The Three-Peat in 2024

I appreciate the statistical conversation around a potential Chiefs 3-Peat. I’m as naturally disgusted with the Andy-Reid-At-A-Chinese-Buffet-Like Dominance the Chiefs have put on display the last couple years too. And that Taylor Swift thing. Then everything else on top of it. You know — the natural progression of witnessing longevity in success.

Yes the league rules are changing. Yes it’s no fun to watch extended broadcasts with commercials that insult your intelligence because that’s a hook. Still — whatever successes KC has/will enjoy are on the merits of their players. I’ve hated winners before. I don’t exactly hate the Chiefs (but it’s still Week 1).

So regarding the 3-Peat now. Given that the NFL now has a third-to-half of the league either tanking or in a “just here selling everything full price so these kids have a couple years to grow”, is 3-Peating really that impressive? Georgia is staring down a 3-Peat in JV and everyone is like, “yeah, the college system isn’t objectively competitive and fair. Of course Georgia is going to be hyped, scheduled, ranked, and officiated all the way to an undefeated season — plus they have all the best players!”

Is the NFL really anymore fair? Tanking and rebuilding are just admitting, for seasons, you’re not interested in winning even if the chance presents itself. The Dolphins, according to Brian Flores, offered him $100K for each loss he coached the team to in 2019. As they’d say on the Today Show, “Tanking in Professional Sports….May Be Big Business.”

And in the NFL, unlike the super-saturated NCAA field, franchises can invest years into grooming players and giving everyone time to mix without consequence. Or maybe that time is to clear off salary cap space. Or, better yet, maybe just clear salary. My opinion: with the narrative being that no season is ever lost — it just means looking to next season earlier — it takes away from the winners in each season (maybe rightly; maybe wrongly) who were simply not afforded the opportunity to compete against genuine competition.

I loosely ranked all NFL teams by mindset and figure 15 are trying to win (correct any mistakes — I’ve shown my work below). I understand half the league is going to be in the bottom-half so it makes sense the teams who are stuck here by salary cap/contract commitments or organizational moves and season-ending injuries (MIN). But when you’ve got the Falcons taking a year to figure out how to exactly fit a glass doll on an RC car into the latest NFL rules — do you see them playing KC hard in Week 17 with nothing at stake? I don’t know what the 2024 version of, “Suck for Luck” is — but that.

I’m also noticing the Chiefs and Patriots ‘best’ teams were sharpened by the pudding soft steel of six uncompetitive division games per season. And getting the high seed matters.

So anyways, I’m just thinking out loud over here, maybe NFL Champions should be treated like boxing champs. You gotta kinda defend the belt once to solidify your belonging. Maybe the Bucs stealing one championship after NE lost the title while KC/RAMMIT/SF were mangling each other really should be as forgettable as it has turned out to be. There hasn’t been a Wild Card team in The Big Game since 2007. And getting the high seed matters.

Look at Kyle Shanahan. He hasn’t won a Super Bowl so he is objectively short of being the best. And would winning one really bring him to dominance? I say no. You’d just say, “oh he finally got one on Fat Andy!”. You’d say he’s Mike McCarthy with a dumber hat. But one just doesn’t move the needle than to say, “hold on, I got dibs on Repeat if I win next season too which won’t happen!”

So anyways, I just don’t enter 2024 excited for the chase (or fall) of the Chiefs Trail of Tears March for Three Consecutive SBs. Probably just a continuation of the Sport and Business clash that has proven to go the way of business every single time. Or maybe this is how it’s always been. But when the playoff parity doesn’t result in championship parity, I think it’s reasonable to demand more of champions who, today, are playing exhibitions while taking turns waiting for their chance to attempt a Super Bowl Window.

In the end, though, maybe greatness is always just subjective. Maybe I just miss the old Rams uniforms.

Tank/Last Throws

NYG
TB
SEA (?)
PIT
LV

Building For The Future

ARI
ATL
CAR
CHI
MIN (Darnold may move them to Tank)
WAS
TITS
NE
JAX (I don’t know where else they go)
IND
DEN

Trying(?)
DAL
DET
GB
RAMMIT
PHI
SF
MIA
LAC
KC
HOU
CLE
CIN
BUF
BAL
NYJ (I know this is generous)