Exactly 364 days after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII to claim their third title and second in four years, the San Francisco 49ers were hoping to avoid becoming the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl victim in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Unfortunately for Niners faithful, they met the same fate — in this case a heartbreaking 25-22 loss in overtime of a game that was, in large swaths, dominated by San Francisco. With the clock expiring and in desperate need of a stop, a lightning-quick blitz on a third down by second-year phenom Trent McDuffie got the Chiefs the ball back and allowed Mahomes to drive down the field, tying the game and sending it into overtime.
In overtime, a pressure by probable Hall-of-Famer Chris Jones on another third down forced an incompletion from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, stalling the 49er’s drive at the Kansas City 9-yard line and opening the door for a classic, legacy-defining drive for the 28-year-old Mahomes.
Great is perhaps an understatement for the drive Mahomes led after the 49ers took a 22-19 lead. With both his arm and his legs, Mahomes engineered a truly legendary seven-minute, 75-yard drive culminating in a 3-yard touchdown to Mecole Hardman, securing the first back-to-back Super Bowl since the New England Patriots accomplished the same in 2003 and 2004.
The first thing on the Chiefs’ mind after the win? A three-peat. Of course, this is no easy task — as Mahomes pointed out on the podium after the game, no team in the history of the NFL has successfully won three consecutive Super Bowls. Who, then, are the Chiefs’ biggest challengers to the first three-peat in NFL history?
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco, thanks in large part to Brock Purdy’s (relatively) miniscule contract, is in prime position to find themselves back in the Super Bowl in 2025. Key contributors, such as running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, defensive end Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and many others are still under contract. The 49ers are able to avoid having to pay a star quarterback like many other franchises and are free to resign pending free agents as well as pursue talent on the market.
In addition, the 49ers benefit from a relatively weak NFC. As proven over and over again, quarterback is the most important position in the NFL, and the AFC currently has a monopoly in that department. Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud are all in the AFC.
Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love (provided he plays like he did in the playoffs) are the biggest threats to Purdy and the 49ers in the conference, and considering the overwhelming talent on San Francisco’s roster, they should be the heavy favorite to appear in their second consecutive Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals’ path to defeating the Chiefs and appearing in their second Super Bowl in four years is simple: remain healthy. This past season, Cincinnati was ravaged by injuries, most prominent: a wrist injury suffered by star quarterback Joe Burrow that took him out for the season, derailing any hope of dethroning Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs like they did in 2021.
If any team should have confidence in their quarterback against Mahomes, however, it’s the Bengals. As of today, only two starting quarterbacks have ever defeated Mahomes in the playoffs: the greatest quarterback of all time (for now) Tom Brady…and Joe Burrow, who has a remarkable record of 3-1 against the Chiefs in his career.
The Bengals are hungry and in prime position to avenge their 2023 conference championship loss and secure their first Super Bowl win ever.
Buffalo Bills
Yet another Buffalo Bills season came to a crashing end at the hands of Patrick Mahomes, this time at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo. Three times now, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has exchanged blows with Mahomes in the playoffs, coming out on the wrong end every time.
Why, then, should this team be one of the three leading contenders to dethrone the Chiefs and finally reach the promised land? As with all things concerning this iteration of the Bills, it comes back to their quarterback Josh Allen.
As many have observed, he plays the position recklessly. He tends to have massive swings in play game to game, and even quarter to quarter. But there is no other quarterback in the NFL who, at his peak, has the physical tools to match Mahomes blow for blow like Allen.
Others like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are extremely gifted in areas, but none are the whole package like Allen. He is a better thrower than Lamar and a better runner than Burrow. While Burrow is the only current QB to have ever beaten Mahomes in the playoffs, Josh Allen is the only one to ever play Mahomes at his peak and match him. As long as he is the QB in Buffalo, they will have hope.
