Dynasties Depend on Drafts, and Chiefs Need Big Win This Month

Here's how Kansas City Chiefs can legitimately say they're still in their dynasty.

Jan 20, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (13) is unable to make the catch as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson (20) defends in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five NFL dynasties have reigned over the league in the Super Bowl era.

The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers and 1990s Dallas Cowboys were confined to one compact stretch with largely the same personnel, But two others – the 1981-94 San Francisco 49ers and 2001-18 New England Patriots – covered multiple decades.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates while being interviewed by CBS commentator Jim Nantz after winning Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How will history remember this Chiefs dynasty?

What Brett Veach does later this month will determine how history remembers the league’s fifth modern dynasty, Kansas City from 2019-24. Will the Chiefs’ run fall into the first category and die an honorable death, or join the second category as one of the three best stretches in league annals?

Nick Wright believes Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs need to achieve one simple goal to remain firmly in Category 2.

Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh (98) sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

One box to check in 2026

“Make it back to the AFC championship game,” he said on Friday’s edition of What’s Wright with Nick Wright. “If you make seven straight AFC championship games, every year of Mahomes’ career, you make five Super Bowls, win three, seven straight AFC championship games, and then you have one disaster year? That, I guess, is like the silver lining of the disaster year; they still have never lost in the playoffs prior to the AFC title game.”

In fact, Mahomes is 17-4 overall (.810) in the postseason. He’s 5-2 (.714) in the AFC championship game and 3-2 (.600) in the Super Bowl. But he’s an impressive 9-0 in combined wild-card and divisional-round games.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce makes the game winning touchdown reception against Bills linebacker Matt Milano. The Chiefs beat the Bills 42-36 in overtime to move on to the AFC Championship game against the Bengals. | JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A significant nine-game winning streak

In one-step-at-a-time fashion, keeping that nine-game winning streak alive in 2026 would continue the dynasty. He’d also take the first steps toward following in Tom Brady’s footsteps, having overcome the first significant injury of Mahomes’ career (season-ending ACL surgery on Dec. 15). After Brady rebounded from his 2008 ACL injury, he won four of his seven Super Bowls.

The draft is key, though. New England answered its season without playoffs by drafting Patrick Chung and Julian Edelman in 2009. The Patriots drafted Devin McCourty and Rob Gronkowski a year later. Veach needs to stack drafts in similar fashion, beginning April 23.

Feb 4, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman (right) and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hold the Pete Rozelle most valuable player trophy during Super Bowl LIII winning team press conference at Georgia World Congress Center. The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 to win an NFL record-tying sixth championship Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

San Francisco's "disaster year" was 1991, when the 49ers missed the playoffs. They didn't have a great draft in 1992, either. Although they did draft future All-Pros Ted Washington and Merton Hanks in 1991, and All-Pros Dana Stubblefield (1993) and Bryant Young (1994, when they captured their fifth Super Bowl title over a 14-year stretch).

Maybe Brett Veach has his own future All-Pros in Josh Simmons and Nohl Williams, drafted in 2025, but the Chiefs still can't afford to lose this draft.

Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams (20) breaks up a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Deandre Hopkins (10) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Still hope for a Dynasty 2.0

And even if Kansas City doesn’t continue a dynasty, the franchise could still join the Patriots by eventually getting on another run. Call it a period of recovery. New England followed its 2008 disaster year by authoring another dynasty. Two separate dynasties.

“If you go disaster year followed by early playoff defeat,” Wright explained, “then it feels like we're on to a new era. That’s why I split up the Patriots dynasty into two different ones. Because ’08, Brady gets hurt; they missed the playoffs. In ’09 and ’10, they get popped early in the playoffs.

Dec 8, 2019; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

“That, to me, was pretty clear. And then ‘11 to ‘18 was the next iteration of it. Now, if you're of the belief the Patriots dynasty was ’01 to ‘18, then the Chiefs could go three years in a row without winning a playoff game.”