No team has ever won three Super Bowls in a row, a fact that has been pounded into the Kansas City Chiefs’ consciousness since they captured their second straight title in February.
The goal this year was simple: win again (of course) but also write history.
Patrick Mahomes was diagnosed on Tuesday with a “mild” high ankle sprain that makes the superstar quarterback’s availability a weekly proposition. It doesn’t end the Chiefs’ chances of winning another Lombardi, of course, but it’s the latest reminder of why the three-peat has proven impossible.
Injuries. Happiness. Time. Age. Complacency. Opponents.
Just having the best team or player isn’t always enough in a hyper-competitive league built to balance as many ships as possible.
This is a temporary setback for Mahomes, but it comes at a challenging time of the season. Kansas City hosts Houston on Saturday – already a week away – and travels to Pittsburgh for a Christmas game just four days later.
Three games in eleven days with a painful ankle. It’s enough to remind anyone of the unexpected hurdles teams face during a 17-game season, and why Kansas City has gone into full debate mode over what to do with their QB.
They have a two-game lead (but not the tiebreaker) in a battle with the Bills for the top spot in the AFC overall standings, which sets up a first-round bye in the playoffs. But KC’s remaining schedule – Texans, Steelers, Denver – is a gauntlet compared to Buffalo’s – Patriots, Jets, Patriots.
Rest and recovery for Mahomes or do whatever it takes to keep playing?
“You have to (try),” Mahomes said Tuesday. “That’s the reason you play this game, to push to play. I’m not going to put our team in a bad position. It’s about seeing where I am. I am a competitor. I want to go out and play.”
“Let’s see what he does,” coach Andy Reid added. ‘Today is a brighter day. He will talk to me. The doctor will talk to me. If he can go, he will go. If he can’t do it, he can’t do it. It’s that simple. This is how we roll. I’ll just take it day by day and see how he’s doing.”
Kansas City could clinch the top seed by beating Houston and Pittsburgh, creating a chance to rest during a Week 18 matchup against Denver — essentially a double bye-plus — until the divisional round on Jan. 18 or 19.
“Just as important as it is to get healthy, it is to get that No. 1 seed,” Mahomes said.
“Just like the playoffs are three weeks away, go out there and win two games, you’re going to get a long break…,” Mahomes said. ‘You’ll get a longer period of time.
“If you can get through these games and win these games against two great opponents, that would give you some momentum going into the playoffs and hopefully give you a little bit of peace there at the end,” he continued.
WHERE.
However, winning is not guaranteed. Also, Mahomes doesn’t further aggravate the ankle or anything else. Injuries are always part of football, but risk factors must be taken into account.
Mahomes also joins a parade of injuries at key positions: wide receiver Rashee Rice, cornerback Jaylen Watson, wide receiver Hollywood Brown and so on. Running back Isiah Pacheco and kicker Harrison Butker have also missed time.
All this is of course part of the game. And injuries – including to Mahomes – have affected other Super Bowl seasons. The NFL is always a war of attrition and no one has handled it better than Kansas City.
Still, there’s still a hurdle to deal with: Buffalo, Baltimore and others with their own Super Bowl aspirations.
What Kansas City is trying to do is what New England (2003-04), Denver (1997-98), Dallas (1992-93), San Francisco (1988-89), Pittsburgh (1978-79 and 1974-75), Miami (1972-73) and Green Bay (1966-67) before them couldn’t make it.
Many of those teams weren’t even dealing with salary caps or other initiatives to achieve equality. Still, it’s up to Mahomes to do what Tom Brady, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw (twice), Bob Greise and Bart Starr couldn’t.
It’s that hard. That’s how much it goes beyond talent, plans, coaching and desire.
The good news for Kansas City is that Mahomes should be good in January. The bad news is that they may not have that advantageous path to the Super Bowl if he has to sit in the interim to get the lead.
There’s no telling what will happen and no one should ever doubt KC and his quarterback, but the three-peat was never achieved for a reason.
History is hard to make.
