They say that if you want to be the man, you have to beat the man. Right now, the “man” in the NFL is the Kansas City Chiefs.
Since quarterback Patrick Mahomes joined the league in 2017, the Chiefs have been to the playoffs in every season. Five of those eight seasons – including this one – have ended in Super Bowl appearances. Four of those ended in wins.
Only three teams can say that they’ve beaten the Mahomes-era Chiefs in the playoffs. The first one to do so was the New England Patriots, led by head coach Bill Belichick.
It’s been a few years since then and Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs have gone on to claim four titles and are looking for their fifth overall and third in a row.
So with the Philadelphia Eagles looking to prevent that from happening, a question about what they need to do to stop the Chiefs arises.
Belichick may have provided the answer they needed on The Pat McAfee Show, when asked by one of the show’s talking heads.
The Kansas City Chiefs are at the top of the NFL world again with a chance to win another title
But if anyone knows how to beat Andy Reid and KC, it’s ex-Patriots coach Bill Belichick
‘What I would say to anybody who plays the Chiefs, Philadelphia this week, is you’ve got to play your best football in the fourth quarter,’ Belichick, now the head coach at the University of North Carolina, told the show.
‘The Chiefs have been so good in one-score games, in close games. They find a way to win – whether it’s blocking a kick against Denver that would have been the game-winning field goal, blocking a kick at the end of the Houston game that would have made it a one-score game, or whether it’s making a stop on defense or making the last drive field goal or last drive touch down like they did in the Super Bowl last year.
‘They just make the plays they need to make to win. You better play your best football in the fourth quarter because they’re a well balanced team and they can do it in all three phases.
‘Pat, you mentioned it a little bit earlier, but look at the return game the last couple of weeks. Start off the Texans game with a 70-yard kickoff return and hit a 50-yard punt return against Buffalo from a guy that nobody’s ever heard of [wide receiver Nikko Remigio].
‘He was on injured reserve last year and on the practice squad all year this year. Then he comes out and has two huge plays in the playoff games.
‘And I think that also points to… games in the Super Bowl are won by the team that plays the best. It isn’t how many Pro Bowls you’ve made or what your salary is or where you were drafted or anything else. It’s how you play in that game.
Belichick knows how to win a Super Bowl more than anyone – having won eight titles in total
But without a star quarterback, Belichick struggled and eventually left the NFL game in 2024
‘And that’ll be the big thing in this one is everybody who plays, whether it’s the Eagles’ young secondary or Joe Thuney playing left tackle or a rookie returner for the Chiefs. Anybody can be a hero or a star in this game. Look at Tom Brady. Look at Malcolm Butler.
‘You don’t have to be a 10-year All-Pro veteran. You can be a player on the team who has a role in the game and make the play that makes a difference for your team and your franchise.’
Belichick would know better than any coach what it takes to win a Super Bowl – having won eight across his entire career and six as a head coach.
But without a superstar quarterback in their prime, Belichick faltered in New England – suffering some rough seasons before stepping aside in early 2024.
In his place, the Chiefs supplanted the Patriots as seemingly the most hated team in the NFL.
They can further that claim with a win and a fifth Super Bowl title on Sunday.
