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The Kansas City Chiefs have won three Super Bowls over the last five years. Where do they rank on the all-time dynasties list? Joey Pollizze ranks the top five NFL dynasties of all time.
The Kansas City Chiefs did not look like true Super Bowl contenders for most of the year. But they showed up in the playoffs and capped off another championship by defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
Kansas City's road to Super Bowl 58 was not easy by any means. They had to beat the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens on the road, and the 49ers to win their third Super Bowl title over the last five years. Those three titles led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes have surely made the Chiefs a dynasty.
The Chiefs are the latest NFL franchise to become a dynasty, and they're certainly not done winning yet. So, where does this current dynasty rank all-time?
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HM: Dallas Cowboys (1991-1995)
The 1990s Dallas Cowboys dynasty didn't land in the top five on this list, but they should be mentioned. They had one of the best teams of all time with quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin leading the way. That helped the Cowboys win three out of four Super Bowls from 1992 to 1995, including back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993 against the Buffalo Bills.
The Cowboys' dynasty officially started when Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson took over a 1-15 team and brought them to the playoffs two years later in 1991. One year later, Johnson led Dallas to the Super Bowl, where they outscored the Bills 82-30 in Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII.
Johnson and owner Jerry Jones eventually had a falling out, but the Cowboys' dynasty continued even with new head coach Barry Switzer. Dallas lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship in 1994 before ending their dynasty in 1995 with a 27-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
5. Green Bay Packers (1960-1967)
The Green Bay Packers dynasty in the 1960s is probably higher on most people's lists. But, it was hard to put them in the top four spots because three of their five championships during the span came before the Super Bowl was created. Still, what the Packers were able to do during these eight seasons is extremely impressive.
The Packers' dynasty officially started in 1960 when head coach Vince Lombardi and quarterback Bart Starr entered their second year in Green Bay. That year, they lost in the championship to the Philadelphia Eagles after winning the NFL West Division with an 8-4 record.
The Packers then won five of the next seven championships, including the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967. Green Bay defeated the Chiefs 35-10 in Super Bowl I and the Oakland Raiders 33-14 in Super Bowl II. The dynasty officially ended after the second Super Bowl win when Lombardi retired as a coach.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (2019-Present)
After winning their third Super Bowl in five years, the Chiefs check in at fourth on this list. Kansas City has a chance to move up on this ranking, but it will depend on how long this dynasty lasts and how many titles the team can win with Mahomes under center.
This current Chiefs' dynasty officially started in 2019 when Mahomes came back from down 10 points in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV to beat the 49ers 31-20. Despite losing in Super Bowl LV against Tom Brady in 2020 and the AFC Championship against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021, the Chiefs would make it back to the big stage in 2022 and 2023. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII and won again this year by beating the 49ers 25-22.
The back-to-back Super Bowl wins have officially made this Chiefs' team a dynasty. In a year where no one believed in them, they won their third championship in five seasons. Kansas City also became the first team in NFL history to win consecutive Super Bowl titles since the New England Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004. This dynasty will likely continue for years since Mahomes is just 28 years old.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-1979)
The Pittsburgh Steelers' dynasty in the 1970s started in 1972 when they lost in the AFC Championship to the Miami Dolphins. They would lose in the Divisional Round in 1973 before making it to their first Super Bowl in 1974 in a weird season for the Steelers. Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw was benched to start the year before leading them to a Super Bowl IX win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Bradshaw carried the Steelers to another Super Bowl win the following year in 1975 after a 12-2 regular season record. In that Super Bowl X win over the Dallas Cowboys, he threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns -- 161 of those 209 yards went to the eventual Super Bowl MVP Lynn Swann.
This Steelers' dynasty took a two-year break from the Super Bowl before returning in 1978 and 1979. Pittsburgh won both of those games against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII and the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV. In those two contests, Bradshaw threw for a combined 627 yards and six touchdowns. It was hard to stop Pittsburgh during these years, especially with a Hall of Fame quarterback, running back (Franco Harris), and wide receiver (Swann).
2. San Fransisco 49ers (1981-1994)
The San Francisco 49ers' dynasty in the 1980s and early 1990s were some of the best teams you will ever see. They are also one of the few dynasties that started and ended with a different quarterback. Joe Montana started this 49ers' dynasty in 1981 after winning Super Bowl XVI against the Bengals. But Steve Young ended it after Montana dealt with some injuries and was eventually traded to the Chiefs in 1993.
This 14-year dynasty saw the 49ers win a ton. They made the playoffs in 12 of those 14 seasons while going to five Super Bowls. San Francisco went 5-0 in those games, and Montana led them to four of those five titles from 1981 to 1989. The Hall of Fame quarterback was almost unstoppable on the big stage, which played a huge part in coming out on top.
In Super Bowl XIX, he threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins. He then threw for a combined 654 yards and seven passing touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1988 against the Bengals and 1989 against the Denver Broncos.
However, Montana wouldn't make it back to the Super Bowl after losing to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship in 1990 and missing the entire 1991 season with an elbow injury. That paved the way for Young to continue the 49ers dynasty. The gun-slinging lefty lost in the NFC Championship twice in 1992 and 1993 to the Cowboys' super team before finally beating them in the 1994 playoffs and advancing to his first Super Bowl.
In that Super Bowl XXIX victory over the San Diego Chargers, Young threw for 325 yards and six touchdowns (the most in Super Bowl history). That Super Bowl win would officially end the 49ers' 14-year dynasty, as the lefty quarterback never made it back to the big stage.
1. New England Patriots (2001-2018)
The New England Patriots almost two-decade dynasty should come as no surprise at the top spot on this list. This 18-year dynasty should go down as the greatest in NFL history. During this span, Brady made the playoffs in 16 of 17 seasons while winning six Super Bowls. Three of those rings came at the start of the dynasty, including one to kickstart it, and the other three came toward the end.
In his first full season as a starter, Brady led New England to an 11-5 first-place record and a Super Bowl XXXVI victory over the Rams in 2001. The Patriots did not make the playoffs the following season in 2022 (the first and only time during the Brady era). But they won back-to-back Super Bowls immediately after in 2003 and 2004.
In both of those seasons, the Patriots went 14-2 in the regular season and won close games in the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XXXVIII, New England beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 and then followed that up by beating the Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX. Those wins gave them their third title in four years.
However, the Patriots went nine years without a Super Bowl win after that. They lost both Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants. In that first Super Bowl loss in 2007, New England couldn't cap off its incredible 16-0 regular season record and lost 17-14 to the Giants with an offense that featured Brady's MVP season and Randy Moss' record-breaking 23-touchdown season.
The Patriots, though, went back to winning on the big stage and winded up winning three of the next six Super Bowls to end the dynasty in 2018. In Super Bowl XLIX -- you know the one where Pete Carroll decided to throw the ball at the goal line -- New England won on a Malcolm Butler interception in the final seconds. Then, in Super Bowl LI, Brady came back from a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons before the dynasty officially ended with a Super Bowl win against the Rams in 2018.
The Brady and Bill Belichick dynasty is one that everyone will remember, and it will be hard for anyone to pass. The Chiefs' current dynasty has a chance, but they'll need to win at least three more Super Bowls over the next 10-12 years.
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