![]() ![]() ![]() Players from that team, both at the time and since, expressed that they were motivated to prove to themselves they could be exceptional again. During their postseason run, the Patriots spent less than nine minutes trailing. The Patriots won 12 of their first 13 games and went 10-1 against teams that finished the regular season with a winning record, the most such victories since 1970. That Patriots team - led by stars such as quarterback Tom Brady, defensive end Richard Seymour, linebacker Tedy Bruschi, running back Corey Dillon and kicker Adam Vinatieri - dominated the league. Replicating what the 2004 Patriots accomplished will be a monumental task for the 2020 Chiefs. Yet there are also enough differences that the Chiefs will have to find solutions to the obstacles they’ll face in the coming months. Those parallels could prove to be helpful to the Chiefs - and might even serve as the primary reason why the 2020 Chiefs will succeed whereas past defending champions have failed. Yet the Chiefs, despite the league’s evolution, have similarities to the 2004 Patriots. The collective bargaining agreement from 2011, which instituted the rookie wage scale, also made it challenging for championship teams to keep their star players once the quarterback’s pay gobbled up a significant portion of the salary cap. Quarterbacks were not orchestrating the offense - and manipulating defenses - with run-pass option plays in 2004 quite like they do now. In recent years, most of the elite defenses in the league have been built through strong pass rushers and stars in the secondary rather than with middle linebackers. With the safety of the players in mind, the league has attempted to eliminate the most egregious hits from defenders, such as using the crown of the helmet and targeting defenseless receivers. Many of the changes to the league’s rulebook have favored the offense, giving teams the ability to pass the ball more often and with better efficiency. Players are faster, stronger and more skilled than in 2004. In several ways, the league has changed in the past 15 years. The last repeat champion was the 2003-2004 is the longest the NFL has gone without a repeat champion. There have been 8 Super Bowl winners to successfully defend their title the following season. The are looking to defend their Super Bowl title in 2020. The Patriots’ Super Bowl victory to end the 2004 season was their third championship in four years, the league’s final dynasty. The Patriots, one of the Chiefs’ biggest rivals in the past five years, were the last team to win back-to-back titles. “But I feel like we have a good chance of at least preparing ourselves to be ready to do that.” “It’s such a hard league and there’s so much turnover that it’s hard to get that same spark and make that same run,” superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes said last month. The Chiefs, though, are supremely confident they can accomplish such a rare feat. Not to mention, after the league adjusted the structure of the postseason, they could have to win three playoff games to reach the Super Bowl. During that span, just two teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, have been able to return to the league’s grandest game after winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy the previous season.Ĭonsidered the betting favorite to win the title next season, the Chiefs should still be expected to encounter plenty of challenges - improved divisional rivals, a projected schedule that appears difficult, the injuries they’ll sustain and the potential of a condensed training camp amid the coronavirus pandemic affecting their preparation for the season. And in a league in which parity is a major priority, the NFL is in a 15-year drought without a repeat champion, the longest such stretch in its history. Just eight teams have been able to win consecutive Super Bowl titles. ![]() But in its 100-year history, the NFL has often been cruel to its defending champions. ![]()
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