Why have the Kansas City Chiefs, trying to win a record three Super Bowls in a row, been able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the NFL?

There are 10 reasons.

Because they:

*Have, in Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the NFL, and that is the most important position in team sports. The quarterback’s No. 1 job is to win, and he’s the winningest one in the league by far.

*Have the best head coach in the league in Andy Reid. Head coach is the second-most important part of a football team.

*Have, in Reid and Mahomes, the best head coach-quarterback relationship in the NFL. That is the most important relationship in team sports. They can finish each other’s sentences. They are on the same sentence, not just the same page.

*Do all the little things it takes to win.

*Make plays when they are there to be made, especially late in the fourth quarter when most games are won and lost.

*Have, for everybody in the organization from top to bottom, winning as their one and only goal.

*Put the good of the team above the good of any individuals.

*Have the confidence that they will win the game each week if everyone does their job.

*Refuse to run their mouths and give bulletin board material to their opponents.

*Never panic, even in the most difficult and trying of situations.

Steve King