The Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of history as they look to win their fourth Super Bowl in six seasons in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles. They won Super Bowls in 2019, 2022 and 2023 while losing in the big game in 2020 against Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kansas City is already the first team to ever appear in five Super Bowls in a six-season span, and they can become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. It is worth noting that with a win they would become the third team to win three consecutive NFL championships, joining the 1929-1931 Green Bay Packers and the 1965-1967 Green Bay Packers. While most sports are a team game, everyone loves to assign credit for who is most responsible for success. So, let’s take a look at the 10 people most important to the Chiefs’ dynastic run ahead of Kansas City’s pursuit of even more history.

10. Former Bills GM Doug Whaley

There is no Chiefs dynasty if the Buffalo Bills don’t allow Kansas City to trade up 17 spots from No. 27 overall to 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft to select quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The New Orleans Saints had the very next pick at No. 11 overall, and then-head coach Sean Payton said New Orleans was going to select Mahomes to be the heir apparent to Drew Brees. Then-Bills general manager Doug Whaley was fired the morning after the 2017 draft was completed, and looking back on it, that firing was more than justified. Mahomes and the Chiefs have ended Buffalo’s season four times in the postseason.

9. Former S Tyrann Mathieu

The Chiefs defense needed a culture and production shift after a 2018 campaign in which the unit surrendered 26.3 points per game, 24th in the NFL. Kansas City signed Tyrann Mathieu to a three-year, $42 million extension in 2019, and won Super Bowl LIV that season with him earning a First Team All-Pro selection. Mathieu earned another All-Pro nod and a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 as well as a Pro Bowl accolade in 2021.

8. Former WR Tyreek Hill

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill helped Mahomes discover everything he’s capable of doing. His game-breaking speed helped unlock Mahomes’ fearlessness when going deep, and his third-and-long reception in Super Bowl LIV helped spark a double-digit comeback in the Chiefs’ first championship of the dynasty over the San Francisco 49ers. Even though he’s no longer on the team, Kansas City drafting a two-time All-Pro cornerback in Trent McDuffie and a future building block at receiver in Rashee Rice with some of the picks his trade netted helped keep the dynasty going.

7. GM Brett Veach

Brett Veach has made numerous money moves as general manager. The most notable ones include re-signing Mahomes to a 10-year contract, rebuilding the offensive line after it crumbled in 2020, trading Hill to the Miami Dolphins, using the picks from the Hill trade to draft McDuffie and Rice, signing Mathieu, re-signing defensive tackle Chris Jones, drafting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in the fourth round in 2020, drafting three-time Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey in the second round of 2021 and drafting edge rusher George Karlaftis in the first round of the 2022 draft.

6. Former GM John Dorsey

Former Chiefs general manager John Dorsey drafted the pillars of the Chiefs’ dynasty during his tenure from 2013-2019: tight end Travis Kelce (third round of 2013 draft), Hill (fifth round of 2016 draft), Jones (second round of 2016 draft) and Mahomes (10th overall after trading up from pick No. 27 with the Bills). Dorsey got fired in June 2017, but he laid the dynasty’s foundation.

5. DT Chris Jones

There have been many strong defenders in Kansas City during its dynastic run, but Jones has been the anchor the entire length of its run. Jones has earned Pro Bowl nods in all six seasons of the Chiefs’ dynasty (2019-2024) and he has All-Pro accolades in each of the last five.

4. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo

Steve Spagnuolo is the only coordinator in NFL history to win a Super Bowl for multiple teams with his 2007 New York Giants ring and his three Chiefs rings (2019, 2022, 2023). Kansas City has never allowed a 100-yard rusher in the postseason under Spagnuolo. Mahomes’ best statistical season came in his first as a starter in 2018 when he led the NFL with a career-high 50 passing touchdown. Kansas City naturally led the NFL in scoring offense, averaging 35.3 points per game. However, the Chiefs came up just short of reaching the Super Bowl that season, falling 37-31 in overtime against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

Then-defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s defense surrendered 26.3 points per game that season, 24th in the NFL. Spagnuolo replaced Sutton in 2019, and the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl of the dynasty that season with the league’s seventh-ranked scoring defense (19.3 points per game allowed). Kansas City’s defense has been a top-10 scoring defense in five of his six seasons with the Chiefs: their 20.2 points per game allowed since 2019 ranks as the fourth-fewest in the entire NFL.

