Chiefs Have a New AFC Foe to Keep at Bay

The Kansas City Chiefs have been the most successful team of the 2020's so far. The Chiefs' Dynasty was real, and their decade-long streak of dominance over the AFC West proves it. Their three Super Bowl trophies do as well, and there was a time when the Chiefs were the favorite to win it every season.

We are only one year removed from all that greatness, and it already feels like the NFL has undergone such an evolution. As great as Patrick Mahomes is, it feels like he and the generation of quarterbacks he was ushered in with are now seeing them lose that spark they had when they were younger. The Chiefs Dynasty has taken a step back momentarily. Is there already a new dynasty on the rise that threatens the Chiefs?

New Kid on the Block

Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) practices before the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The matchup is set for Super Bowl 60, and it's a rematch of Super Bowl 49 between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. This time around, instead of it being Tom Brady and the Patriots facing Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom, it's Drake Maye against Sam Darnold.

Neither of these quarterbacks has won a Super Bowl before, let alone made it to the NFC or AFC Championship game. Maye took down the Denver Broncos without Bo Nix to make it to the big game in his second season, and Darnold conquered his playoff demons against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) warms up before the 2026 NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Both of these teams have their own capacities to kickstart dynasties, but I want to focus on Maye and the Patriots. Mahomes was 24 when he won his first Super Bowl, and it took him until his third season to make it there in the first place. Maye is a year behind Mahomes, and yet, he's one of the top two MVP candidates and now has an opportunity to put the Patriots back at the forefront of the NFL.

The Patriots are ahead of schedule. They weren't supposed to find this level of success this early in Maye's career, but now that they are here, they can only improve. Maye still doesn't have the best of weapons and still makes plenty of mistakes. He's far from actualizing all of his potential, and can already stand toe to toe with any quarterback in the NFL.

He still has to win his first Super Bowl before we can start saying this is the start of a new dynasty, but the Chiefs should be rooting for the Seahawks heavily. The Chiefs need to get back to being a powerhouse in the AFC. That can't happen if the Patriots are back to their former luster.

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