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Every reigning Super Bowl champion naturally expresses the desire to run it back, but few in the history of the NFL face as much pressure to actually fulfill that pledge as the Kansas City Chiefs do next season.
Their greatness is so thoroughly inspected that even a loss in the AFC Championship Game, where they have enjoyed regular membership for the last five years, threatens to invite an outpouring of criticism. Those are the standards this team is held to and the level of hype they regularly generate.
Such scrutiny can make it sometimes difficult to live up to that high bar, but KC safety Justin Reid is completely focused on doing his part to ensure that the Chiefs become one of the great powerhouses the sport has ever known.
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“Honestly, the page is already turned. We're out there working, chasing another championship,” Reid told Aaron Wilson of KRPC 2 Houston, via NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman. “Every year is different. We've got an even bigger target on our back than last year. We get to enjoy that moment. As far as the mentality in the room, we're working to continue this dynasty and what we did last year and not just rest on our laurels.”
The perception is that Kansas City's ceiling is inherently linked to the performance of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but the organization has constructed a complete roster well-equipped to compensate for any down night from a particular area. Reid was brought in to replace Tyrann Mathieu last offseason and did a fine job, tallying seven pass deflections and 83 combined tackles en route to winning the first Lombardi Trophy of his career.
With Juan Thornhill singing a three-year contract worth $21 million with the Cleveland Browns in March, Justin Reid is unequivocally a linchpin on the secondary. He and the rest of the unit will need to be at their best if the Chiefs are to decisively be crowed the next great NFL dynasty.
