So Close to Three-Peats: The Teams That Fell Just Short of Back-to-Back-Back Super Bowls
Winning back-to-back Super Bowls is rare. Three-peating? It’s never been done. On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will attempt to make history as the first team to win three straight Lombardi Trophies. They’ve already accomplished something no defending champion ever has — returning to the Super Bowl after going back-to-back. But history tells us that the final step is the hardest.
Only three teams before them won consecutive Super Bowls and made it back to their conference championship game the next year. Each fell just one win short of the Super Bowl, losing to the team that went on to claim the title. Here’s a look at those near-misses.
1976 Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steel Curtain’s Injuries Prove Costly
After winning Super Bowls IX and X, the Steelers looked like a dynasty in the making. Which they were — just not in 1976. Their defense that season was one of the most dominant in NFL history, pitching five shutouts in a nine-game stretch. But, on Dec. 26, 1976, in the AFC Championship Game, they traveled to face an Oakland Raiders team hungry for revenge. Pittsburgh’s offense was crippled by injuries to Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, and without their star running backs, they couldn’t keep up. The Raiders won 24-7 and went on to claim their first Super Bowl title.
1990 San Francisco 49ers: The End of an Era
Joe Montana and the 49ers dominated the 1980s, winning four total Super Bowls — including back-to-back championships in Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV. In 1990, they seemed poised to become the first team to three-peat. But, on Jan. 20, 1991, their NFC Championship showdown with the New York Giants turned into a defensive slugfest. Playing at home at Candlestick Park, Montana was knocked out of the game, and the 49ers’ hopes crumbled when Roger Craig fumbled late in the fourth quarter. The Giants capitalized, kicked a last-second field goal to win 15-13, and went on to edge the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. The 49ers are the only team on this list to lose at home.
1994 Dallas Cowboys: Dynasty Denied
The Cowboys were the NFL’s powerhouse of the early 1990s, winning Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII behind Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. But after head coach Jimmy Johnson left, cracks began to show under the leadership of Barry Switzer. On Jan. 15, 1995, in the NFC Championship Game, they faced a red-hot 49ers team led by Steve Young. San Francisco raced out to a 21-0 lead in front of the home crowd thanks to early Dallas turnovers. Despite a furious comeback, the Cowboys fell 38-28. The 49ers went on to destroy the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX, denying Dallas a chance at history.
Can the Chiefs Do It?
Unlike those teams, the Chiefs have made it back to the Super Bowl after going back-to-back. They’ve gone one step further than any three-peat hopefuls in history. Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and company now stand on the doorstep of something no team has ever done. But they’ll have to overcome one last challenge — the Philadelphia Eagles, a team desperate for revenge after losing to Kansas City two years ago.
Will history repeat itself, or will the Chiefs make history? We’re about to find out.