Can the Chiefs win their third straight Super Bowl? Belichick offers his honest opinion Originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
In February, the Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL team since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004 to repeat as Super Bowl championsThe next challenge for the Chiefs 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 kept the Patriots from claiming a third straight title. They won the AFC East with a 10-6 record (they had gone 14-2 in each of the previous two years) and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card round before losing 27-13 to the Denver Broncos on the road 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… ended the San Francisco 49ers’ bid for a three-peat in 1990Belichick was asked Monday during his weekly appearance on the The Pat McAfee Show on his outlook on the Chiefs and their quest for a third straight title.
Belichick highlighted a few areas, specifically on the Chiefs’ defense, that could be a concern.
“Overall, as a team, run defense, turnovers, I think that’s an area they’re going to want to improve on,” Belichick said. “I think this year is going to be tough. They’re a good team, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that. I think this third year, to get it right three years in a row, is 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’ll have some tough opponents throughout the season and playoffs. But Andy (Reid) will have them ready to play. I think they’ll maybe score more than last year. We’ll see if they can hold up defensively. They lost a couple of good coverage players, obviously (L’Jarius) Sneed. We’ll see how that all plays out.”
Last season, the Chiefs allowed the fourth-most yards per carry (4.5). They also forced the fourth-fewest turnovers. So Belichick is right that improvements are needed in both of those areas.
The loss of star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, which Belichick mentioned, is a big one 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 game in Patrick Mahomes is a huge boost to the Chiefs’ chances of winning again. The Chiefs are never shut out of a game because of Mahomes, and he’s proven that with several impressive playoff comebacks, including Super Bowl runs in 2019 and 2023. And if the offense is even better this season compared to 2023 — which is a very real possibility — it might not matter much if the defense isn’t an elite unit.
But winning the Super Bowl once is hard enough. Doing it two years in a row is extraordinarily difficult. Winning three consecutive titles has proven impossible until now. It’s hard to bet against the Chiefs, but this will be the toughest challenge the core of this team has ever faced.