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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a break in action in the first half of the NFL AFC Championship football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs defeated the Bills by a score of 32-29.
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Zeise is Right: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs reaching for rarified air

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

Zeise is Right: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs reaching for rarified air

Plus thoughts on Josh Allen's legacy, free agent QBs, the coaching carousel and more

Welcome to Zeise is Right, my wrap of the NFL weekend. This column combines some quick thoughts and observations with a healthy dose of sarcasm and humor. This is a semi-serious NFL notes column for serious fans that I hope will generate comments and discussion below. I look forward to interacting with you all and (maybe) even defending my opinions. I hope you enjoy it!

Let’s get started:

There are many reasons for Steelers fans to root against the Chiefs, but here is one more:

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A Chiefs win over the Eagles would mean they would win their fourth Super Bowl in six years, and only one other team has ever done that. Yep, your Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) is hit by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (3)at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA.
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The Chiefs’ run would be more impressive than the Steelers’ because in between, the Chiefs had another Super Bowl appearance and a trip to the conference title game. The Steelers lost in the first round of the playoffs and then in the conference championship game in between their four Super Bowl wins.

As it is, the Chiefs will be the first team to ever play in five Super Bowls in six seasons, and that surpasses the Bills and Steelers, who both made four in six years. 

All of it underscores that the Chiefs are already in rarified air and in a class by themselves, but they need to win to cement themselves as a dynasty. And given that Patrick Mahomes is showing no signs of slowing down and neither is Andy Reid, it is possible — actually probable — the Chiefs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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The gold standard is six total Super Bowl titles, owned by the Steelers and Patriots, but a win by the Chiefs would get them to five. (They won one way back in the infant stages of the Super Bowl; look up “KC’s revenge” if you want to read about that first one.)

And not that Mahomes needs more accolades, but think about this: Outside of Travis Kelce and maybe Chris Jones, there probably isn’t another Hall of Famer in this dynasty.

This isn’t like the Steelers of the 1970s, or Packers of the 1960s, or Cowboys of the 1990s, or 49ers of the 1980s and 1990s or even the Bills of the 1990s, when the teams were loaded with Hall of Famers. This is literally The Mahomes Show.

Here is the one word of caution I would give: A lot of things can happen to derail a dynasty, so it is not a given the Chiefs will win two or three more Super Bowls.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) walks off the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Ravens won 28-14.
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That’s why they need to win this one to get to five because I have a sneaking suspicion it is not going to be easy sailing over the next few years. Like I said, chalk it up to “stuff happens,” but think about the Patriots dynasty, which was actually two different dynasties.

Tom Brady won three Super Bowls in four years and was in his prime, and it was a foregone conclusion he was on his way to winning for at least the next decade. But it took 10 years for him to win his fourth because there were injuries, retirements, trades or players leaving in free agency.

I know the Chiefs have had some attrition, but the football gods have a weird way of bringing what appears to be a juggernaut back to earth. And the thing is I won’t give my prediction yet, but outside of coach and quarterback, I don’t think there is a single other area the Chiefs are better than the Eagles. They could easily lose in two weeks.

Steelers fans are often very territorial about the team’s place among the championship teams and until now, they have been threatened very few times. The Cowboys of the early 1990s probably had a chance until Jerry Jones’ ego derailed them, but the Chiefs are a real threat.

That’s why Steelers fans should be holding their nose and rooting hard for their hated cross-state rival to win on Super Bowl Sunday.

Allen’s playoff resume

The Lamar Jackson admiration society has become almost cult-like in its need to turn every situation into some sort of referendum on the way he is treated by the media — as if he is treated any differently than Peyton Manning, John Elway and Dan Marino when they couldn’t win the big one. 

This latest one goes something like this:

“Josh Allen failed in the playoffs again, so use the same energy you do when Lamar fails!”

Give me a break.

Let’s start here — Allen and Jackson have faced each other in the playoffs twice, and Allen won both times. And I would argue Jackson has had the better team both times, and that’s especially true this year. Jackson had a better offensive line, a better defense, a better running back, a better top receiver and a better tight end around him. And yet Allen beat him.

I would actually even go one step further — if you gave Allen Jackson’s supporting cast, he would still be playing.

But let’s even go another step further and compare playoff resumes:

Jackson is 3-5 and has 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions, three rushing touchdowns and a passer rating of 86.

Allen is 7-6 and has 25 touchdowns, four interceptions, seven rushing touchdowns and a passer rating of 101.

Allen hasn’t been the problem for the Bills. He has actually been very good in the playoffs, but four of his six losses are to Mahomes. And yes, he had the ball with three minutes to play and the chance to tie or win the game Sunday against the Chiefs — and he made an incredibly athletic play on fourth down and threw a dart that hit his tight end in the hands.

The Ravens lost to the Bills in part because Jackson was bad early, but he, too, had a chance to make a big play, and his tight end let him down, too. But Allen outplayed Jackson, and that’s why the Bills won.

Both Jackson and Allen are all timers, but when it comes to playoff performances and lack of success, please stop comparing the two because there is really no comparison. Allen has played well enough to win and in general Jackson has not.

