The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions. It’s the first time since 2003-2004 that the NFL has had consecutive seasons end with the same champion, and it’s only the ninth time in the 58-year history of the Super Bowl.
No NFL team has ever won three championships in a row. In fact, no consecutive Super Bowl winners have ever made the Super Bowl to defend their title.
Kansas City Chiefs (2022-2023)
The Chiefs have been to four Super Bowl in five years. It’s an absolutely incredible run, especially when you factor in the teams currently littering the AFC playoff landscape. They’ll look to three-peat in 2024, and head coach Andy Reid and superstar tight end Travis Kelce have both said they’ll be back. Several key players are entering free agency, headlined by disruptive defensive lineman Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
New England Patriots (2003-2004)
The Patriots lost both of their coordinators after the 2004 season and struggled to recapture their dominance, especially on defense. They alternated wins and losses to a 4-4 record but ended up winning the AFC East at 10-6. Their return trip to the big game was thwarted in the divisional round, when they were held to just 13 points by the Denver Broncos, committing five turnovers.
Denver Broncos (1997-1998)
The Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls and then John Elway retired. They opened the 1999 season with four straight losses en route to a 6-10 final record. On top of losing Elway, 1998 league MVP Terrell Davis only played four games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Dallas Cowboys (1992-1993)
The Cowboys looked unstoppable again in 1994, going 12-3 in the regular season before resting their starters in the final week of the season. Unfortunately they ran into a buzzsaw in the San Francisco 49ers, who topped them both in the regular season and the NFC Championship Game. It would be easy to say that the Cowboys lost Jimmy Johnson, who resigned following the second Super Bowl win, or offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who left to lead the Washington football team, but they were knocking on the door once again anyway. They won the Super Bowl the following year after the 1995 season.
San Francisco 49ers (1988-1989)
The 49ers beat the New York Giants in the regular season and earned the top seed in the playoffs as a result, but in the NFC Championship Game, a late Roger Craig fumble turned into the game-winning points as time expired. The 49ers could only manage 13 points despite leading the NFC with 353 points on the year.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1978-1979)
The 1980 Steelers didn’t qualify for the playoffs after finishing 9-7. Their defense had aged out of their dominance, dropping to the middle of the pack, and several injuries hampered the team. Multiple key Super Bowl contributors retired after the 1980 season, completing the dropoff.
Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-1975)
The 1976 Steelers allowed just 9.9 points per game during the regular season and made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game. The injury bug hit in the playoffs, and they lost both running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleir in their Divisional Round win, hampering their offense in the subsequent AFC Championship Game.
Miami Dolphins (1972-1973)
The 1974 Dolphins won the AFC East but lost in the Divisional Round to the Oakland Raiders despite 213 rushing yards. The Raiders and Ken Stabler racked up 293 yards and four passing touchdowns, including two fourth-quarter go-ahead scores.
Green Bay Packers (1966-1967)
The first Super Bowl winner ran it back the next year, but fell apart in 1968 without head coach Vince Lombardi, who stepped off the sideline to concentrate on his general manager job. They finished third in the division, missing the playoffs completely, and several Hall of Fame players left or retired.
