Chiefs defeat Bills - AFC Championship review.

What a time to be a Chiefs fan...

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to their fifth Super Bowl in the past six seasons after a thrilling AFC Championship victory over the Buffalo Bills. This sustained run of success feels like something out of a dream. The Chiefs’ 2023 season, which featured a classic Mahomes vs. Allen showdown, ended with another remarkable chapter in this dynasty's story. So, as the Chiefs now prepare for a shot at their fourth Super Bowl title in the Mahoms era, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the key takeaways from this unforgettable AFC Championship Game.

Takeaway 1: One Win from History:

We are living in historic times. The Kansas City Chiefs are going to their fifth Super Bowl in the past six seasons.

While the entire team deserves credit—from special teams that came up clutch multiple times to the defense that made key stops against the Bills—it all starts with Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has redefined the standard for greatness in the NFL, leading the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game every single year since taking over as the starter. Now, he's got the team on the brink of an NFL first: a Super Bowl three-peat.

It’s easy to get lost in the stats, but here’s the thing: Patrick Mahomes is only 29 years old and in just seven seasons as a starter, he’s already passed Joe Montana for second-most postseason wins in NFL history. For perspective, Montana finished his career with four Super Bowl rings. Mahomes? He’s already gunning for his fourth. That’s insane.

Against the Bills on Sunday, Mahomes was his usual brilliant self. 18 of 26 for 245 passing yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. Add in 43 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, and you’ve got a stat line that doesn’t even capture the gravity of what he did. With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Mahomes orchestrated a masterful drive, answering Buffalo’s go-ahead score with a touchdown, a two-point conversion, and ultimately, a game-winning field goal drive. When the chips were down, Mahomes did what Mahomes does: led his team to victory.

The Philadelphia Eagles await in the Super Bowl, and while that’s a matchup for another time, today is about celebrating what Patrick Mahomes continues to do for the Chiefs. Whether it’s his big plays, clutch moments, or simple consistency, Mahomes is once again proving that he’s not just a great quarterback—he's the greatest we’ve ever seen. And as Chiefs fans, we should take a moment to appreciate the unbelievable run we’re witnessing.

And here’s the craziest part: the Chiefs are now one win away from achieving something that has never been done before in the NFL—three straight Super Bowl titles. Think about that for a second. Three straight. It’s not just an impressive feat, it’s unfathomable—a level of dominance that no team has ever reached in the history of the league. The Patriots, the Steelers, the 49ers—none of them did it. Yet here we are, with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, standing on the cusp of history. If that doesn’t blow your mind, I don’t know what will. For Chiefs fans, this is the pinnacle. And it’s just one win away.

Takeaway 2: Patrick Jordan is Leaving a Whole Generation of QBs Ringless:

"The greatest of all time killed the dreams of 5 men to achieve his own 6 times over."

If you thought Michael Jordan’s dominance in the 90s was tough to stomach for an entire generation of NBA legends, think again—Patrick Mahomes is doing the same thing to an entire crop of NFL quarterbacks.

Just like Jordan made the 90s feel like a decade-long, soul-crushing wait for anyone not wearing a Bulls jersey, Mahomes has made the AFC feel like his personal playground, and quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and now even sophomore sensation C.J. Stroud, are all finding themselves in the same ringless boat.

Look, it’s not like these guys aren’t good. In fact, many would argue that the current crop of quarterbacks is the most talented and competitive the league has ever seen. Joe Burrow can slice through defenses like a surgeon. Josh Allen is the best mix of arm strength and athleticism we've ever seen. Lamar Jackson is a human cheat code. Jalen Hurts is a dynamic dual-threat QB leading a powerhouse offense. And then you’ve got C.J. Stroud, who’s already making noise in his rookie year. But none of them have been able to take down Mahomes when it matters most.

Mahomes isn’t just another talented quarterback, he’s the guy who makes everything look easy. He’s like the Michael Jordan of the NFL, except this time, the whole league is his “competition,” and the AFC is his personal playground for championships. The guy's stats are outrageous, his playmaking ability borderline supernatural, and he does it all with the calmness of a guy reading the morning paper. His postseason resume is already putting him in rarefied air, and with his Chiefs making their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last six years, he’s well on his way to joining the conversation about the greatest of all time.

While these young quarterbacks—Burrow, Allen, Lamar, Hurts, and even Stroud—are exceptional in their own right, Mahomes is making them fight for second place. It’s hard to imagine any of them grabbing a ring in the near future when Mahomes is out here racking them up. If anything, they’ll all look back at their careers and wonder what could have been if Mahomes wasn’t in the league at the same time. Much like Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley were denied their NBA rings by Michael Jordan, this new generation of quarterbacks may ultimately end up being remembered for how they were all outshined by one freakishly talented guy in the same era.

For some, it’s a matter of timing—being in the same conference, same era, and facing a QB that’s just better than everyone else. For others, it’s a cruel twist of fate: you can have the most promising career, put up stats that could put anyone else in the Hall of Fame, but if Mahomes is in your way, you may never get the ring that you deserve.

To be clear: It’s not a knock on these quarterbacks. It’s just a reality of how special Mahomes is. The only thing left for these QBs to do now? Keep competing, keep improving—and hope that Mahomes’ magic eventually runs out. Until then, his stranglehold on the AFC and the Super Bowl is leaving them all chasing a ghost. And the scariest part? We’ve still got years of Mahomes left.

Takeaway 3: Spags is a Hall of Famer:

If there was any lingering doubt about Steve Spagnuolo’s place in NFL coaching lore, the last few years should have erased them completely. The Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive coordinator has quietly turned the Chiefs’ defense into an elite unit while working in the shadow of an offense that gets all the headlines. His ability to develop young talent, adjust on the fly, and consistently rise to the occasion has made him a legitimate candidate for head coaching jobs around the league—and with good reason.

Spags' defensive units have played pivotal roles in each of the Chiefs' recent Super Bowl appearances. From his creative blitz schemes to his ability to get the most out of players like Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, and Trent McDuffie, Spagnuolo has put together a defense that complements the high-flying offense led by Patrick Mahomes. And it’s not just the big names—when the Chiefs lost star cornerbacks like Charvarius Ward and L'Jarius Sneed, Spags showed his genius once again by coaching up younger guys like Jaylen Watson and McDuffie to step in and shut down opposing offenses. This defense has been a difference-maker in more games than we can count, and it’s about time he gets the credit he deserves.

This season, three teams—Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, and Las Vegas Raiders—have shown interest in interviewing Spagnuolo for head coach positions. While he may not necessarily leave Kansas City, the fact that teams are still calling is a testament to the job he's done. His previous head coaching stints with the St. Louis Rams and as an interim with the New York Giants may not have gone as planned, but that was more about a lack of talent than his ability to coach. In fact, it could be argued that those failures made him a better coach, as he gained invaluable experience in how to lead a team through tough situations.

Now, at 65, Spagnuolo is the defensive mastermind behind one of the most impressive dynasties in NFL history. He’s been part of three Super Bowl wins in the last five years and is the architect of a defense that has, time and time again, stood tall when the offense needed it most. If there was ever any question whether Spags should be mentioned in the same breath as the NFL’s great defensive minds, those questions are long gone. Whether or not he accepts a head coaching job, Steve Spagnuolo’s place in NFL history is already sealed. And if there's any justice in the world, he'll have a Hall of Fame plaque waiting for him when it's all said and done.

In short? Steve Spagnuolo is a defensive genius, and his work in Kansas City should be remembered as one of the most crucial elements of this dynasty.

In Spags we trust.