The Chiefs' mental edge on their competition is mounting

[pugsnotdrugs19]

Thought about this a few times since LVIII and figured I'd get the words out on here...

I said it after SB LIV - winning that one would make it easier for us to win more in the future. It took such a load of pressure off Mahomes and Andy. Free forever from any "they can't win the big one" narratives. But even then, I'm not sure I expected to already see two more SB wins in just four seasons.

Now after bagging three total... I think with each one, the next one gets even more likely to occur than the prior. Call it inevitability or self-fulfilling prophecy if you want. The way these championships are motivating the key figures to keep pushing - Reid can actually see a path to six Super Bowl wins now. Mahomes can see the path to seven. The entire roster can taste the opportunity to three-peat and be arguably the greatest team ever.

You're starting to see some of the opposing fan bases almost submit to their expectations of failure, too. If/when franchises like Buffalo or San Francisco enter another playoff game against Kansas City... the expectation is going to be a heartbreaking loss. Even if they don't say it out loud - they've seen it and felt it enough times already.

And none of this guarantees Kansas City anything of course. Winning SBs will always be hard, and New England obviously went a decade without winning one between dynasties. But they didn't have the greatest quarterback ever through six seasons who any time he takes the field to win a game late, that game clinching score feels totally inevitable.

Gonna be fascinating to watch in the years ahead. Are the Chiefs that much more confident and loose because they keep winning these big games? Is the competition that much more anxious and in a "play not to lose" mindset because beating Kansas City in playoff games feels more miraculous nowadays than achievable?

Or am I just an ignorant homer?

[BigRedChief]

If you are playing defense. You either stop Mahomes or you lose? That’s a lot of additional pressure. Probably tired as hell too.

[RINGLEADER]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

The biggest thing for me is playoff experience for young guys.

That is so hard to come by and we just keep stacking that now.

The Ravens had almost zero experience playing in an AFC Championship against a team of this caliber and it showed.

Everyone says the playoffs are a different speed and the entire roster knows that speed now. Very likely our next playoff opponent won't have a roster that's been steeped in the playoffs.

Agree with the original post and agree with this.

You could pull together a list of HoF players at every position who don’t have the Super Bowl experience and success of guys like Watson, McDuffie, Karlaftis, Connor, Rice, Chenel, Williams, Creed, Smith, etc., etc. It’s really incredible how many of our starters have won the Super Bowl every year they’ve been in the league. To your point, this has to instill a minimum acceptable level of performance that is light years ahead of every other roster in the league.

It’s also why I think, off subject, that we should spend what we need to keep this together group together. It’s just such a unique situation and opportunity.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

I think the Joe Burrow lead Bengals may be the only team left that feels they have a chance. We need to go squash them.

Love the OP, all true.

[Frazod]

Lamar probably checks under his bed at night to make sure Pat isn’t waiting to steal more of his dreams.