The Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty may not stack up with the New England Patriots just yet in terms of Super Bowl victories. However, they are closing in on that foe in another category.
New England holds the league record for consecutive division titles, controlling the AFC East for a decade and winning it 11 straight seasons. At current, the Chiefs have won the AFC West for the last nine seasons.
They will go for No. 10 in 2025, looking to carry on a historic run that has also seen them appear in the last seven AFC Championships. However, a former vaunted rival has already forecasted their demise.
Former Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman told Kay Adams this week that his former team would best the Chiefs and steal the throne.
"That was the exact same team, almost that minus a Keenan Allen and some of these other guys that Jim Harbaugh took over; nobody saw them going to the playoffs, so if he's able to do that in one year, what are they gonna be looking like this year? With a full year under their belt. New guys." Said Merriman.
"The coaching staff, everybody understands the system now, so if you don't think they're not gonna win a division, you know, it's just, it's crazy not to say that I think they're the best team in the AFC West right now."
A lot of that assertion rests on the Chargers making leaps forward, perfectly reasonable given their additions this offseason. But that relies a lot on hypotheticals.
For the faults the Chiefs have and the weaknesses exposed on their end in Super Bowl LIX, not any of their adversaries have been able to get through them. Looking at the head-to-head, the Chargers played them close in both games but Kansas City claimed two wins.
To win the West, the Chargers will need to find a chink in the armor and beat the Chiefs at least once. Are there any opportunities to be had there?
The Chiefs have adjusted a flawed offensive line, perhaps the main objective of the offseason. There are still some questions about having reliable receivers in play, especially with Travis Kelce in his twilight years athletically.
Merriman and others may certainly argue that the clock has run out and a ready contender like the Chargers are ready to supplant them. But at this point, it will need to be proven on the field.