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The Kansas City Chiefs won the 2024 Super Bowl by beating the San Francisco 49ers in a riveting game of back-and-forth at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, Feb. 11.
The Chiefs have appeared in four of the past five Super Bowls, with their recent win earning the team a third Lombardi Trophy this century.
The NFL crowns a new champion every year through the Super Bowl, and while many teams have won once or twice in a short period, many of these teams are not considered dynasties. Only a select few teams throughout the Super Bowl era have been named a dynasty.
With the Chiefs’ continued dominance, sports fans and analysts must consider the possibility of a new NFL dynasty. While there are no definitive qualifications to be considered a dynasty, there are a few critical benchmarks many previous dynasties have checked off.
Most sports articles follow the idea that every previous dynasty in the NFL had won at least three Super Bowls within a six-season span. Teams often had a list of elite players, with their centerpiece being a star quarterback.
Examples include the 2001-2019 New England Patriots, who won six NFL championships with their centerpiece quarterback Tom Brady; the 90’s Dallas Cowboys, who won three championships in four seasons with Troy Aikman at the helm; and now the Chiefs, with their third win in five seasons under star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
This year, Patrick Mahomes won his third Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award to complement his two regular season MVP awards.
According to the site Pro Football Reference, the Chiefs have competed in the past six American Football Conference championship games, winning five to appear in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have led their division in wins every season since 2017.
A continued streak of winning has catapulted the Chiefs into potential dynasty conversations. However, while some ATU students believe they can be considered a dynasty, some are more hesitant to make that claim.
“I would say the Chiefs are a dynasty. To be a dynasty, a team must win three or more Super Bowls within a few seasons. Teams like the Patriots from 2014-2019 and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 70s’ have been considered dynasties,” Cameron Spring, a criminal justice major from Berryville, said.
“No, the Chiefs are not a dynasty. Dynasties are built through generations of success, and the Chiefs have not reached that level yet,” Ashlyn Lee, an accounting major and ATU faculty member from Dardanelle, said.
The Kansas City Chiefs show no signs of slowing down and continue to fight to cement their position as an NFL dynasty.
