Only nine NFL franchises, apart from the Kansas City Chiefs, have won 3+ Super Bowls in the 58-year history of the Lombardi Trophy. That should put into perspective how impressive it is that Patrick Mahomes and company have won three in just the past five years. However, if they complete the three-peat in February, would that make them the greatest dynasty in NFL history? Chris “Mad Dog” Russo once again urges caution before crowning these Chiefs.
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K.C. is not just going for the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat. They are going for their 4th in six years as well, which would tie the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in that timeframe. That Steel Curtain team—along with the Tom Brady Patriots and the Vince Lombardi Packers—is widely regarded as one of the greatest dynasties in history. And one that Mad Dog believes will continue to eclipse the Mahomian Chiefs even with a three-peat.
“When you look at these other title teams, these dynasty teams, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, the Patriots, they’re not about just the one player. This Chiefs team is about the quarterback,” Mad Dog said.
“Pittsburgh has nine Hall of Famers on it, they won with defense and they won with offense. Green Bay had nine, 10 Hall of Famers on it. This Chiefs team’s got Kelce who’s a Hall of Famer, Jones who’s probably a Hall of Famer, and Mahomes who’s a Hall of Famer,” he added.
It’s hard to argue with his logic there. While head coach Andy Reid will no doubt end up in Canton as well, there aren’t many other players on this Chiefs team that seem like they’re on a Hall of Fame track.
Those Steelers teams that won four Super Bowls from 1974 to 1979 actually had 10 HOFers plus the head coach. The Lombardi Packers had 11 plus Lombardi himself. The Brady Patriots, which was a dynasty that spanned nearly 20 years and six Super Bowls, have two already but are sure to get a bunch more when guys like Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Adam Vinatieri, and possibly even Rodney Harrison get their names called.
Brady was certainly the catalyst for New England’s last couple of Super Bowls. But it was those Hall of Fame defenders, like Ty Law and Richard Seymour, that carried them through their first three. For this Chiefs team, however, it’s been all Mahomes all the time as far as Mad Dog is concerned.
“This is about the quarterback, who, as I told you forever, I think is the greatest quarterback of all-time, and it’s so much about him more so than about the team. So from that standpoint, I don’t look at this as the greatest dynasty in the history of pro football.”
While the overall quality of the rosters on those other dynasty teams appears to be much higher than this Kansas City squad, there’s no denying that a three-peat is unprecedented and should be treated as such. Not to mention the fact that they’re achieving this level of success in an era of NFL football designed for parity.
Saturday says Free Agency era makes Mahomes dynasty more impressive
It’s worth noting that Mad Dog wasn’t totally accurate in his assessment of this Chiefs dynasty. There’s no doubt that this team was carried by the offense from 2018 to 2022 while Eric Bieniemy was at the controls. But, over the last two years, it has been the defense that has been the main reason for their success.
In 2023, K.C. was 2nd in both points allowed and yards allowed. They were fourth in the former and ninth in the latter in 2024. While Chris Jones seems to be the only HOF-caliber player so far, there’s potential for more. And either way, you can’t simply attribute the Chiefs’ success to Mahomes when the defense plays like that, as Jeff Saturday pointed out.
“To make this about one player is an injustice to this football team. Chris Jones and their defense is a major reason why they won last year’s Super Bowl. When Kansas City’s offense was ripping and roaring, they won one that way, but the last couple, their defense has made massive plays and stops to get these wins. “
Saturday also took aim at Mad Dog’s Hall of Fame requirements in his dynasty rankings. Back in the day, it was much easier to keep a team together because of a lack of player empowerment. Free agency wasn’t instituted until 1993. Looking at it from that perspective, the continuity and consistency the Chiefs have been able to maintain is even more impressive.
“When you talk about those teams, the reason that you name all those Hall of Famers is because they could stay together, there was no free agency, so all of those teams stay together for 10-12 years. You had fewer teams, you had fewer games.”
Saturday made some good points. Take what he says about those Brady teams with a grain of salt, however: Saturday might still be holding a grudge about all the times he lost to those Patriots.
Either way, it’s a question that will no doubt keep NFL pundits debating for years to come—unless Mahomes does the unthinkable and racks up five or six Lombardis in a row.
