NFL dynasty rankings: How Chiefs compare to legendary teams with third Super Bowl victory

Bill Bender

NFL dynasty rankings: How Chiefs compare to legendary teams with third Super Bowl victory image

Are the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty now? 

Kansas City beat San Francisco 25-22 in Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. The Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five seasons. 

The Dallas Cowboys (1992-93, 1995) and the New England Patriots (2001, 2003-04) are the only teams to win three Super Bowls in four years.

Now, the Chiefs are among the greatest dynasties in NFL history. 

They certainly will be in the conversation given this is their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons. Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are among the main reasons that make the dynasty possible. 

Where would the Chiefs rank with a victory? We have a good idea. 

MORE: 49ers' Super Bowl history

Are the Chiefs an NFL dynasty? 

There are no defined qualifications, but there are five franchises that are generally considered NFL dynasties in the Super Bowl era. 

All five of those dynasties listed won at least three Super Bowls (or NFL championships) and won back-to-back championships at some point. 

The Green Bay Packers won the first two Super Bowls under Vince Lombardi after winning three NFL championships before the Super Bowl era. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in six years in the 1970s. The San Francisco 49ers won five Super Bowls from 1981 to 1994, and the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the 1990s. 

New England, of course, won six Super Bowls in a long run that extended for most of the early 21st century. Those are the franchises the Chiefs would be compared to if they win Super Bowl 58 against the 49ers. 

How many teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls? 

The Chiefs are the ninth team (and eighth franchise) to win back-to-back Super Bowls. The Patriots are the last team to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles. 

New England beat Carolina 32-29 in Super Bowl 38 before knocking off Philadelphia 24-21 in Super Bowl 39. 

Teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls

TEAM SUPER BOWLS
Green Bay 1, 2
Miami 7,8
Pittsburgh 9, 10
Pittsburgh 13,14
San Francisco 23, 24
Dallas 27, 28
Denver 32, 33
New England 38, 39
Kansas City 57, 58

The Chiefs will try to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls in 2024. 

Ranking NFL's greatest dynasties 

Here is a look at the six greatest NFL dynasties of all time. That list must start with the New England Patriots:  

1. New England Patriots (2001-2019) 

Super Bowls wins: 6 (36, 38, 39, 49, 51, 53) 

Record: 232-73 (.761 winning percentage)

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were the centerpieces of a franchise that dominated the NFL in unprecedented fashion for two decades. New England reached the AFC championship game in 13 of 19 seasons, and Brady's rivalry with Peyton Manning stretched from Indianapolis to Denver. There was controversy with Spygate and Deflategate, but this dynasty ran for so long that you could almost divide it into two acts. The teams that won Super Bowl 36, 38, and 39 were built on defense, boasting Hall of Famers such as Richard Seymour and Ty Law. Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski became the focal point for the teams that won Super Bowl 49, 51, and 53. It will be difficult for any franchise to replicate this success. 

2. San Francisco 49ers (1981-1994)

Super Bowl wins: 5 (16, 19, 23, 24, 29) 

Record: 159-56-1 (.736)

Bill Walsh won four Super Bowls, and George Seifert tacked on another one in the predecessor to the Patriots' dynasty. Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young brought the West Coast offense to life, and Jerry Rice is arguably the greatest football player ever. The 1980s NFC was loaded with physical defenses in New York, Washington, and Chicago. San Francisco won 10 or more games every year from 1981-1998, with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Niners were always in the conversation. 

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-79)

Super Bowl wins: 4 (9, 10, 12, 13) 

Record: 67-20-1 (.761)

Chuck Noll guided the "Steel Curtain'' with a defense that allowed just 13.6 points per game in those eight seasons. A total of 10 players on these Pittsburgh teams are in the Hall of Fame. That included Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster on offense. The defense featured "Mean" Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell. Pittsburgh won the AFC Central in seven of eight seasons, and no team since has won four Super Bowls in six years. 

4. Green Bay Packers (1960-67)

Super Bowl wins: 2 (1, 2) 

Record: 74-20-4 (.755)

Green Bay also won three NFL championships under Vince Lombardi in 1961, 1962, and 1965, which gave the franchise five championships in seven seasons. When you count the 1965 NFL championship, Green Bay is the last team to three-peat in NFL history. The Packers lost the NFL championship to Philadelphia in 1960. Green Bay never lost another playoff game under Lombardi after that, finishing 9-1. QB Bart Starr led a strong supporting cast of Hall of Famers in the trenches on both sides of the football. The "Titletown" origin story – which was immortalized with the "Ice Bowl" victory against Dallas –  was every bit as dominant as it sounds. 

5. Kansas City Chiefs (2019-present) 

Super Bowl wins: 3 (54, 57, 58) 

Record: 63-20 (.759) 

This is the right spot — and with Reid and Mahomes there is room to move up the list. Kansas City has appeared in six straight AFC championship games, and Mahomes proved against the 49ers that he has the same clutch gene as the quarterbacks that carried the other NFL dynasties on this list. He is now 15-3 in the playoffs, and Kansas City will have the opportunity to three-peat in 2024. That accomplishment could vault the Chiefs higher on this list, and given the challenges of winning in the modern era they might be there already. 

6. Dallas Cowboys (1992-96) 

Super Bowl wins: 3 (27, 28, 30)  

Record: 59-21 (.737)

The Cowboys were a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s with owner Jerry Jones and coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer. Dallas played in four straight NFC championship games from 1992-95 in legendary battles with the 49ers and Packers. The offense featured four Hall of Famers in Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, and Larry Allen, who anchored arguably the greatest offensive line of all time. Charles Haley and Deion Sanders were key pieces on the defense. This run ended abruptly in the 1990s, but Jones and Johnson built this dynasty quickly after a 1-15 campaign in 1989. The Cowboys have not been back to the Super Bowl since. 

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.