Jones said the following about Spagnuolo after their latest AFC Championship game victory: “As long as they continue to let Spags be our DC and not hire him as a head coach, we’re going to continue to win.”

3. TE Travis Kelce

As Mahomes’ go-to-guy and a member of all five of the Chiefs’ teams that have reached the Super Bowl, Kelce is the third-most important person to Kansas City’s dynasty. He’s remained the constant for Mahomes while pretty much every other component of the Chiefs offense from the line, the running backs and the wide receivers have all changed. Kelce remains. He is the all-time NFL postseason leader in catches (174), and he trails only the receiving G.O.A.T. Jerry Rice in playoff receiving yards (2,039) and playoff receiving touchdowns (20). His 1,004 regular-season catches and 12,151 yards receiving are the third-most ever by a tight end while his 77 career receiving touchdowns are the fifth-most in NFL history by a tight end.

It also helps that Kelce’s position is tight end and not wide receiver because the Chiefs have been able to get away with paying their No. 1 option in the passing game all these years significantly less money than if his positional designation was officially wide receiver. Now, Kelce’s $17.125 million average per year salary leads all NFL tight ends, but Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy ($17.5 million average per year) makes more than Kelce. From his fun personality and leadership to his on-field production and economical value, Kelce is the Chiefs’ third-most important contributor to their dynasty.

2. Head coach Andy Reid

Reid molded talents like quarterback Mahomes and Kelce into future Hall of Famers. Kelce was a part of Reid’s first draft as head coach back in 2013 as a third-round selection. Many Texas Tech quarterbacks were once seen as stat-padders who racked up video game numbers while throwing the ball all around the yard in the wide-open Big 12 conference. The Red Raiders never won more than seven games and didn’t win a bowl game with Mahomes as their starting quarterback, but Reid had a vision. No matter which wide receivers have been around, Reid has concocted effective offenses around Mahomes and Kelce.

Even notoriously conversative quarterback Alex Smith began throwing deep in Reid’s offense in 2017, Mahomes’ rookie year observing the veteran passer. Smith’s 38 completions of 25 or more yards ranked as the fourth-most in the NFL that season, and his yards per pass attempt average of 8.0 was the second-most in the league that year, trailing only Drew Brees (8.1). Just like it was with Brady and Bill Belichick in New England, it’s Mahomes and Reid in Kansas City.

1. QB Patrick Mahomes

Duh. Mahomes is a three-time Super Bowl MVP, tied for the second-most all time with Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, and he has the most passing touchdowns (288) and playoff wins (17) in a seven-season span in NFL history, including the postseason, per CBS Sports Research. The Chiefs have won 17 of his 20 playoff starts, and Mahomes has thrown for 5,557 yards, 43 passing touchdowns and only eight interceptions in his postseason career. He’s also as clutch as it gets: Mahomes is seven-for-seven on game-tying/go-ahead drive chances in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime in his postseason career.

Reid developed Mahomes, and there’s a good chance Mahomes doesn’t reach this all-time level without him. The Kansas City head coach deserves a lot of credit. However, Reid coached six-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb and couldn’t get over the hump to secure a Super Bowl title with the Philadelphia Eagles. His Philadelphia teams reached five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, which is great. However, Reid was known as a horrific game management coach before Mahomes when it came to the clock. Now, Reid is viewed as a surefire Hall of Famer, and that’s because of Mahomes executing his offense at higher levels than ever before, no matter the wide receiver talent around him. Mahomes is unquestionably the most important person to the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty that could be extended with a win on Super Bowl Sunday.