Coming into the 2024 NFL season, to say there was a lot of chatter about Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the rest of that vaunted Chiefs squad would be an understatement.
Not only were they entering the year as the two-time defending Super Bowl champs, but with their core intact and a few brilliant additions in the offseason, it was clear that they were serious threats to do the unthinkable and three-peat.
And, well, while it hasn’t been the most dominant performance on a week-to-week basis… Kansas City did deliver in grand fashion this year, finishing 15 and 2 during the regular season, with one loss coming against Buffalo and the other in Week 18 with Carson Wentz and a slew of second-stringers in.
How historically great is this team? The playoffs shall show us… But for those who don’t want to wait, we’ll tell you! They are not! At least not in the scheme of all-time great teams.
Without further ado, let’s stack them up against some of the top teams the game has ever seen that we believe would throttle this year’s Chiefs!
Can these 10 great NFL teams have a chance to beat the Chiefs?
2016 New England Patriots
The 2016 New England Patriots exemplified resilience and dominance, culminating in one of the most remarkable seasons in NFL history. Despite quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension at the season’s outset, the Patriots showcased their depth and adaptability, achieving a 3-1 record under backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett—and then proceeded to steamroll the opposition the rest of the way finishing 17 and 2 including the playoffs once Brady returned.
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Not only did Brady have one of the single-best statistical seasons in a one-of-one career, but this team also had the best defense in the league that year, finishing 3rd in scoring and 1st in points allowed.
While I’m sure they would’ve liked to avoid the heart palpitations, this group also holds the unique distinction of having pulled off the most impressive Super Bowl comeback of all time, ripping the souls out of everyone in the greater Atlanta area, as they stormed back from down 28 to 3 to cement one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.
Considering the advantage that Brady had over Mahomes at the end of his career—have to think that back during his prime, he and the Pats really would’ve given KC fits!
1986 New York Giants
The 1986 New York Giants, under head coach Bill Parcells, was a powerhouse squad for the record books!
The offense was efficient, led by quarterback Phil Simms, who earned Super Bowl MVP honors that year, and Joe Morris, who went for over 1500 yards on the ground…
But the real story was Lawrence Taylor and that defense, which allowed the second-fewest points in the league and brutalized its opponents week in and week out.
Taylor’s relentless pass rush and disruptive playmaking set the tone for a unit that stifled opponents consistently.
When all was said and done, they finished 17 and 2, Taylor took home Defensive Player of the Year honors, and they defeated the next two Super Bowl champions in the playoffs by a ridiculous combined score of 66 to 3.
Feels like a safe assumption that this year’s Kansas City team would be another notch in LT and co’s belt.
2000 Baltimore Ravens
Led by linebacker Ray Lewis, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens allowed a mere 165 points during the regular season, the fewest ever in a 16-game schedule.
We are talking about a defense that recorded four shutouts and was otherworldly effective against the run, allowing only 970 rushing yards all season.
And it wasn’t just the level that they played at that made them special, but the way that they went about their business that made them so terrifying…
This iteration of the Ravens was as physical and punishing as it gets—and would’ve made Patrick Mahomes’s life absolutely miserable.
Kansas City admittedly has an advantage offensively, considering the Ravens were managed by quarterback Trent Dilfer, but with the way that defense turned over the opposition and their strong running game with Jamal Lewis, it wouldn’t much matter.
1972 Miami Dolphins
The only team to complete a perfect season, the ’72 Dolphins combined a punishing ground game with a stifling defense.
Their ironically “No-Name Defense,” though lacking superstar recognition, operated with flawless cohesion, allowing just 12.2 points per game and torturing opposing offensive coordinators.
On the offensive side of the ball, the duo of running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris each surpassed 1,000 rushing yards behind an offensive line that dominated the trenches.
Their defense and rushing attack were so dominant that the team actually used two different quarterbacks at stretches during the year, Bob Griese and Earl Morrall.
While that clearly puts them at a disadvantage positionally against Mahomes and the Chiefs, they’d be lucky to even get the ball, as the Dolphins would likely employ their dominant rushing attack to control the clock, limiting Mahomes’ opportunities, while their disciplined defense would focus on containing big plays and forcing Kansas City into a more methodical, less explosive game plan… making for a really challenging stylistic matchup!
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2013 Seattle Seahawks
The 2013 Seattle Seahawks were a force to be reckoned with, boasting a 13-3 regular-season record and clinching their first Super Bowl title in franchise history by humiliating future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and the heavily favored Denver Broncos.
Their defense, famously known as the “Legion of Boom,” was particularly dominant, leading the league in points allowed, yards allowed, and takeaways—a feat unmatched since the 1985 Chicago Bears.
We are talking guys like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, and Kam Chancellor… legit all-generational talents, playing at the peak of the powers for the same NFL team. It was simply unfair!
Offensively, quarterback Russell Wilson showcased exceptional poise and playmaking ability, while running back Marshawn Lynch’s punishing running style earned him the nickname “Beast Mode” — this duo formed a great complement to the dominant defense.
The Legion of Boom’s physical coverage and ball-hawking skills could disrupt Patrick Mahomes’ passing game, while the relentless pass rush would pressure him into making quick decisions… and whenever that happened Sherman or Thomas or someone on that insanely talented defense was always sure to make the other team pay!
They would give this year’s Chiefs team all they could handle and more!