Free agent QBs 

Speaking of quarterbacks, I keep hearing all of these calls for the Steelers to upgrade the quarterback spot. The reality is there just aren’t that many legitimate quarterback options available.

As I wrote last week, the best guy on the market is probably Sam Darnold, and there is nobody who wants to go in that direction. He will cost way too much and is more likely to revert to what he has been rather than how he played for about a 12-week stretch this season.

Beyond him, there just isn’t a single name that would be an upgrade for the Steelers, and unless they want to trade up into the top five of the draft, I don’t see an option there, either. I suppose there may be a few trade options that come about — like Dak Prescott — but that seems to be a pipe dream, as well.

It all really just underscores how important it is to find a franchise quarterback and hold on to him for as long as possible, as it isn’t easy to find those guys.

Coaching carousel nearly complete

There were seven head coach openings to start the offseason, and only one — the New Orleans Saints — remains unfilled. Here are my thoughts on each of the hirings, as well as on the Saints.

Patriots: They replaced Jerod Mayo with Mike Vrabel, and this is widely considered to be the home run of home run hires for the Patriots. It begs this question: Why didn’t they do this last year? Vrabel is a really good coach, but he is a little too conservative for my tastes. I think he will definitely be an upgrade, definitely help the Patriots return from the bottom of the NFL and will definitely get the most out of Drake Maye. I don’t know if he will ever get them over the top and back into the Super Bowl, but this is a very good hire for the Patriots, who have been wandering through the wilderness for far too long.

Bears: They replaced Matt Eberflus with Ben Johnson, the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. OK, this is another one that is considered a home run, but that’s based on speculation and speculation only. Johnson is an excellent offensive mind and innovative coach, but he has never been a head coach before, so who knows if he is up to it? I am not saying he isn’t or this won’t work, but I have to see it first to believe it.

Raiders: They moved on from Antonio Pierce and ended up with Pete Carroll. This is the ultimate retread of retread hires, as Carroll will be the oldest head coach in the history of the NFL. But even though he is 74, he is an energetic guy. Still, the Raiders quarterback spot is a disaster, and I don’t know how much of his fastball Carroll still has. He is also in a division with Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh and Andy Reid, so this is not going to be an easy climb for him. It is definitely an upgrade, but I am not sure he will get them to a Super Bowl level before he retires.

Jaguars: They moved on from Doug Pederson and hired *checks notes* Liam Coen. “Who the heck is that?” was my first response, so I am not going to pretend to have a strong feeling about it one way or another. He is another guy with no head coaching experience. I will just say this: An offensive coordinator with a history of working well with quarterbacks is exactly what the doctor ordered for Trevor Lawrence. If Coen hires a good staff, this could work well, but this is another one I need to see before I believe success will happen.

Jets: The Jets fired Robert Saleh and hired Aaron Glenn, a former Jets player who was the defensive coordinator with the Lions. He is another first-time head coach, so it is always sort of a guess as to whether it will work out. I hate that the Jets went for another defensive guy, but it could work. Glenn is passionate and talks a big game, but he has a mess to clean up with the Jets. I just don’t know if the organizational support is there to help him rebuild the team into a contender.

Cowboys: Jerry Jones is still the coach, so let’s get that out of the way. ... OK, he is not, but this organization is a joke. He fired Mike McCarthy, who actually did a reasonably good job this year all things considered, and hired Brian Schottenheimer. I mean, I guess it could work, but Schottenheimer has been an assistant for a long, long time, and I just don’t know if he is being put in a position to succeed. I believe Jones is the biggest problem in Dallas and because he is the owner, well, he isn’t going anywhere.

Saints: The Saints fired Dennis Allen and haven’t made a hire yet. They did pass on McCarthy, and there are reports they are focused on Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but the process is still ongoing. Whoever takes this job better get a good guaranteed deal because this is a mess. The Saints have a lot of salary cap hell to navigate and Derek Carr as their best quarterback option.

MVP

I know MVP is a regular season award, but after watching these playoffs unfold, here is how I would vote my top six if I had a ballot. Again, Mahomes is the MVP every year, so I don’t even include him here. But if you take him out of the equation ...

1) Saquon Barkley. Nobody other than Mahomes is more valuable than Barkley, a running back who dominates every night and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. 

2) Joe Burrow. I know his team didn’t make the playoffs, but this guy nearly dragged a team with a horrific offensive line and defense across the finish line. He had an incredible year.

3) Josh Allen. I could make the case no team is more reliant on one player than the Bills. Allen doesn’t have a great cast of characters around him and he has to carry the load every single week — and he does.

4) Lamar Jackson. Jackson has a much better supporting cast than Allen, but he is still the straw that stirs it all. He is a dynamic player, one of the three best football players on the planet.

5) Jayden Daniels. He took the Commanders to new heights and was one of the most fun players to watch every week. Daniels continues to grow and get better every time he plays and gives Washington hope for a long, long time to come.

6) Jalen Carter. I have to give some love to a defensive player, and Carter was spectacular this year. He is a dominant player and the leader of a really good defensive unit.

First Published: January 29, 2025, 5:53 p.m.

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