Is KC Chiefs offensive trio better than Dallas Cowboys legends?

Perhaps I should be used to it by now, but if you’ve been a member of Chiefs Kingdom for some time, you likely feel the same way I do when discussing the team’s offensive greatness.

No matter how many times I’ve seen Patrick Mahomes engineer a come-from-behind win, Tyreek Hill take it all the way for another long touchdown, or Travis Kelce serve as the ultimate mismatch, it’s still as exhilarating as it was the first 100 times I saw it happen. Because of this, it still feels somewhat surreal to describe the team in terms of historic greatness.

As a Chiefs fan myself, I’m sure I’m prone to hyperbole about the current roster and coaching staff, but I’m not the only one. Perhaps it’s not reaching to describe Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill in such over-the-top ways when others are also doing so. After all, the stats are there as proof positive.

How does the Chiefs offensive trio hold up to the Dallas Cowboys of the ’90s?

Just how good is this trio, then? I’ll let former NBA center Kendrick Perkins speak for all of us.

Perkins posted that earlier this week and I can’t stop thinking about it. The Dallas Cowboys ruled the 1990s and in many ways the franchise is still living off the fumes of that dominant era. “America’s Team” has missed the playoffs 15 times since Y2K with only seven postseason appearances in that same span. They’ve never made it past the divisional round of the playoffs since they last won a Super Bowl in ’95, yet they’re covered like they’re relevant to the current conversation of contenders.

That’s what’s possible when you have a trio setting offensive records and conducting business in the NFL’s center ring for year after year after year after year. Even when the team no longer matters, they somehow still matter because fans have correlated “greatness” with that franchise for so long.

Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls and made it to six Pro Bowls in the ’90s as the Cowboys signal caller and he’s now inducted as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He never won an MVP award, but he did win the award in one Super Bowl, and he was known as a strong community leader as well.

Compare this to Mahomes’ resume which is just beginning to really develop and it’s easy to see how long-term greatness can really take hold here. Mahomes already has one up on Aikman as a regular season MVP in 2019 and a Super Bowl MVP is also on the mantle. The stats speak for themselves here and he’s just turned 26-years-old.

Michael Irvin was a freak at wide receiver, a five-time Pro Bowl player who hauled in over 11K receiving yards in his career and is also in the Hall of Fame.

Here’s the thing: Tyreek Hill already has as many Pro Bowl appearances as Irvin in his career and two more appearances as a first-team All-Pro (3 to 1). Hill needs to add some longevity to his stats in order to reach Irvin’s totals, but he’s already over 5,500 yards and he’s now in his prime with Mahomes feeding him on offense.

The trios diverge with the third position, as Emmitt Smith was a monster at running back while Travis Kelce is redefining the tight end position. Smith was an eight-time Pro Bowl player and former MVP who still holds multiple NFL rushing records for yards, touchdowns, and attempts.

As for Kelce, he’s extending records of his own with each passing season as he currently owns the record for consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards in a year for a tight end with five. He set the mark with four and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see that total rise to six after this year. Given how good Kelce looks now as a mismatch, he’s a good bet to top that total for the next few years although he is now into his thirties. He’s also already a six-time Pro Bowler.

At the very least, it can be said that the Chiefs trio are a statistical match with the Cowboys’ trio, albeit at different positions. While the eras are different in terms of points scored and passing emphasis, Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill are all still at the top of their respective positions and have assumedly many more prime years ahead together.

It can also be said, however, that the Cowboys have three rings to show for their efforts and the Chiefs would undoubtedly love to match or get the better of that mix. Those can be added one at a time, however, and Chiefs Kingdom can only hope the second arrives this winter.