1985 Chicago Bears
The ’85 Bears are often heralded as one of the greatest defensive teams in NFL history—and with good reason!
Their “46 Defense,” masterminded by coordinator Buddy Ryan, was designed to apply relentless pressure on quarterbacks, disrupting even the most potent offenses. With Hall of Famers like linebacker Mike Singletary anchoring the middle and defensive end Richard Dent terrorizing the edges, this unit was a nightmare for opposing offenses.
They led the league in points allowed, surrendering a mere 12.4 points per game, and recorded an impressive 64 sacks during the regular season. Offensively, quarterback Jim McMahon provided steady leadership while running back Walter Payton, one of the game’s all-time greats, powered the ground attack. In Super Bowl XX, they showcased their dominance with a 46-10 dismantling of the New England Patriots.
Granted, this Chiefs team is more threatening than that Pats side that squeaked its way into the big game, but Buddy Ryan’s defense would’ve been too much for even the great Andy Reid to scheme up against!
1996 Green Bay Packers
People may not realize it because all of the talk about those mid-90s Packers teams revolves around their Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre… But that 1996 team was as talented as they come across the board.
So much so, that they not only led the league in scoring offense thanks to Favre and co, but also scoring defense.
And this was not some fluke either… This Green Bay team had bonafide Hall of Famers in Reggie White at defensive end and LeRoy Butler at safety… And lest we forget their Swiss army knife and secret weapon, Desmond Howard, who was as dangerous as they come returning kicks at that time.
The former Heisman winner had three punt returns for touchdowns during the regular season and two more in the NFL playoffs, including one in the Super Bowl, which helped the Packers really pull away from New England, who had just moved within six points.
When all was said and done, this squad finished 16 and 3, with a Lombardi Trophy held high, and Favre earned league MVP honors… As good as this year’s Chiefs team is, they wouldn’t have a chance against Favre’s Packers—not with how efficient and historically dominant they were!
1984 San Francisco 49ers
With the way that Patrick Mahomes has struggled to protect the football at times this season, I think that it is safe to say that even he, the greatest quarterback of his generation, would have been given fits by the 1984 49ers defense, which featured three Hall of Famers on his own—never mind the guys they had on offense!
Kansas City has done well to squeak out games this year, but this 49ers team, with its top-ranked defense and second-ranked offense, dominated its opposition en route to an 18 and 1 record when all was said and done.
And what makes it all the more impressive is who they beat—especially once the playoffs came around. In the NFC bracket they shut out the New York Giants and Chicago Bears in back to back games, which, may not sound impressive in the context of today’s NFL, as both organizations have deteriorated into laughingstocks…
But at the time, they were legit as it got! In fact, following San Francisco’s win over Miami, Chicago, and New York would each capture a Super Bowl in successive years!
This, however, is about that 49ers team. If you have any doubt that they would handle the Chiefs, just ask Dan Marino and the Dolphins, who marched through the ‘84 season in their own right, how they think it would go!
Marino had just finished a truly historic season, shattering the league’s single-season passing record and capturing MVP… and everyone and their mother was taking the Dolphins to win the whole thing… Only to see the 49ers dog walk Miami 38 to 16!
And keep in mind that we haven’t even mentioned Joe Montana yet, who is widely considered one of the top quarterbacks of all time and was at the peak of his powers during this run!
That’s how insanely talented and accomplished this team was.
1992 Dallas Cowboys
It isn’t uncommon for all-time great teams to have a signature nickname, such as the Steel Curtain of the 70s in Pittsburgh, the Hogs in DC in the 90s, or the Legion of Boom in Seattle in the 2010s.
But this Dallas team was so special that it had two separate naming conventions that will go down in infamy: the “Great Wall of Dallas”—its ferocious and nearly impenetrable offensive line… And “The Triplets,” which is believed—by NFL fans everywhere, not just by Jerry Jones—to be one of… if not the greatest trio of quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin, that the game has ever seen.
What made this group all the more impressive is that this not only kicked off a run in which they won three out of four Super Bowls, but this all started just three seasons after a 1-15 finish!
Jimmy Johnson and the aforementioned Jones built a true juggernaut… Not only did they outpace the two previous Super Bowl champions by winning the NFC East, but they proceeded to roll through their competition during the postseason, outscoring their opponents by a combined 116 to 47, including a 52 to 17 decimation of the Bills in the Super Bowl.
Safe to say that Kansas City would not have been able to go blow for blow with a team of this caliber.
1998 Denver Broncos
If the ‘98 Broncos didn’t have such a veteran-laden roster, they very well could’ve been the first undefeated team since the ‘72 Dolphins, considering they started off the season 13 and 0 before shifting into second gear to rest up for the playoffs and subsequently dropping two of their final three contests.
And 17 – 2 isn’t too shabby either…
With John Elway under center, an all-time great tight end in Shannon Sharpe, and two 1000-yard wide receivers in Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey, this Denver offense was damn near impossible to stop… Oh yeah, and that’s not even taking the league MVP, their running back, and Terrell Davis into consideration!
As strong as the ‘24 Chiefs defense is, they wouldn’t be able to keep pace with this Broncos attack to save their lives! We saw how Josh Allen and the Bills were able to punch holes in them… Honestly, this could be a bludgeoning!
Kind of like it was for their playoff opponents, who they walloped by a combined total of 95 to 32 in route to a championship win.
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