You're up, Kansas City. Michael MacCambridge examines whether Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Travis Kelce can achieve a first: Three straight Super Bowl titles. The challenge is steep, yet possible.
Have loved this entire series. Could do without the moralizing around Butker's speech which seems to have had more of an effect on everyone outside the locker room rather than those within it.
Thanks, Ben. I actually had a healthy back and forth with Michael myself on that sentence. Personally, my takeaway from Butker’s speech was different but I do want writers and readers here at Go Long to speak and think freely on all subjects. Open to everything.
Fair enough. I don't begrudge his opinion, but it felt very out of place in the series. Overall it was outstanding! As a Chiefs fan, it's crazy to look at all of the things that went right over the years to get them to this point.
The 1965 Bills vs the ‘65 Packers? You’re making that argument? Let’s see. Let’s name the 1965 Buffalo Bills who became Pro Football HOFers? Billy Shaw and Ralph Wilson, the latter as an owner/administrator. One player. One owner. The 1965 Green Bay Packers in the HOF? Let us count the greatness: Willie Wood, Ray Nitschke, Henry Jordan, Willie Davis, Herb Adderley, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr and some obscure coach named Vince Lombardi. Nine players and one coach. Against the ‘65 Bills, Green Bay could have named the score.
Three NFL Titles in a row has already been done by the Green Bay Packers between 1965-67, as the series author noted. If someone wants to make believe the three Super Bowls is somehow more significant than three consecutive NFL titles, go ahead, but it’s a flimsy, manufactured distinction. The Chiefs won’t get near the Super Bowl this year anyway. Kelsey is old and done, the Chiefs WR room is in shambles, their defensive performance late in the 2023 season probably was unique. All this said, the extraordinary combination of luck and skill from 2023 is something that likely will not repeat year-on-year.
The 1965 Buffalo Bills would like a word, Rog. Would've had ourselves a Go Long Super Bowl that year if Super Bowls, ya know, existed. Alas, they did not.
The author goes into great detail why the 3 titles by the Packers was not nearly as impressive as one would be in the modern era.
Also if anything, the Chiefs should be better than last year. Better wide receivers should lead to a more consistent offense, and I wouldn't expect a massive defensive drop off.
Mahomes playing in the NFL in the 1960s may have not survived to play a full season. Modern Kansas City receivers would not have been playing with protections like they do today—including only being allowed to run free after the ball left a QBs hand. So they have to play more games nowadays to win championships. They’re all playing by different rules which demote violence than those existed in the 1960s. Green Bay in ‘65 actually played in two playoff games to win the last NFL Pre-Super Bowl title. Green Bay took apart the AFL champs in ‘66 and ‘67. Writers who are members of Gen X, Y and Z have no credibility when it comes to making evaluations of players or teams from earlier generations because they grant added weight to what they see on television during NFL seasons, and they are too enamored with statistics.
Ben W. If you believe as I do, and as most do, that the QB is the most important position in football because he touches the ball more than any other player, then surely you recognize that the concerted effort by the league to turn the players staffing that position into Bubble Boys. These precious, brittle Bubble Boys can’t be tackled below the knees or above the chest and can slide to avoid a tackle and can take a snap and push it to the ground to stop the clock. They can’t be tackled hard from the blind side or the sighted side. Flags fly if they even groan going to the ground. Quarterbacks were tougher in the 1960s and 1970s because they had to bd in order to play. Put Mahomes, or Joe Burrow, or Aaron Rodgers, or anyone playing the position today on an NFL field circa 1960s and you won’t get the glitzy numbers they put up today, and you won’t get the performances in front of those numbers. You may believe they’d still be shining superstars in any era … Not so, the card read Moops, not Moors.
That's a really ridiculous argument to say that they have no credibility simply because of age. Maybe your age makes you lack credibility to evaluate the modern NFL? Your nostalgia blinds you to the greatness of players and teams today. See how ridiculous that is?
Regardless of era, it is simply more difficult to win a Super Bowl in the modern era than it used to be because of the salary cap, 3x more teams, and longer playoffs. It's also absurd to try to plop players in different eras. Many modern NFL players wouldn't have made it in earlier eras and vice versa. Plenty of DBs and LBs would be turned upside down by modern tactics, motions, and creativity.
Also who's to say that the Chiefs defense wouldn't have been even better in these years without the modern rules providing advantages to offenses?
Comparing teams directly isn't extremely useful across eras. But just look at the competition and rules at the time. It's undoubtedly harder to win in the NFL than it ever has been before. If the Chiefs win the 3rd in a row, it will be the greatest team achievement in NFL history.
I feel like this consensus opinion that teams need to run the ball more in the playoffs against the Chiefs is misguided.
As you mention here, the Bills ran all over the Chiefs and were a Hardman fumble away from being beaten by 10 points. Baltimore and SF stopped running because it just wasn't working that well. The Chiefs stopped the run and forced them to throw. That appeared to be the game plan in both games. Remember on that OT drive that McCaffrey got stuffed by Mike Pennel on that crucial 2nd down to set up the pressure by Jones the next play.
The Chiefs also did the same thing against the Titans in the 2019 playoffs. Henry had under 70 yards I believe because they focused on stopping the run. I'm not sure there's a formula to beat them in the playoffs outside of getting a LOT of pressure with 4 which would work on basically anyone.
The other formula would be confusing Mahomes which is HARD to do. Bellichick did it but only for a half in the 2018 AFC Championship game. And the Bengals did it in 2021 by dropping 8 more than Mahomes was used to (also Mahomes simply played his worst half of playoff football in the 2nd half).
