The Chiefs seek the 1st Super Bowl threepeat after 8 previous back-to-back champs fell short
AP Pro Football Writer
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will try to do what Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw couldn’t during their Hall of Fame careers.
After winning back-to-back Super Bowls, Mahomes and the Chiefs now are aiming to become the first team ever to win three straight. Kansas City heads into the season as the favorite to win it all, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
But history is against the Chiefs. The eight other repeat Super Bowl champions all fell short with none even making it to the Super Bowl. Three lost in the conference title game, two lost in the divisional round and three others missed the playoffs entirely.
It’s been more than two decades since any team three-peated in the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball.
The Los Angeles Lakers were the last to do it in any of those leagues, winning the NBA Finals from 2000-02.
The New York Yankees were the last baseball team to do it from 1998-2000 and the New York Islanders the last in the NHL from 1980-83.
The last team to win three straight NFL titles was the Green Bay Packers, who won the final championship before the Super Bowl era in the 1965 season before winning the first two Super Bowls. The Packers also won three straight titles from 1929-31 before there was a postseason in the NFL.
Here’s a look at how past teams looking to win three straight Super Bowls fared:
1968 Green Bay Packers
Coach Vince Lombardi stepped down following the 1967 season when Green Bay won its second straight Super Bowl and fifth NFL title in a seven-year span.
Phil Bengtson took over and inherited a roster that still had several future Hall of Famers including Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Willie Davis, Ray Nitschke and Herb Adderley.
But age and the coaching change caught up to Green Bay and the Packers finished 6-7-1 and missed the playoffs.
1974 Miami Dolphins
Coach Don Shula’s Dolphins followed up the perfect 1972 season with another Super Bowl title the following season. Miami finished 11-3 in the regular season to win the AFC East but were one-and-done in a memorable playoff game against the Oakland Raiders.
The Raiders got revenge from a 1973 AFC title game loss in the divisional round with a 28-26 win. In the closing seconds, Ken Stabler tossed a desperation heave to the end zone while being dragged down and Clarence Davis somehow caught the 8-yard pass in a “Sea of Hands” between three Miami defenders for the game-winning TD.
1976 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers followed Miami’s back-to-back titles with two of their own, marking the third repeat champs in the first 10 Super Bowls.
Pittsburgh had knocked off the Raiders in the AFC title game on the way to both titles but couldn’t pull off a third against John Madden’s crew.
The Steelers overcame a 1-4 start to the season and an injury to QB Terry Bradshaw to make it to the playoffs behind a dominant defense and running game. But backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier got hurt in the divisional round and Pittsburgh had little chance against the Raiders, losing 24-7.
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh repeated again in 1978-79 but age finally caught up to coach Chuck Noll’s squad in 1980 as the dominant Steel Curtain defense took a big step back.
That led to a 9-7 record and the end of an eight-year dynasty that featured four Super Bowl titles and two other trips to the conference title game.
1990 San Francisco 49ers
The Niners probably came closest to the threepeat, going 14-2 with the best record in the NFL after winning it all under coach Bill Walsh in 1988 and George Seifert in 1989. The coaching change did little to slow down a roster led by Hall of Famers like Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott.
San Francisco made it to the NFC title game and were minutes away from a return to the Super Bowl with a lead and the ball against the New York Giants. But with 2:36 to play, Erik Howard knocked the ball out of Roger Craig’s hands and Lawrence Taylor recovered at the Giants 43.
New York then marched 33 yards and won it 15-13 on Matt Bahr’s fifth field goal of the game on the final play.
1994 Dallas Cowboys
After winning back-to-back titles under coach Jimmy Johnson, the talented Cowboys were done in by turmoil in 1994. Owner Jerry Jones bragged that 500 coaches could lead Dallas to a title, leading to the breakup of the successful partnership between the former college teammates. Barry Switzer took over with no NFL experience and Dallas went 12-4 in the regular season thanks to an elite roster led by Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman.
But the Cowboys fell short one step away from the Super Bowl, losing 38-28 at San Francisco in the NFC title game.
1999 Denver Broncos
Denver’s bid for three straight titles never really had a chance with John Elway retiring after winning it all following the 1998 season. Brian Griese took over as starter for coach Mike Shanahan but couldn’t replicate Elway’s success. Compounding the problem, reigning MVP Terrell Davis tore his ACL in Week 4 and missed the rest of the season as Denver went 6-10 and missed the playoffs.
2005 New England Patriots
The Patriots won three of four titles in Tom Brady’s first four seasons as starter but took a step back after winning it all in 2004. New England stumbled its way to a 4-4 start and never really found a groove. The Patriots did win a division title with a 10-6 record — and beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round. But they lost 27-13 to Denver the following week when Champ Bailey intercepted a pass from Brady in the end zone and returned it 100 yards to the 1 to set up a TD that made it 17-6.
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