Why quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are built
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Kansas City Chiefs and general manager Brett Veach expected skepticism about their plan for the 2022 season after they traded a premier wide receiver in Tyreek Hill and assembled a post-draft depth chart that included six defensive rookies in significant positions.
But they were puzzled by suggestions that after four straight AFC Championship Game appearances and a Super Bowl title they were in something of a rebuild and would take a step back and relinquish their spot at or near the top of the conference.
They were planning all along to make another strong championship run and perhaps return to the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons.
“When you have Pat Mahomes, we’re wired to go after it every year,” Veach said.
But only one team has Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, and that team has been able to sustain success in a way most others haven’t.
Since the Chiefs won the Super Bowl following the 2019 season, staying near the top of the league has been a slippery slope for championship teams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV to close out the 2021 season, but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs last year.
The Los Angeles Rams went all in to win a Super Bowl by trading their recent first-round draft picks for veterans like cornerback Jalen Ramsey and quarterback Matthew Stafford. They succeeded last year by winning the Super Bowl but a lack of depth this season caused the Rams to collapse. They finished 5-12. They became the first defending champions since 2016 to miss the postseason the following year. Their 12 losses is the worst title defense in NFL history, with the 1999 Denver Broncos as the only other team to lose 10 games the next year.
The Bengals haven’t won a championship but suffered a narrow loss to the Rams in last season’s Super Bowl. They’ve also been a nemesis for the Chiefs, beating them three times over the past two seasons before losing the AFC Championship Game on…
