What the Packers can learn from the Chiefs’ dynasty and 49ers’ calamity
After spending nine days in Las Vegas for my first Super Bowl as a member of the media, I recently returned. I couldn’t help but bemoan how much I wanted to experience the Green Bay Packers in this setting as I meandered through the media jungle known as Radio Row, where everyone has an opinion, a take, or a prediction for the big game.
But unlike the dejected writers and reporters covering failed teams like the Commanders, the Cardinals, the Bears, and pretty much every other one of the 15 AFC clubs, I managed to gather a genuine sense of hope for the future of the football team I cover, which I also hold in such high regard.
You see, this Packers club is about to make a true, real push for the Super Bowl. As a matter of fact, they may have the best chance of all to make it to the big dance this coming season—largely because they are the only NFC club you would expect to improve this offseason.
Everyone is aware of how fast NFL windows close. Although this team was built with the intention of reaching its peak in the 2025 season, who can predict how the conference will have evolved by then?
We have a clear picture of the NFC before free agency and the draft, and it’s one in which the Packers will probably start as third or fourth favorites. Four months ago, it was unimaginable, but welcome to the reality of being an NFL fan for the team that God loves the most. We are fortunate.
I thought I would offer my thoughts on the Chiefs, the 49ers, the significance of the Super Bowl overall, and what the Packers may take away from the biggest game of the football calendar after spending an entire week covering two teams I don’t usually watch throughout the regular season.
Those who have danced before are more fortunate; these Packers have not
The most important lesson I learned from the Super Bowl is that players who have already participated in a Super Bowl are already one step ahead of those who have not because of the way the entire week is set up for the competing teams.
This isn’t your average road game—it’s a week-long business trip that requires you to play in a setting you’ve never played in, practice in a facility you’ve never practiced in, and respond to more questions from the media than you’ve ever been asked in your life.
For all 106 players, the pomp and ceremony of the Super Bowl is unavoidable.
Throughout the entire week, the Chiefs appeared incredibly at ease in their surroundings. That shouldn’t be shocking to a club that plays in Allegiant Stadium just once a year and has a small roster due to personnel turnover following the previous season’s Super Bowl.
Even though the Niners had a good number of coaches and players who had won Super Bowls in the past, there was still a discernible gap in the teams’ level of familiarity.
Eventually, this information was made public nationwide when a number of 49ers acknowledged that they had not prepared for an overtime scenario at all, despite the fact that it appeared that every member of the Chiefs understood exactly what was expected of them.
If the Packers were to make the dance in February of next year, they would be behind the eight ball in this aspect. especially while facing a well-oiled Chiefs juggernaut that is attempting a historically rare three-peat.
In actuality, any team that defeats Kansas City in the AFC will nearly instantly become the favorites to win it all, and the Chiefs will never be the underdogs in a Super Bowl until #15 is in the rafters. The Packers have a good chance of winning a Super Bowl. In a Super Bowl, the Packers have very little chance of becoming the favorites.
Your chances are not ruined by paying your quarterback.
A quarterback who makes up 0.37% of his team’s salary cap and another who makes up 16.9% of his team’s salary cap squared off on Sunday.
The latter was the winner.
“mediocre quarterbacks, all surrounding talent” was defeated by “all quarterbacks, mediocre surrounding talent.” There’s no mistaking Mahomes and Purdy’s skill differential, and although either club may win a Super Bowl with their strategy, Sunday’s results indicated the tiebreaker will still favor the team with the superior signal caller.
Though I don’t think there’s any doubt that the Packers will give Jordan Love a big contract this offseason, Patrick Mahomes’ late-game performance on Sunday should have dispelled any possibility that Love should play out the remaining years on his current contract. Secure your quarterback first, then take care of the rest later.
You give the ball to your quarterback when you’re not sure.
In keeping with the not-so-accurate comparisons of Mahomes to Jordan Love, I believe Sunday was another excellent illustration of having faith in your quarterback in crucial situations. The Chiefs kept letting Mahomes decide the game’s outcome, even when they were in running situations on important third and fourth downs toward the end of the game.
It’s a testament to the demon that Mahomes actually is that you would probably prefer to have him running on third and short than, you know, a genuine running back in that circumstance. Not even the Patriots did this with Brady during their dynasty.
A well-run front desk and culture keep the doors open.
Two of the NFL’s best-run teams, in my opinion, are the 49ers and Packers. They have two excellent general managers, two brilliant head coaches who succeed and struggle in comparable domains, and maybe most crucially, they all have a fantastic culture that has produced consistent success in recent years.
The 49ers and Packers are the two NFC clubs with the most wins overall since 2019. Despite some setbacks (the departures of Aaron Rodgers and Demetrius Adams, the selection of Trey Lance in the draft), they have both managed to avoid completely disintegrating or rebuilding.
Maintaining this continuously competitive position of the firm requires a strong organizational culture from the top down. The 49ers have now advanced to two Super Bowls with two different quarterbacks, four years apart, and both times they jumped out to a double-digit lead.
They are already the clear favorites to win the entire competition the following year. It is this model that the Packers must imitate. Though you can call it “choking” and bring up Kyle Shanahan’s empty trophy cabinet, all it takes is two ball bounces to win the Niners’ second championship in four seasons.
The Niners are a fantastic team, and the margins are narrow. I think the Packers should combine Kansas City’s and San Francisco’s successful strategies. That is to say, follow the Chiefs’ lead and lean on your quarterback. Complete the rest of your roster by acquiring players similar to the 49ers. It’s not true what people say—you can do both.
