Fans of the NFL have been itching to see who the next dynasty is.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots — all in that order since the 1970s — have had their runs. But for the 2020s, the Kansas City Chiefs have sparked the debate online on whether this current decade now belongs to them.
“We Are Witnessing the Birth of a New Dynasty”
This time, the Chiefs were the road team facing the top seed in the AFC and arguably a superior Baltimore Ravens team.
Yet, the Chiefs played a championship brand of defensive football — producing four sacks and forcing two Lamar Jackson turnovers.
This performance was far different from the previous light-up-the-scoreboard philosophy the Chiefs were accustomed to in the era of Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce — a K.C. era often defined by its offensive identity.
The Mahomes-led offense was bottled to only 17 points, but it was enough to secure the win — and get some fans believing this is Mahomes’ best run yet.
“This is the greatest run of Patrick Mahomes career,” longtime sports radio personality Mike Greenberg said on X (formerly known as Twitter). “His team was the most vulnerable it’s ever been. He had to face Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson on the road. And he’s back in the Super Bowl.”
Meanwhile, longtime NFL Network personality and Sirius XM radio host Rich Eisen didn’t hesitate to give the Chiefs the dynasty label.
“We are witnessing the birth of a new dynasty,” Eisen posted on X. “The Chiefs back in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, winning back-to-back road games against the top two AFC seeds to do it.”
Fellow NFL Network personality Cameron Wolfe was another who believes the NFL has its new dynasty.
“Our generation’s new dynasty,” Wolfe posted.
Looking at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Run and How It All Began
One has to go back to the year Mahomes and K.C. got their first taste of battling for a championship.
The date was Jan. 20, 2019. The site was Arrowhead Stadium. And the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the legendary Chiefs owner, was on the line.
Standing in the way? A Patriots team led by Tom Brady and in pursuit of the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl title.
That Brady-led Pats team snatched the hearts out of the Chiefs Kingdom that had been waiting since 1970 to see their team claim the top of the NFL. The Chiefs fell in overtime that night, 37-31.
But that night can now be viewed as the passing of the torch moment the Chiefs needed.
The following year, K.C. surpassed the Tennessee Titans and then the 49ers to reclaim the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Kansas City wasn’t through the following year — holding off the Buffalo Bills to return to the big game … only to fall to a Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in what was his final Super Bowl.
In between, the Chiefs fell short of reappearing in the big game, blowing a 21-3 lead to the Cincinnati Bengals and coming up short in the AFC title game in the 2021 season.
MORE: List of Super Bowl Winners by Year
But now, the league is growing used to seeing the Chiefs as one of the teams in the final NFL game of the season. The word “dynasty” has sprouted nationally, and the league may finally have its official successors after the Patriots.
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