Now That They've Released Both OTs, is the Chiefs Dynasty Over Before it Began?

You hate to see it. Just hate to see it. The Kansas City Chiefs getting an abject lesson in the old adage, "The only thing harder than working your way to the top is staying there." 

For a few seasons, they managed to keep the band together. They won the Super Bowl in 2019 and didn't really suffer the usual losses that success brings in the NFL They kept their coaching staff more or less in tact. Neither of their coordinators jumped to take head coaching jobs somewhere else. They didn't lose key players looking to cash in on that premium lesser teams will pay a proven winner. No one got out while the getting was good. 

And they were poised to do the one thing that's proven harder to do in the NFL than it is in any other sport, thanks to the way the league is set up: Repeat as champs. No one's done it since 2003-04. But after tearing through the AFC playoffs and installed at 3-point favorites in the Super Bowl, they were poised to break the mold. They were all set to be crowned the dynasty of the 2020s. 

What a difference a few weeks makes. Now Kansas City's bills are starting to come due for the borrowed time every successful franchise lives on. It's inevitable. Some teams can draw it out longer than others after winning a ring and stay competitive. Ish. Seattle comes to mind. Pittsburgh. But by the nature of the game, most teams burn bright for a while and flame out. The Broncos  and Eagles being a prime examples. 

And my guess is we're seeing the first snowballs rolling down the mountain of the avalanche that will bury the Chiefs dynasty before it truly begins. You may think I'm jumping the gun on this one. But I say I'm no more getting ahead of myself than the people who were talking like Kansas City would never have to deal with the reality, economic and otherwise, of trying to stay on top of the NFL mountain. 

Eric Fisher was the No. 1 overall pick by the Chiefs just eight seasons ago. Schwartz went to the Browns in 2012 as a second rounder, started 70 games for Kansas City and never missed a game before this year. When they were hurt for Super Bowl, it was a disaster. Patrick Mahomes faced an all out cavalry charge every time he dropped back. Filling in for Fisher, Mike Remmers had 61 snaps in pass blocking and gave up a sack, six pressures and got called for two penalties. Subbing for Schwartz, Andrew Wylie surrendered nine pressures. Tampa's Shaq Barrett alone had 10 pressures on Mahomes coming off the edge against these two. Despite the fact the Bucs only sent an extra rusher seven times all game. 

You'd think if there's anyone besides Mahomes and maybe Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill the Chiefs could not bear to part with, it'd be their tackles. But such are the sad realities of life when you've won in the NFL. You can only kick that financial can down the road so long. The Chiefs need to fill both starting tackle spots while drafting at the end of each round. And according to Over the Cap, still have the eighth worst cap situation in the league at $4.4 million over. 

I don't want to turn this into a diatribe about how the Patriots have managed to navigate through these treacherous waters for 20 years in a way no one else has, because this isn't about them. But I don't want to not mention it, either. Still, this is about the Kansas City Chiefs, finding out the hard way that life at top is hard. And as they say at the end of "Pattong, all glory ... is fleeting.