For those who've been around Chiefs Kingdom for any real length of time, it's a stat that sounds as ludicrous as any: the Kansas City Chiefs have claimed three Super Bowl wins in the last five seasons.
For a team that had only won a single Super Bowl in franchise history before the 2019 season, the idea of ruling over everyone in the National Football League for a half-decade is absurd. But that's exactly what the Chiefs have been able to accomplish as they've established the first clear dynasty after Tom Brady and the New England Patriots fell apart.
On Sunday, the Chiefs got the best of the San Francisco 49ers in a close yet sloppy game in which both defenses came ready to play. Despite plenty of miscues and a frustrating display by the offense, the Chiefs still did enough to come away with the victory and that means they will celebrate with a parade back in K.C. yet again early in Patrick Mahomes' tenure as the starter.
If you didn't already call it a dynasty before, you will now.
The Chiefs were down to the 49ers for the entire first half and didn't score until Harrison Butker converted a chip shot of a field goal just before halftime. Red zone frustrations kept the Chiefs from scoring multiple times despite being close, including a fumble by Pacheco from 10 yards out and another fourth-quarter series in which the Chefs were halted at the 3-yard line. Butker connected once again to tie the game at 16 points apiece from there.
Still, the Chiefs' defense was able to keep the 49ers from taking advantage of the Chiefs' offensive miscues too much and kept the game within reach. They kept the Niners to a 20 percent third-down conversion rate on the night (2 of 10) and forced two turnovers as well. From the pass rush of Chris Jones to the coverage of Trent McDuffie to the pressure of Leo Chenal, it was a strong team effort by Steve Spagnuolo's unit.
A thrilling fourth quarter had the Chiefs and Niners trading leads as offenses finally came alive down the stretch and defenses were tired. In the end, the Chiefs had a chance to win the game with the ball in the red zone after an impressive drive featuring important catches from Justin Watson and Travis Kelce. However, their red zone woes continued and Mahomes failed to see a wide-open Rashee Rice at the last second. With six seconds left, they allowed Butker to kick yet another short field goal to go into overtime.
From there, the Chiefs watched the 49ers march down the field only to settle for a field goal and a 22-19 lead. But given one more chance to work his magic, Mahomes added to his legend with a tremendous drive that features long scrambles and excellent passes. He closed out the drive with a short touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in the end zone for a final 25-22 victory.
Now the Chiefs own three Super Bowl wins in the last five years, the most successful five-year stretch in NFL history that also includes one other Super Bowl appearance and an AFC Championship game. if you ask Mahomes and company, however, they're still hoping to add to their total.