Patrick Mahomes’ run atop the NFL has been nothing short of dominant. Over the last three seasons, the Chiefs quarterback has been the standard for excellence at the position, leading Kansas City to two Super Bowl titles and one Super Bowl loss, all while keeping the Chiefs firmly planted in the league’s inner circle. Mahomes didn’t just win; he dictated how the modern NFL was played, turning playoff runs into expectations rather than aspirations. That context is what makes Kansas City’s 6–10 stumble this season so jarring.
Advertisement
For the first time in the Mahomes era, the Chiefs didn’t feel inevitable. They felt mortal. And the record carries an uncomfortable historical echo, one that brings to mind another dynasty quarterback and another abrupt reality check. In 2020, the New England Patriots finished 7–9 in their first season without Tom Brady.
That year marked the official end of one of the greatest runs in sports history. Brady departed for Tampa Bay, and suddenly the Patriots, a team that had spent two decades as a Super Bowl fixture, were forced to answer a question they hadn’t faced since the early 2000s: What happens when the quarterback constant disappears?
The 2020 NFL season was unusual across the league, but for New England, it was especially revealing. Bill Belichick entered the year with a dramatically reshaped roster, a new quarterback, and uncertainty hovering over nearly every position group. The result was a Patriots team that felt caught between eras.
New England closed the season third in the AFC East at 7–9, behind the Bills (13–3) and Dolphins (10–6), missing the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. They were respectable at home (5–3 in Foxborough) but struggled badly on the road (2–6), a telling sign of a team lacking stability and identity.
The passing game never found rhythm, consistency, or explosiveness. Defenses crowded the line of scrimmage, daring New England to beat them through the air. And the Patriots rarely could.
Newton did provide value as a runner, finishing with 592 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, his highest total on the ground since his rookie season. But that production couldn’t compensate for an offense that struggled to sustain drives or generate late-game confidence.
By season’s end, it was clear the experiment hadn’t worked. The Patriots weren’t terrible, but for a franchise accustomed to dominance, mediocrity felt like failure.
Kansas City’s current 6–10 season doesn’t mean Mahomes is finished any more than the Patriots’ 7–9 year meant Belichick was suddenly washed. But history shows that dynasties don’t always collapse loudly. Sometimes, they erode quietly — through roster turnover, cap pressure, injuries, and the cumulative weight of sustained success.
The Patriots’ first post-Brady season didn’t end the franchise. It did, however, mark the moment when inevitability vanished. That’s the parallel hovering over Kansas City now. Mahomes has already done enough to cement his legacy, but dynasties are defined by how they respond when dominance slips.
