The word "dynasty" often gets used to refer to any team on a successful run, usually ending in multiple championships. The Chiefs might not be there just yet, but they're about as close to any team in the NFL is to being a true dynasty.
The pairing of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid has guided Kansas City to the 2024 AFC Championship, marking the sixth straight appearance by the duo. They have reached the conference title game each of the first six years Mahomes has been the starting quarterback, a feat that has been accomplished only once in NFL history.
If the Chiefs make it back to the Super Bowl and win Mahomes' third ring, it's fair to begin calling their run a true dynasty. The critics say you can't officially be given the prestigious title until a trio of titles are brought to a city.
But even just making it to the AFC championship six consecutive years in a conference that is loaded with top-tier quarterbacks is an impressive feat in its own right.
Here's a look back at the longest streaks of consecutive conference game appearances by teams in NFL history.
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Most championship games in a row
This might not come as a surprise, but the Tom Brady-led Patriots hold the record for consecutive appearances in a conference championship. Which era? The second extended dynastic period.
From 2011, when New England lost the Super Bowl to the Giants, to 2018, when it beat the Rams, the Patriots reached eight consecutive conference championship games. There is some overlap with that Patriots team and the current Chiefs' squad, as Brady's Pats beat Pat's Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium in the 2019 AFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl.
But Mahomes is quickly advancing on New England's record. With the appearance against the Ravens in 2024, Kansas City has now been to sixth straight AFC championship games, which now is the the second-longest streak in NFL history.
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Mahomes also now shares the company of Ken Stabler for taking a team to the AFC championship in their first five years as the team's starter. Heading into 1973, Stabler had been in the NFL for three years, but had started only two games for the Raiders. He secured the team's starting role in Week 4 of the 1973 season, and never looked back, taking the team to the AFC championship in his first year as the full-time starter and then the next four seasons. During that run, the Raiders won Super Bowl 11 during that stretch, marking Stabler's lone ring.
Here's a look at all the teams that have had streaks of at least four straight championship appearances:
| Team | Years | Streak |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 2011-18 | 8 |
| Chiefs | 2018-24 | 6 |
| Raiders | 1973-77 | 5 |
| Cowboys | 1967-70 | 4 |
| Bills | 1990-93 | 4 |
| Cowboys | 1992-95 | 4 |
| Eagles | 2001-04 | 4 |
Consecutive NFC championship appearances
While three AFC teams have the longest consecutive runs overall, there are three NFC teams that share a tie with the 1990-93 Bills for the fourth-longest streak.
The Cowboys went to four conference championship games in a row twice. The first streak started in 1970, when the Cowboys lost the Super Bowl to the Colts. The next year, Dallas beat the Dolphins in the Super Bowl before losing in two straight conference championship game appearances.
Dallas went on an impressive run again in the early 1990s, when it won the Super Bowl in three of four years, beating the Bills in two straight Super Bowls, losing to the 49ers in the NFC championship and then returning to beat the Steelers in Super Bowl 30.
Only one other NFC team appeared in four straight conference title games, and it was none other than Reid's Eagles of the early 2000s. The Eagles lost three straight conference championship games before advancing past the Falcons to reach Super Bowl 39, where they lost to Brady's Patriots.
