Thursday’s episode of First Take saw Russo, Christine Williamson, and Kimberley A. Martin return to the ESPN studio as regular hosts Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim continue to enjoy a well-earned break.

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Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo returned to First Take on Thursday as Stephen A. Smith’s absence continuedCredit: First Take

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Russo doubted that the Kansas City Chiefs would achieve a Super Bowl three-peat this season, much to the surprise of Kimberley A. Martin (left) and Louis Riddick (right)Credit: First Take

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Martin was stunned by Russo’s takeCredit: First Take
The show came amidst a flurry of NFL activity, with teams beginning to report for training camp.

One of which was the Kansas City Chiefs, with rookies having reported on Tuesday and veterans due by Saturday.

As such, one of the hot topics on Thursday’s show was Kansas City’s chase to become the first ever back to back to back Super Bowl champions.

Unfortunately for Chiefs fans, Russo remains doubtful that head coach Andy Reid’s team can achieve what would be a monumental feat this season.

Martin and Riddick seemingly couldn’t believe what they were hearing, with both visually stunned as Russo began to explain his stance.

Russo cited Kansas City’s narrow wins in the last round of Playoffs against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens and in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers.

“They could have lost to Buffalo, they could have lost to Baltimore, and they really should have lost to San Francisco,” he suggested.

Russo went on to add that he believes Kansas City’s luck will eventually run out if similar circumstances repeat themselves.

This take proved divisive on X, where viewers wasted no time in critiquing his comments.

“This is a ridiculous take. I can ‘what if’ at least 3 of [Tom] Brady’s SB wins,” one said.

“Not even a valid argument lmao,” commented a second.

“This guy named off 6-7 instances where things could changed, like that’s not what the entire sport of football is about,” replied another.

While a fourth responded, “Lol I love ‘Well if all of these other things would have happened, they would have lost!’

“Such a brutal argument. Great teams win those close games. It’s what separates great from good.”

In winning Super Bowl LVIII, the Chiefs became the first team to be crowned back-to-back champions since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots.

NFL important dates

August 1 – Hall of Fame Game – Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears

August 8 – Pre-season begins

August 27 – Deadline for 53-man rosters

September 1 – Final day of pre-season

September 5 – Season opener – Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs

November 5 – Trade deadline

January 5 – Week 18 of regular-season

January 11 – Playoffs begin

February 9 – Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana

Should they win LXI, while they would become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, they would not be the first three-peat NFL champions.

Prior to the first-ever championship game, the Green Bay Packers won the NFL standings between 1929-1931.

Green Bay then won three straight championship games from 1965-1967 – including the first two Super Bowls.

As for reaching the Super Bowl for three years in a row, only the 1971-1973 Miami Dolphins, 1990-1993 Bills, and the 2016-2018 Patriots have achieved that feat.

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Head coach Andy Reid is looking to lead the Chiefs to the first-ever Super Bowl three-peatCredit: Getty