Have loved this entire series. Could do without the moralizing around Butker's speech which seems to have had more of an effect on everyone outside the locker room rather than those within it.
Thanks, Ben. I actually had a healthy back and forth with Michael myself on that sentence. Personally, my takeaway from Butker’s speech was different but I do want writers and readers here at Go Long to speak and think freely on all subjects. Open to everything.
Fair enough. I don't begrudge his opinion, but it felt very out of place in the series. Overall it was outstanding! As a Chiefs fan, it's crazy to look at all of the things that went right over the years to get them to this point.
Just finally finished this. Outstanding series, so much good stuff to chew on. Great 'get' to have Michael writing here.
The 1965 Bills vs the ‘65 Packers? You’re making that argument? Let’s see. Let’s name the 1965 Buffalo Bills who became Pro Football HOFers? Billy Shaw and Ralph Wilson, the latter as an owner/administrator. One player. One owner. The 1965 Green Bay Packers in the HOF? Let us count the greatness: Willie Wood, Ray Nitschke, Henry Jordan, Willie Davis, Herb Adderley, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr and some obscure coach named Vince Lombardi. Nine players and one coach. Against the ‘65 Bills, Green Bay could have named the score.
Three NFL Titles in a row has already been done by the Green Bay Packers between 1965-67, as the series author noted. If someone wants to make believe the three Super Bowls is somehow more significant than three consecutive NFL titles, go ahead, but it’s a flimsy, manufactured distinction. The Chiefs won’t get near the Super Bowl this year anyway. Kelsey is old and done, the Chiefs WR room is in shambles, their defensive performance late in the 2023 season probably was unique. All this said, the extraordinary combination of luck and skill from 2023 is something that likely will not repeat year-on-year.
The 1965 Buffalo Bills would like a word, Rog. Would've had ourselves a Go Long Super Bowl that year if Super Bowls, ya know, existed. Alas, they did not.
The author goes into great detail why the 3 titles by the Packers was not nearly as impressive as one would be in the modern era.
Also if anything, the Chiefs should be better than last year. Better wide receivers should lead to a more consistent offense, and I wouldn't expect a massive defensive drop off.
Mahomes playing in the NFL in the 1960s may have not survived to play a full season. Modern Kansas City receivers would not have been playing with protections like they do today—including only being allowed to run free after the ball left a QBs hand. So they have to play more games nowadays to win championships. They’re all playing by different rules which demote violence than those existed in the 1960s. Green Bay in ‘65 actually played in two playoff games to win the last NFL Pre-Super Bowl title. Green Bay took apart the AFL champs in ‘66 and ‘67. Writers who are members of Gen X, Y and Z have no credibility when it comes to making evaluations of players or teams from earlier generations because they grant added weight to what they see on television during NFL seasons, and they are too enamored with statistics.
Ben W. If you believe as I do, and as most do, that the QB is the most important position in football because he touches the ball more than any other player, then surely you recognize that the concerted effort by the league to turn the players staffing that position into Bubble Boys. These precious, brittle Bubble Boys can’t be tackled below the knees or above the chest and can slide to avoid a tackle and can take a snap and push it to the ground to stop the clock. They can’t be tackled hard from the blind side or the sighted side. Flags fly if they even groan going to the ground. Quarterbacks were tougher in the 1960s and 1970s because they had to bd in order to play. Put Mahomes, or Joe Burrow, or Aaron Rodgers, or anyone playing the position today on an NFL field circa 1960s and you won’t get the glitzy numbers they put up today, and you won’t get the performances in front of those numbers. You may believe they’d still be shining superstars in any era … Not so, the card read Moops, not Moors.
That's a really ridiculous argument to say that they have no credibility simply because of age. Maybe your age makes you lack credibility to evaluate the modern NFL? Your nostalgia blinds you to the greatness of players and teams today. See how ridiculous that is?
Regardless of era, it is simply more difficult to win a Super Bowl in the modern era than it used to be because of the salary cap, 3x more teams, and longer playoffs. It's also absurd to try to plop players in different eras. Many modern NFL players wouldn't have made it in earlier eras and vice versa. Plenty of DBs and LBs would be turned upside down by modern tactics, motions, and creativity.
Also who's to say that the Chiefs defense wouldn't have been even better in these years without the modern rules providing advantages to offenses?
Comparing teams directly isn't extremely useful across eras. But just look at the competition and rules at the time. It's undoubtedly harder to win in the NFL than it ever has been before. If the Chiefs win the 3rd in a row, it will be the greatest team achievement in NFL history.
I feel like this consensus opinion that teams need to run the ball more in the playoffs against the Chiefs is misguided.
As you mention here, the Bills ran all over the Chiefs and were a Hardman fumble away from being beaten by 10 points. Baltimore and SF stopped running because it just wasn't working that well. The Chiefs stopped the run and forced them to throw. That appeared to be the game plan in both games. Remember on that OT drive that McCaffrey got stuffed by Mike Pennel on that crucial 2nd down to set up the pressure by Jones the next play.
The Chiefs also did the same thing against the Titans in the 2019 playoffs. Henry had under 70 yards I believe because they focused on stopping the run. I'm not sure there's a formula to beat them in the playoffs outside of getting a LOT of pressure with 4 which would work on basically anyone.
The other formula would be confusing Mahomes which is HARD to do. Bellichick did it but only for a half in the 2018 AFC Championship game. And the Bengals did it in 2021 by dropping 8 more than Mahomes was used to (also Mahomes simply played his worst half of playoff football in the 2nd half).