Colin Cowherd Has Blunt Take on Kansas City Chiefs

Colin Cowherd Has Blunt Take on Kansas City Chiefs originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

There are hot takes, then there are seismic declarations that evoke a response. On Thursday’s episode of "The Herd," longtime sports media voice Colin Cowherd delivered the latter.

In a year when the Kansas City Chiefs are once again among the Super Bowl favorites (+850 on DraftKings, the fourth-best odds), Cowherd suggested the conversation around them needs to shift.

Not because they’ve fallen off. But because, in his view, the era of their unchecked dominance may have quietly come to an end.

The Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes, arguably the most gifted quarterback of his generation. They still have Andy Reid, a future Hall of Fame head coach with three rings. But Cowherd made the case that the dynasty, as we know it, has expired, not because of Kansas City but because of everyone else in the AFC West.

Colin Cowherd Says Chiefs Dynasty Over

Cowherd’s full quote was deliberate, and he drew from NFL and college parallels to explain his stance. “I think Kansas City, the dynasty part is over,” he said. “They may win a Super Bowl, but I think their division's too good to be a dynasty.”

He pointed to historic dynasties like Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, which dominated the SEC during an era of coaching chaos, and Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, who controlled the weak AFC East for two decades.

Is the dynasty over in Kansas City? @colincowherdpic.twitter.com/Mmtwcittpo

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 7, 2025

Kansas City, Cowherd argued, benefited from a similar stretch of dysfunction in the AFC West. But that window is closing.

He credited the Chiefs for capitalizing on poor coaching around Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, a rebuilding Denver Broncos franchise and the ever-drifting Las Vegas Raiders. Now, with all three rivals featuring upgraded coaching staffs and deeper rosters, Cowherd says the conditions that propped up the Chiefs' run no longer exist.

AFC West Strength Grows As Chiefs Face New Threats

The AFC West now features four head coaches who have been to a Super Bowl: Reid, Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton and Pete Carroll. This collection of coaches makes it arguably the division in football with the most experience and success.

The Chargers are healthy and loaded under Harbaugh, the Broncos are on the come-up with young quarterback Bo Nix under Payton, and the Raiders could be quietly stabilizing in Carroll's image.

Historically, even the most dominant NFL teams have struggled when surrounded by divisional parity.

From the fall of the 1980s Bears to the sudden fade of the early 2000s Rams, no window stays open forever. The Chiefs may still win, but dominance is no longer a guarantee.

Chiefs’ Margin for Error Shrinks As Core Ages

Mahomes remains in his prime, but the rest of the Chiefs' core is either aging or already turned over. Travis Kelce is 35. Chris Jones continues to dominate, but how long can his prime last at age 31? And Reid has hinted at retirement more than once.

The Chiefs were the league’s most complete dynasty since the Patriots, but NFL history doesn’t favor longevity when the margin for error shrinks.

If the division becomes a weekly gauntlet, the postseason road gets harder. No more automatic byes. No more sleepwalk division titles.

The NFL’s power center might still run through Kansas City, but its grip is loosening.

Related: Tony Romo Addresses End-of-Dynasty Debate for Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes

Related: Patrick Mahomes' Official Madden 26 Rating Draws Attention

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.