Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the dominant team of this era. I understand this isn’t news to anyone, but it needs to be said up front. The two other AFC teams most prominent from 2019-2024 were the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills. These three teams combined for nine of the 12 possible AFC Championship Game slots in these six years. They also had — by far — the best records among all AFC teams over this stretch, a combined 135 games over .500. The only other AFC teams to maintain a record above .500 from 2019-2024 were the Pittsburgh Steelers (58-41-1) and the Miami Dolphins (52-48).
It’s hard to overstate the dominance Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore had over this conference for more than half a decade.
That run of dominance came to an abrupt halt this season. The Chiefs and Ravens missed the playoffs entirely. The failure was enough for the Ravens to fire long-time head coach John Harbaugh. The Bills’ dramatic exit from the postseason in the divisional round convinced ownership it was time to move on from head coach Sean McDermott. It’s worth noting that the other AFC teams mentioned did the same.
Andy Reid is the last head coach standing out of the bunch.
The change atop the AFC was a shock to the system, the kind of movement that requires a deeper assessment. The Chiefs, Bills and Ravens enter an uncertain future despite having arguably the three best quarterbacks in the conference.
Sustaining this level of success is remarkably difficult. It’s what made the New England Patriots’ dynasty so impressive. Opposing teams will poach the coaching staff and front office, and that bleeds into free agency, where players on winning teams are hot commodities.
Winning comes at a cost, both literally and figuratively. These are good problems to have, but it’s something to overcome nonetheless.
The truth is, these issues are easier to overcome while your quarterback is on a rookie contract. Teams can eke out some extra flexibility through the first year or two of a quarterback’s mega-deal, as well. The rookie deal flexibility came to an end for the Chiefs and Ravens in 2021 with Mahomes and Jackson, respectively. The Bills provided themselves with added flexibility in Josh Allen’s deal through the 2023 season.
Cost-controlled young talent is the most valuable commodity when your quarterback accounts for more than 15 percent of the salary cap. Free agency becomes more targeted. Trades are harder to pull off because, again, those draft picks carry their weight in gold. Especially early round selections.
How did the best teams in the AFC fare with those picks in recent years? Let’s take a look.
The Chiefs’ top 40 selections since 2020:
