Former Buffalo Bills assistant coach Phoebe Schecter is an NFL expert and plays for the Great Britain flag football team.
THE The Kansas City Chiefs enter the new NFL season with the intention of making history, becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
It’s very difficult to achieve that every year. Nothing is guaranteed. That’s the beauty of the NFL, the parity it creates, but it also creates a lot of challenges.
The Chiefs know what it takes to get there, they’ve felt the expectations. That’s the norm when you walk into this building, but it never feels too big for them.
For a lot of teams, getting to the Super Bowl would take a lot of effort, but these guys do it year after year.
Super Bowl week is crazy, there’s so much added stress on your shoulders, and yet the Chiefs find a way to treat it like any other game and play it their way. It’s like they have their own cheat code.
Last year they didn’t do well in the first half, they led the league in dropped passes. Yet they still managed to get to the Super Bowl and still did well win in overtime.
Strategist Patrick Mahomes is only 28 years old (29 on September 17). It’s crazy, his athleticism and understanding of the game. Even when he got injured two seasons ago, in the Super Bowl in Arizona, no one thought he would finish the game.
He limped off the field at halftime. Yet he comes back and runs for a key first down and they win. He’s just not a normal human.
I know people throw that word around, but the Chiefs are truly building a dynasty. To have a dynasty, you have to have an incredible quarterback and an incredible head coach. The Chiefs tick both boxes.
Andy Reid is a terrific player. He’s not only a terrific coach, he’s also a great mentor to his other coaches – look at his coaching tree.
And you can never ignore the relationship Mahomes has with the star tight end. Travis Kelcethe understanding that they have. We saw it in the preseason, when Mahomes did that incredible pass in the backHe was mad at Kelce for taking the wrong route, but he still found a way to find him.
What I really like about the Chiefs is that they traded Tyreek Hill (in 2022) and everyone thought it would be a negative thing, but actually it almost made it harder for opponents because you don’t have a key receiver to really focus on anymore.
All of their receivers and tight ends can be potential threats, so they need to adjust their defensive system to defend almost everywhere, instead of doubling down on one athlete. That’s what Reid ultimately wants – a team full of guys who can do whatever you ask them to do.
Last year was Rashee RiceThis is his first year and he almost became their number one receiver. This year they drafted another receiver, Xavier WorthySome call him the “poor man’s Tyreek Hill”, but that’s simply because he gets paid a lot less and has the same speed and skills as Tyreek.
The Chiefs also brought in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (receiver), they still have Isiah Pacheco (attacking fullback), and they have continuity in defense.
Reid has built a team that shows up every day, believes in the culture and gives it their all. As a player, you know what the level is, you know that veterans like Mahomes and Kelce are going to put you in the right place. You know they’ve been there and done that, so you’re going to listen to everything they say and do everything they do.
That’s why I think it’s obvious to compare them to Tom Brady‘s New England Patriots of the 2000s and 2010s. Their legacy was built on everyone’s commitment to the program’s culture, beliefs and actions. It’s really the same thing today with the Chiefs.
You had the Patriots method. Well, now we have the Chiefs method. It’s a little more fun, a little more creative, but it’s the same concept.
A lot of it starts with your quarterback, that leadership on and off the field, so as long as the Chiefs have Mahomes, they can be successful.
I think this is the year another team can give them a run for their money. predicted the Bengals would win the Super Bowl, but honestly I think it’s a toss-up.
The AFC conference is so deep that it’s hard to choose between the Bengals, Chiefs, Jets and Texans.
However, I was a little surprised that the Chiefs didn’t keep Louis Rees-Zammit.It seems like they had positive experiences with him, but hey, I guess you’re not an NFL player until you get fired from somewhere.
Louis just needs time, and Perhaps the Jacksonville Jaguars are in a better position to give him that time and attention. If you let a player go, the coaches talk about the players and are open about them.
I think the Chiefs would have recommended him to the Jags – and I hope we see him again soon as the Jags play two more games in London in October.
Phoebe Schecter speaks to BBC Sport’s Ben Collins
