Officially, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday in Las Vegas.
But with the reigning champions hoping to become just the ninth NFL club to win consecutive Lombardi Trophies, the inevitable “dynasty” chatter has raised the specter of Super Bowls past: the Tom Brady-era New England Patriots . So not only are the Chiefs facing the 49ers, a 12-5 powerhouse that posted two tough playoff wins, but they’re also measuring themselves against the legendary six-time NFL champions whether they like it or not.
“Patriots set the standard for dominance in the NFL and I felt that when I lost to them (in the playoffs in 2016 and 2019),” Kelce told the visiting media in Henderson, Nevada, on Thursday.
Kelce is so fascinated by those New England teams that the Chiefs tight end has started listening to his NFL rival turned podcaster, ex-Patriots star Julian Edelman.
“One of the funniest things I’ve been able to get into this year is ‘Games with Names’ with Edelman and how he gets those ex-patriots talking about what he calls war stories and fun stories between him and the guys during their Patriot years ,” Kelce said, handing the retiree a plug. “You know what, man, I dive into those things and grab every piece of gold I can man. And of course it’s entertaining knowing that Julian is telling the stories.’
Mahomes agrees with Travis Kelce that a team needs three Super Bowl wins to be a dynasty
Travis Kelce believes the Chiefs will earn the “dynasty” talk by beating the 49ers on Sunday
Julian Edelman (left) and Tom Brady (right) celebrate after beating Atlanta in Super Bowl LIII
For many players in Kansas City, New England is inextricably linked to the Super Bowl as an institution.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first Super Bowl memory was the undefeated Patriots falling to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
“I thought this was one of the best teams of all time in any sport – and I still think this is one of the best teams of all time in any sport – so I tuned into that game and I was very surprised, just like everyone else. , that the Giants were able to pull out the win,” Mahomes said of the most infamous loss of Brady’s illustrious career.
So for Mahomes, the 2007 Patriots are still among the greatest teams in sports history, and the fact that they actually lost just reminds us that nothing is guaranteed in the Super Bowl.
“That inspired me to be the player I am,” he said. “No matter what it takes, you can win any game you’re in.”
It’s that attitude that has helped Mahomes win two Super Bowls in four years, with a chance to make three of five on Sunday.
And according to Kelce, three titles is a perfect threshold for teams to adopt the “dynasty” label.
“‘Dynasty,’ there has been a lot of tossing around on this team and being our third in five years, number three is a big number in terms of dynasties,” Kelce said.
“Hopefully we can get this thing and you guys can talk about dynasties.”
Mahomes agreed: “Yeah, I definitely think they’re the big ones.”
San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh is carted off the field after winning Super Bowl XXIII
Steelers cornerback Ron Johnson raises a finger after beating the Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII
As dynasties go, there’s Brady and Bill Belichick’s Patriots, who won six titles between 2001 and 2018, then the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers and the 1980s San Francisco 49ers, both of whom won four Super Bowls in less than ten years. Other major dynasties include the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, who won three Lombardi Trophies in four years, and of course Aaron Spelling’s soap opera Dynasty, which ran for nine years before being canceled in 1989.
But for most players born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it’s the Patriots who seem to define the term.
When asked to name an NFL dynasty, center Creed Humphrey, cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah all immediately responded, “Patriots.”
“When I was growing up it was the Patriots,” 23-year-old Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton told DailyMail.com. “I certainly think so about the Patriots.”
To be fair, Bolton added that his “mom is a Steelers fan, so she would make sure I said them.”
The only player New England didn’t suggest was cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who quickly said “Chiefs” when asked to name an NFL dynasty.
But to be clear, Sneed didn’t say the Chiefs are currently a dynasty after winning two titles in four seasons. Instead, the 27-year-old says Kansas City still needs to “win one,” at which point the threshold for a dynasty jumps to “four, then five, six, whatever.”
Cowboy stars Emmit Smith (left) and Michael Irvin (right) celebrate the Super Bowl XXVII victory
Dynasty debates aside, the Chiefs also have a chance to become just the ninth team to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
“I think it puts the team in a different echelon,” Mahomes said of a possible repeat. “We understand how difficult it is to do that in this competition, with all that equality.
“We’ve already failed to make it once,” he continued, referring to Brady and Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LIV victory over the Chiefs three years earlier. “Let’s learn from that and find a way to achieve it this time.”
The good news, as Mahomes notes, is that the Chiefs “know this isn’t the end of our run here,” but that doesn’t mean time is on his side.
As Mahomes learned from Brady and the Patriots in February 2008, “Anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday.”