Can Chiefs Win Third Straight Super Bowl? Belichick Gives Honest Opinion originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
In February, the Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL team since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004 to regain the Super Bowl title. The Chiefs’ next challenge is to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles, a feat no team has ever accomplished.
The Patriots were the last to try in 2005. Injuries and a defensive setback were among the factors that prevented the Patriots from winning three in a row. They won the AFC East division with a 10-6 record (they were 14-2 in each of the previous two years) and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round before losing 27-13 to the visiting Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.
The head coach of those Patriots teams was Bill Belichick. He was also the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants when they ended the three-peat bid to the San Francisco 49ers in 1990. Belichick was asked Monday during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show about his vision for the Chiefs and their quest for a third consecutive title.
Belichick highlighted a number of areas, particularly the Chiefs’ defense, that could be cause for concern.
“Overall, as a team, run defense, turnovers, I think that’s an area they want to improve on,” Belichick said. “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, if everything falls into place three years in a row, it’s going to be tough. If anybody can do it, it’s probably Kansas City, but it’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be easy.
“I’m not sure how tough the AFC West is going to be, but ultimately I think they’re going to have some tough opponents as the season goes on and the playoffs go on. But Andy (Reid) is going to have them ready to go. I think they’re going to score maybe more than they did last year. We’ll see if they can hold up defensively. They lost some good players, obviously (L’Jarius) Sneed. We’ll see how it all comes together.”
The Chiefs gave up the fourth-most yards per carry last season (4.5). They also forced the fourth-fewest turnovers. So Belichick is right that improvements need to be made in those two areas.
Losing star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who Belichick talked about, is a big loss for Kansas City. His departure in free agency will put even more pressure on young cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Of course, having the best quarterback (and best player) in the sport — Patrick Mahomes — is a huge boost to the Chiefs’ chances of getting back to winning ways. The Chiefs are never out of a game thanks to Mahomes, and he’s proven it with several impressive playoff comebacks, including Super Bowl wins in 2019 and 2023. And if the offense is even better this season compared to 2023 — a very real possibility — then maybe it won’t matter so much if the defense isn’t an elite unit.
But winning the Super Bowl once is hard enough. Doing it twice in a row is extraordinarily difficult. A three-peat has proven impossible thus far. It’s hard to bet against the Chiefs, but this will be the toughest challenge this core of the team has ever faced.
