The Kansas City Chiefs made history on Sunday as they became the first team in almost two decades to win back-to-back titles in the NFL. Their victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a thrilling Super Bowl overtime game not only secured their second consecutive championship but also set them up for a remarkable opportunity to achieve an unprecedented three Super Bowl wins in a row.
Before the Chiefs' triumph, the New England Patriots were the last team to win consecutive Super Bowl titles in the 2003-04 seasons. The Chiefs' accomplishment puts an end to the longest streak without a repeat champion in the history of the NFL. Out of the nine teams that have managed to win consecutive Super Bowl titles since the game's inception in 1966, none have been able to make it back to the title game the following season.
Several teams came close to a three-peat but fell short in the conference championship games. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders in the 1976 AFC title game, the San Francisco 49ers fell to the New York Giants in the 1990 NFC title game, and the Dallas Cowboys lost to the 49ers four years later. The New England Patriots, after their back-to-back championships, fell short in the divisional round, as did the Miami Dolphins in the 1974 season. The 1968 Green Bay Packers, the 1980 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 1999 Denver Broncos, who had also won back-to-back Super Bowls, even failed to reach the playoffs.
Achieving a three-peat in any major professional sports league is a rare feat. In the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Major League Baseball, it has been over two decades since any team accomplished this remarkable achievement. The Los Angeles Lakers were the last team to achieve a three-peat in any of these leagues, winning the NBA Finals from 2000-2002. The New York Yankees achieved a three-peat in baseball from 1998-2000, and the New York Islanders accomplished it in the NHL from 1980-1983.
Leading the charge for the Chiefs is their sensational quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who has truly earned the title of the comeback kid in the postseason. Mahomes has orchestrated remarkable comebacks in all three of his Super Bowl victories, including the most recent one against the 49ers. In fact, Mahomes has trailed by double-digits in all three of his Super Bowl wins, a feat that no other quarterback has achieved more than once. Tom Brady, in his seven championships, accomplished the same comeback twice, while Doug Williams and Drew Brees did it once.
In his playoff career, Mahomes has engineered five double-digit comebacks in seven tries, just one short of Tom Brady's record of six. Since the introduction of tracked quarterback starts in 1950, Mahomes boasts an impressive .714 win percentage when trailing by double-digits, while all other quarterbacks have a mere .127 win percentage.
At the age of 28, Patrick Mahomes is already on track to challenge the postseason accomplishments of every quarterback except Tom Brady. With 15 playoff wins, he is just one short of Joe Montana for the second most in history, behind Brady's incredible 35 victories. Additionally, Mahomes is now one of only five quarterbacks to have won three Super Bowls, alongside Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and Troy Aikman. He has also surpassed Peyton Manning, elevating himself to fifth place with 41 career postseason touchdown passes, and is just four touchdowns away from tying Montana and Aaron Rodgers for second place. Tom Brady holds the record with 88 touchdown passes in the playoffs.
On the other side of the coin, Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, has faced Super Bowl heartbreak three times in his career, whether as a head coach or coordinator. Shanahan's teams have consistently held fourth-quarter leads in all three of his trips to the Super Bowl but have been unable to maintain their advantage until the final whistle. As the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51, Shanahan experienced the infamous collapse of a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots, who eventually won in overtime. As the head coach of the 49ers in Super Bowl 54, Shanahan's team let slip a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, leading to a loss against the Chiefs.
Indeed, Shanahan's unfortunate distinction lies in being the only head coach to lose two Super Bowls after leading by double digits. The likelihood of losing all three games, considering the immense leads his teams have held, is incredibly slim, with ESPN's win probability model suggesting odds of just one in 100,000.
In terms of records set during the game itself, the Super Bowl saw an interesting kicking battle. San Francisco rookie Jake Moody initially set a record for the longest field goal in a Super Bowl with a 55-yarder early in the second quarter. However, his record was soon surpassed by Kansas City's Harrison Butker, who made a 57-yard field goal in the third quarter, just 24 minutes and 47 seconds after Moody's record-setting kick. Moody did manage to secure another record by making a 53-yard field goal later in regulation, becoming the first player to hit two field goals of at least 50 yards in the same Super Bowl. Butker, who also made a 53-yarder against Tampa Bay three years ago, holds the record for most career made field goals in the Super Bowl with nine.
Interestingly, this Super Bowl made history in a different way as well. It was the first time ever that no kick returns were attempted in the big game. With player safety being a top priority for the NFL, kick returns have been decreasing in recent years. However, never before had there been a Super Bowl where no one even tried to return a kick. Both kickers, Butker and Moody, sent all their kicks into the end zone, resulting in touchbacks and ultimately eliminating any opportunity for returns.
As the dust settles on yet another thrilling Super Bowl Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs stand tall as the reigning champions, ready to chase a third consecutive Super Bowl victory. With their explosive offense led by the incomparable Patrick Mahomes and a talented roster, the Chiefs have undoubtedly cemented their place in NFL history. Only time will tell if they can achieve the remarkable three-peat, a feat that has eluded teams for over two decades.
