Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers
In less than two weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs will look to become just the eighth NFL franchise of the Super Bowl era to win consecutive championships.
The Chiefs won their first title in 50 years last season with a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Kansas City will take on the hosting Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7.
As the Chiefs look to put themselves in elite company, here’s a look back on the teams to repeat as Super Bowl champions:
Green Bay Packers (Super Bowls I and II)
Through two Super Bowls, there had been only one champion. The Green Bay Packers kicked off the Super Bowl era with back-to-back titles in contests that weren’t all that close. After blasting the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in Super Bowl I, Vince Lombardi’s team returned the following year to knock off the Oakland Raiders in Miami, 33-14. Quarterback Bart Starr was named the MVP in each of the first two Super Bowls.
Miami Dolphins (Super Bowls VII and VIII)
After being embarrassed by the Dallas Cowboys 24-3 in Super Bowl VI, the Miami Dolphins responded by winning the next two Super Bowls. In 1972, Miami capped the NFL’s first and only perfect season by defeating the Washington Redskins, 14-7. The following year, the Dolphins returned to dominate the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 behind a stellar defense and a 145-yard rushing effort from fullback Larry Csonka.
Pittsburgh Steelers (Super Bowls IX and X, XIII and XIV)
The team of the 1970’s, the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in a 6-year span. Pittsburgh ended its first repeat and began its second with 4-point Super Bowl wins over the Dallas Cowboys in Miami. The first Super Bowl victory of the era for the Steelers came over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX. The last was a come-from-behind 31-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Quarterback Terry Bradshaw was named MVP of the final two victories. After running back Franco Harris got the nod in Super Bowl IX, Lynn Swann became the first wide receiver to earn Super Bowl MVP honors with 161 yards receiving and a touchdown in Super Bowl X. The Steelers overcame fourth-quarter deficits to win Super Bowls X and XIV.
San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV)
A decade after Pittsburgh capped its dynasty of the 1970’s, the San Francisco 49ers asserted themselves as the team of the 1980’s. After winning championships in 1981 and 1984, the 49ers closed the decade with back-to-back world championships. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII, quarterback Joe Montana led San Francisco 92 yards for the game-winning touchdown before hitting John Taylor for the winning touchdown with 34 seconds remaining. The thrilling 20-16 win for the 49ers remains one of most exciting Super Bowls in history.
One year later, San Francisco left no doubt. In Super Bowl XXIV against the Denver Broncos, the 49ers recorded what remains the largest margin of victory in the Super Bowl, winning 55-10. Wide receiver Jerry Rice earned MVP honors of Super Bowl XXIII with a Super Bowl record 215 yards receiving. The following year, Montana became the first 3-time Super Bowl MVP with a 5-touchdown pass performance.
Dallas Cowboys (Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII)
The Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls during the 1990’s. The first two came in consecutive years and over the same opponent. Dallas defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII by a combined 82-30 margin. After a 52-17 win over the Bills in Pasadena in Super Bowl XXVII, the Cowboys closed with 24 unanswered points to top the Bills in Atlanta for Super Bowl XXVIII by a 30-13 margin.
Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII)
After coming up short on three prior occasions, quarterback John Elway closed his career with back-to-back Super Bowl victories. In Super Bowl XXXII, it was running back Terrell Davis who played the hero with the winning touchdown run in a 31-24 victory over the reigning champion Green Bay Packers. The following year, Elway passed for 336 yards and tallied two touchdowns in a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
New England Patriots (Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX)
Over an 18-year span, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots won six Super Bowls. Only once however, did New England win in back-to-back years. Each of New England’s first three Super Bowl wins came by three points. After topping the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII on a late field goal by Adam Vinatieri, the Patriots returned the following season to hold off the Philadelphia Eagles in Jacksonville, 24-21.
Brady passed for five total touchdowns over those two contests. Deion Branch finished with 21 catches for 276 yards and a score over those two Super Bowls. Brady was MVP of Super Bowl XXXVIII while Branch earned the honor the next year. The wins would give New England three titles in a 4-year span. It would be 10 years before the Patriots won their next Super Bowl as they began a stretch of three more titles in five years.
Mike Ferguson is the managing editor for Fifth Quarter. Be sure to follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeWFerguson. Follow all of Mike’s work by liking his Facebook page.
