How The Chiefs' Dynasty Is Different From Their Predecessors

There is officially no debate that the NFL's newest dynasty now belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs. Led by head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and tight end Travis Kelce, they have appeared in four Super Bowls in the last five years, winning three of them. Kansas City additionally became the first team since the New England Patriots in 2003-2004 to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

They managed to do it the hard way as they went through more rough stretches than usual during the regular season. As a result, they had to play two road playoff games before facing a San Francisco 49ers team that gave them everything they had in hopes of avenging their Super Bowl 54 defeat. Yet it still wasn't enough as the Chiefs forced overtime and then proceeded to score on a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman after a 49ers' field goal to begin the extra period. 

Kansas City's victory now puts them in the same company as other great teams in NFL history such as Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers of the 60s, the 49ers of the 80s, and the dynasty they succeeded, the New England Patriots with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Like all dynasties, the Chiefs possess a spectacular quarterback in Mahomes, but most dynasties usually have some unique aspect that made it great. This might include a tough defense, or a dominant run game. Here is what makes the Chiefs' stretch stand apart from the dynasties before them.

The thing that makes the Chiefs' dynasty different is Reid's ability to utilize a creative style of play calling that doesn't resemble traditonal offensive schemes. With a heavy use of shotgun formation, run-pass-options, and pre-snap motion, the Chiefs have spent the last six years confusing opposing defenses. Their offense has allowed guys like Mahomes, Kelce, and former wide receiver Tyreek Hill to maximize their talents.

They are not the first team to run most of their offense out of the shotgun. Most NFL teams have primarily operated from a shotgun formation at some point over the last decade or even before that. But the Chiefs have executed that scheme better than any other team that has applied it to their offense. Since Patrick Mahomes became the starter at quarterback in 2018, the Chiefs have averaged 28 points a game while barely trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in passing yards. 

If there is any other dynasty they might resemble, it would be the San Francisco 49ers of the 80s. Their hall of fame coach Bill Walsh installed a pass-first offense known as the West Coast, which involved a short passing game. Reid, who is associated with Walsh's pedigree, used that scheme during his first coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles. Although he didn't apply the system at the beginning with Mahomes, it started show up again in that offense as Mahomes' average depth of target was a career low 6.1 yards. The only difference is that the Chiefs use a shotgun formation a lot more than those 49er teams. 

However, Reid's offense would not be as efficient without Mahomes as his quarterback. He came out of Texas Tech with high upside and the Chiefs were willing to trade up in the draft to select him. Every year, he has proven to reward the Chiefs, earning two NFL MVPs as well as three Super Bowl MVPs. 

What is most impressive about Mahomes, is that he's achieving these accolades at a rate similar to Tom Brady. But whereas Brady embodied the traditional style of quarterback play through operating from the pocket and attacking mismatches, it's never clear what Mahomes is going to do. He adds a level of backyard football and improvisation that fits Reid's offense like a glove. One play he'll resemble Brady and make a perfect pass from the pocket to Kelce, and the next he'll make a spectacular deep throw on the run like another hall of famer, John Elway.

This type of backyard football that the Chiefs exhibit, has never been executed this flawlessly before. There may have been a time where this style of play might have been viewed by critics as a system that could only function in college football. But as it turns out, if you have the right coach and the right quarterback, you can turn that scheme into a Super Bowl winning formula.