The Kansas City Chiefs have an opportunity to become the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row. Since the ascension of Patrick Mahomes and his first Super Bowl run, the Chiefs have lived under immense pressure and expectations, with the word “dynasty” hanging over their necks every down of every game of every season. The target on the team’s back has never been bigger.
There's still more than a week until the big game, and that means there's plenty of time for more weight to be put on their shoulders. It's a situation not often seen in sports, but Get Up's Mike Greenberg has some personal experience with another team that climbed the mountaintop to win three consecutive titles.
He shared his impressions of the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s on Thursday morning, and wondered if the Chiefs have a similar mindset.
"I was in the room when the Bulls, the Jordan Bulls, won their first, their second and their third championship," Greenberg said. "The first, in the locker room afterwards was a celebration the likes of which I've never seen in my life. I've never seen a collection of people that happy. The second one was a little more muted. The third one I would describe as a celebration of relief. ‘We did it.’
“There was so much pressure on them to do it and I think to that point, the disappointment of failing in that quest was obviously on their minds all year. The fear of that disappointment I think outweighed the celebration of winning."
.@ESPNGreeny recounts the days of covering Michael Jordan's Bulls and how he sees similarities to the Chiefs ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Plp0vI3ZbI
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 30, 2025
That theory comports with human nature and athletes tending to remember the games they lost more than the ones they won. On the other hand, nothing about the Chiefs suggests that the magnitude of the moment is weighing on them, and they appear to be having a ton of fun etching their name into the history books with style.
Plus, they have the added motivation of having a significant amount of real or perceived detractors they are eager to give a “told you so” to after the game. So they'll probably be just fine.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike Greenberg Wonders If Chiefs Will Feel More Relief Than Joy If They Threepeat.
