It's a point that's been exhausted time and time again, but it remains the story of the upcoming season nonetheless. In just a couple of weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs will embark on their journey to accomplish what no NFL team ever has: win three Super Bowls in a row.
That championship three-peat is viewed as virtually impossible, and for good reason. No matter what franchises had a shot at it – the '60s Green Bay Packers, '70s Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, '80s San Francisco 49ers or '90s Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos – no one was able to do so. Regardless of front office consistency, coaching staff greatness, roster construction or anything else, three Super Bowls in three years simply proved to be too challenging.
This century, one non-Chiefs franchise has tried it. Following championships to cap off the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots ended up losing in the Divisional Round of the playoffs the following year. Having seen and done just about everything in the NFL, does Belichick think Kansas City could buck the trend?
On a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Belichick explained why a three-peat will be so daunting for the Chiefs to check off.
"I just think it's going to be tough this year," Belichick said. "They're a good team, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that. I just think this third year, for it all to fall into place three years in a row, is tough. I think if anybody can do it, it's probably Kansas City, but it won't be easy. It won't be easy. I'm not sure how tough the AFC West is going to be but I think in the end, they're going to have some tough opponents through the course of the season and the playoffs."
If there's any team that understands the reality of premier challenges in the postseason, it's the 2023-24 Chiefs. Earlier this calendar year, they defeated the Miami Dolphins in brutal weather conditions at home before traveling to take down the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens in the ensuing two rounds of the playoffs. That set the table for a Super Bowl LVIII win against the San Francisco 49ers, who were likely the best team in football a season ago.
Kansas City realizes that with even bigger targets on its back, there will be no shortcuts in the pursuit of a third-straight championship. General manager Brett Veach did a solid job improving the roster during the offseason, namely on the offensive side, with the additions of wideouts Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Xavier Worthy. Losing cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was a big-time subtraction, however, that must be considered.
What's the middle ground? Belichick thinks the Chiefs will fare better on offense but potentially miss Sneed, resulting in a wait-and-see scenario for that desired three-peat.
"Andy (Reid) will have them ready to go," Belichick said. "I think they'll maybe score more than they did last year. We'll see if they can hold up defensively. They lost a couple of good coverage players, obviously Sneed, so we'll see how all that comes together."
