KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Now we know why it’s taken this long. In an unexplored part of the American football universe we’re finding out in real time why it has been almost impossible to win three championships in a row.
Almost everything has to go right. That’s for starters. The Kansas City Chiefs took that assertion to the brink once again Sunday night in the AFC Championship.
But what else would you expect? In beating Buffalo 32-29, the Chiefs won for the 12th time this season in a one-possession game without losing. The streak now is at 17 such games going back to last season.
That’s what they do. That’s who they are. Now they’re staring at history two weeks from now in New Orleans. A three-peat hasn’t happened in college football in the wire service era (since 1936). It hasn’t happened in the NFL in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). But as the world knows by now a franchise born in Texas, long suffering here in the Midwest and now an ongoing dynasty is this close to Star Trekking pro football.
You know, going where no franchise has gone before — three Super Bowls in a row.
Kansas City is the first team to make a third consecutive Super Bowl after winning the previous two. This is the Chiefs’ fifth Super Bowl since 2019. The AFC Championship was their seventh since 2018.
That is a dynasty by any definition. Just don’t try to duplicate what the Chiefs have put together lately.
“You think of all the ups and downs and around you went through during the season,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The injuries, all those things. Things have to happen the right way. The margin of winning or losing in this league is so small. Parity is unbelievable. That’s the way the commissioners and owners wanted it.”
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The Chiefs’ win broke barriers, records and — in the end — hearts. Ask Buffalo and quarterback Josh Allen who are now 0-4 in the playoffs to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“He did everything in his power,” teammate Von Miller said of Allen.
It wasn’t enough, of course. It never is seemingly for a franchise that has now gone 31 years without a Super Bowl berth. They were close, dominating the third quarter while leading late in the third quarter and being tied with six minutes left.
Ask Mahomes who has never thrown for fewer yards in the regular season and never won more games.
Ask that old sage Reid who won career game 301 to get him within one game of that unprecedented three-peat. Then the Chiefs coach turned street philosopher.
“This came down to one inch literally,” Reid said. “Some of these games are gut-wrenching and I have a lot of gut to wrench.”
He wasn’t kidding about his weight or the inches. The Bills had turned two fourth-down tries inside the Chiefs’ 5 into second-half touchdowns.
But the game turned in Kansas City’s favor early in the fourth quarter when Allen was stopped on a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 41. Allen’s lunge was so close to the first-down marker, a replay was mandated. He, they, failed by what looked like one of Reid’s inches.
The resulting turnover on downs set the Chiefs for a short touchdown drive that put them ahead 29-22. They never trailed again.
Following a fourth-and-4 touchdown pass by Allen that tied it 29-29 with six minutes left, Mahomes led the Chiefs on what is now the obligatory game-winning drive.
Harrison Butker‘s 35-yard field goal was the winning score with 3½ minutes left. Coming out of the two-minute warning, the Bills season and history was on the line. On fourth-and-goal from the Buffalo 47 Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up a blitz.
Pressured, Allen lofted a desperation pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid that fell just short. The Chiefs then expertly bled out the final 1:54 in seven plays.
“I love this defense, man,” said tight end Jason Kelce, a bit player Sunday at age 35. “In Spags we trust.”
Because of Spags’ D, it has been a Chiefs team that didn’t rely on Mahomes all the time. More importantly, it didn’t have to rely on Mahomes all the time. The Chiefs had gone an NFL-record eight games without a turnover until the quarterback fumbled the ball away in the first half.
To make this run possible, the franchise chose to retain difference-making defensive tackle Chris Jones while developing the likes of former 2022 first-round choice George Karlaftis at defensive end. Jones is chasing a third ring. Karlaftis is tied for second in the playoffs in tackles for loss. He was the player to get closest to Allen forcing that final desperation throw.
They traded for aging star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. They signed undrafted free agent Nikko Remigio. It was Remigio who returned a punt 44 yards to set up the score that put the Chiefs ahead 21-10.
“To be able to stay at the top is harder than getting there,” Remigio said. “They [Chiefs] got the formula man. They know how to get it done.
“I think that’s the greatest thing about playing for this team. We’re never out of the game.”
The centerpiece can’t be overlooked. Mahomes has now had 12 drives in his playoff career with his team trailing by eight or fewer points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The result of those 12 drives is — one punt, six go-ahead touchdowns and five game-tying field goals.
Yes, everything has had to go right for a while.
And the team that some of the country might be getting tired of, doesn’t care what you think at this point.
The Chiefs (and Mahomes) get all the calls? Since 2018, Kansas City leads the league in penalty yards.
“If they aren’t hating you, you ain’t the top dog,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “My brother was a Patriots fan when Tom Brady was there. I used to hate the Patriots. Being in that position to be ‘the one’ that everybody hates, is a great feeling.”
Seventy days ago, the Bills handed the Chiefs their first regular-season loss. Allen barged through the Kansas City defense that night for the clinching touchdown that at least gave hope to everything Bills that they had finally gotten over on the Chiefs.
The Bills will have another offseason to think that one over. It only takes one more Kansas City win to make football history, not just NFL history.
Who are we to doubt them?
