besides them.
All of those dynasties have had related traits. They didn’t simply ascend to the highest as soon as. As a substitute, they stayed at (or close to it) for at the least a decade. And a technique or one other, they discovered methods to win video games that nobody believed they may.
So I can’t say that on Tremendous Bowl Sunday, I used to be 100% sure that Kansas Metropolis was going to win. However I strongly felt that if historical past was going to repeat itself — giving us the start of one more NFL dynasty — the Chiefs have been going to win the sport.
They usually did.
On the finish of Wednesday’s victory parade, Patrick Mahomes mentioned it greatest: “That is solely the start.”
I consider historical past is about to show him proper.
