Tim Benz: Rooting against a Chiefs 3-peat? Consider the alternatives — past, present and future

Here’s something I’ve heard more than once in Pittsburgh since the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was set.

”I’d like to see a three-peat someday, just not these Chiefs.”

That’s a sentiment I share. Unfortunately, I also share the other half of that thought.

”Then again, I never want to see Philadelphia win at anything.”

That kind of leaves Pittsburgh — and many other Eastern cities who have ever had to deal with Philadelphia fans — in quite the pickle when it comes to figuring out who to root for on Super Bowl Sunday.

Maybe it’s too much exposure to (specifically) Flyers fans over the years, but seeing Kansas City celebrating for the third year in a row is somehow less galling to me than seeing Philadelphians happy — about anything.

So I’ll probably be one of the few nationally rooting for the Chiefs.

Unless I can talk myself into betting on the Eagles to cover the point spread or on Saquon Barkley to hit a bunch of prop bets. In that case, I’ll be the loudest one chanting E-A-G-L-E-S!

Or something like that.

“E-L-G-S-E-S EAGLES. Let’s go birds.”

— Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker
pic.twitter.com/e5UbuflG4k

— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) January 22, 2025

But let’s forget Philly fans who bask in their own reputation for obnoxious behavior. Some people can separate that team from the fanbase. Others can’t. They aren’t the real talking point in this conversation.

The Chiefs are.

If K.C. wins a third straight Super Bowl, that’ll be a history-making accomplishment. No NFL team has ever won three Super Bowls in a row.

That might be something some folks want to see.

Apparently not via these Chiefs, though, because there is a perception that they get favored status from on-field officials and their replay cohorts. Some seem to think there is an edict from the league to give Kansas City “all the calls” because the longer the Chiefs stay alive in the playoffs, the more the NFL can boost ratings with their roster star power and the corresponding camera cutaways from Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift’s relationship with tight end Travis Kelce.

I don’t think that’s entirely true, but Kansas City does get so many calls it’s understandable why some fans think that it is.

In the case of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the level of protection afforded to him and his manipulation of the sideline and sliding rules understandably offends the old-school sensibilities of many football fans who see the ability to hit a quarterback eroding more and more every year.

Especially him.

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All that said, one thing we need to acknowledge is that any time any team in any sport goes for a three-peat, the rest of the country outside of that team’s hometown is going to be sick to death of them.

We were sick of the late-’90s New York Yankees. We got tired of the early 2000s Lakers and the 1970s UCLA Bruins.

The 1990s Bulls? Eh, the Michael Jordan dynamic made things a little different. But they were certainly sick of him in New York, Phoenix and Utah; I can assure you of that.

Was anyone outside of Dallas rooting for the Cowboys in 1994? If so, that was only because they got temporarily derailed by the 49ers, and we were all sick of them too.

Spygate wasn’t a thing until 2007. But how many fans did the Patriots have rooting for them outside of New England in 2005 when they were going for a third straight Super Bowl? We all had Brady-Belichick fatigue by then, didn’t we?

Thankfully, the Broncos (and eventually the Steelers) dethroned them.

For as much as no one around here would want to admit it, there weren’t any tears shed beyond our three rivers when the 2018 Penguins were tripped up in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Washington Capitals. And most of us didn’t shed any when Tampa Bay lost in 2022.

There were plenty of NFL fans who were happy to see the Steel Curtain come tumbling down in 1980 as well when the Steelers fell short of a Super Bowl XV three-peat, until the Raiders won it all. When they lost in ‘76 after winning two in a row the first time, the only reason some NFL fans were bummed out then was that it gave the Raiders a chance to finally win their first.

Pfft! Everyone hated those guys.

The 1993 Penguins may have been a rare potential three-peat team that had a lot of folks on their side. They were such a wagon by the end of the season. They were exciting. They were star-ladened. They were good for the sport. The Mario Lemieux comeback story from cancer was the stuff of legend, and the chance to see him finally match up against Wayne Gretzky in the Stanley Cup Final was looming.

Until David Volek had something to say about that.

The @NYIslanders' last #Game7 victory was in the 1993 Division Finals, when David Volek scored the winner at 5:16 of overtime (4-3 OT W at PIT). #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/S40thiB3uU

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) September 5, 2020

In a lot of ways, the Chiefs might be as good as it gets when it comes to finding a potential three-peat NFL team that the rest of us can support. Kansas City is a good football town with a great home-field atmosphere. Mahomes is dynamic and clutch.

Andy Reid’s offenses are inventive, and Steve Spagnuolo’s defenses are creative. Kelce might be a trash-talking meathead on the field, and his girlfriend’s music may not resonate with John Q. Football Fan. But he’s also one of the best tight ends we’ve ever seen.

We could certainly do worse than seeing the Chiefs be the first team to win three Vince Lombardi trophies in a row. For instance, what if the Eagles win this one and next year’s too?

We’ll be begging for Mahomes and company to get back to Super Bowl LXI and halt their chances for a three-peat in February of 2027.