Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may not currently have a job, but that doesn't mean that the football lifer will be catching up on the TV programs he's missed over the last, well, let's say four decades. Belichick will continue to grind tape and be very involved in NFL media this season, which we should all be incredibly grateful for because his mind is a resource that all football fans should be hoping to tap into. Even the football fans who identify as fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and rooted against Belichick and the Patriots for years.
On Monday afternoon, the legendary head coach made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show and broke down the Chiefs' chances of doing what no other NFL franchise has done… win three consecutive Super Bowls.
“I think the bigger issue is going to be on defense. Look they played very well in the playoffs where it counts, and that’s the most important thing. But overall as a team, run defense, turnovers, I think that’s an area they’re going to want to improve in. I just think it’s going to be tough this year, 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 Kansas City but it won’t be easy.”
Bill Belichick speaks from experience when he says that winning three years in a row is tough. He and the New England Patriots were the last team to even earn the opportunity to compete for a three-peat, and just as it's been the case for every other team that has won consecutive Super Bowls, the Pats came up short. After winning back-to-back Super Bowls, the 2005 Patriots went 10-6, good enough to win the AFC East, but went onto lose in the Divisional Round the Denver Broncos. New England entered the season as +500 favorites to win the Super Bowl. Similarly, the Chiefs are +600 favorites to capture the Lombardi Trophy next February.
Here is how every other team that has won back-to-back Super Bowls fared in their 3-peat attempt season:
1968 Green Bay Packers – 6-7-1, missed Playoffs
1974 Miami Dolphins – 11-3, lost in Divisional Round
1976 Pittsburgh Steelers – 10-4, lost in AFC Championship Game
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers – 9-7, missed Playoffs
1990 San Francisco 49ers – 14-2, lost in NFC Championship Game
1994 Dallas Cowboys – 12-4, lost in NFC Championship Game
1999 Denver Broncos – 6-10, missed Playoffs
Despite status as favorites, Chiefs have uphill battle to win third straight Super Bowl
Bill Belichick's concerns about the Chiefs are warranted, and they're ones that everyone in Kansas City has in the back of their mind as the 2024 season approaches. With the loss of L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, the Chiefs secondary is now thinner than ever and will be relying on numerous players who have been drafted in the last handful of season — Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams and Chamarri Conner. The good news for Kansas City: they have a quarterback and an offensive supporting cast that is loaded up and ready to play in a shootout.
This is something that the Chiefs weren't really able to do last year. With a depleted receiving corps and an aging Travis Kelce, the Chiefs offense sputtered more often than we're accustomed to last season, and it was their defense who did the bailing out. This year, with the additions of Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown, it could be the other way around.
Follow Us
Subscribe