The Kansas City Chiefs are already a dynasty, having won thee of the previous five Super Bowls. But if they can win Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs will enter a new stratosphere as far as all-time teams are concerned.
If they can beat the Eagles, the Chiefs will be rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest teams in the history of America's four major sports leagues. Kansas City would make NFL history by becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. The Chiefs would also join the 1970s Steelers as the only teams to win four Super Bowls over a six-year span.
Kansas City's place among the NFL's other dynasties would be secured if they beat the Eagles. But where would they rank among the other great dynasties in professional sports? Let's find out.
| Team | Years | Championships | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Boston Celtics (NBA) | 1957-69 | 11 |
| 2. | New York Yankees (MLB) | 1947-62 | 10 |
| 3. | Montreal Canadiens (NHL) | 1953-79 | 16 |
| 4. | 2001-18 | 6 | |
| 5. | Chicago Bulls (NBA) | 1991-98 | 6 |
| 6. | 1961-67 | 5 | |
| 7. | 1974-79 | 4 | |
| 8. | Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) | 1980-88 | 5 |
| 9. | 2019-present | 4** | |
| 10. | Golden State Warriors (NBA) | 2015-22 | 4 |
| 11. | San Francisco 49ers (NFL) | 1981-94 | 5 |
| 12. | San Antonio Spurs (NBA) | 1999-14 | 5 |
| 13. | New York Yankees (MLB) | 1923-32 | 4 |
| 14. | New York Yankees (MLB) | 1996-00 | 4 |
| 15. | Edmonton Oilers (NHL) | 1984-90 | 5 |
| 16. | Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) | 2000-10 | 5 |
| 17. | New York Islanders (NHL) | 1980-83 | 4 |
| 18. | Minneapolis Lakers (NBA) | 1949-54 | 5 |
| 19. | Chicago Bears (NFL) | 1940-46 | 4 |
| 20. | Green Bay Packers (NFL) | 1929-39 | 5 |
| Honorable Mention | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) | 1962-67 | 4 |
** If they win Super Bowl LIX
Kansas City would crack the top-10 of all-time dynasties and would be the fourth-best dynasty among NFL teams. The Chiefs would leapfrog the 49ers but would continue to trail the Patriots, Packers and Steelers in the hierarchy of NFL dynasties.
New England's status as the NFL's best dynasty doesn't need much explanation; it's the longest and most successful of any NFL dynasty, and it's not even close. The Patriots dominated the field for two decades, winning six Super Bowls and nine AFC titles. New England's level of success had never been seen before, and it's hard to fathom it happening again anytime soon.
Green Bay remains the only franchise to win five championships in a single decade. Yes, three of those championships occurred prior to the Super Bowl era, which is one of the reasons why the Packers are behind New England among NFL dynasties. But it doesn't take away from what the Packers accomplished and where they rank among the NFL's all-time teams.
At one point, the 1960s Packers boasted 11 future Hall of Famers, led by quarterback Bart Starr, the MVP of the first two Super Bowls. The last team to win three straight titles (1965-67), the Packers defeated the defending champion Browns in the '65 NFL title game, Tom Landry's Cowboys in the next two NFL title games and the AFL's first two Super Bowl representatives by a combined score of 68-24. Vince Lombardi's team set a new standard that every dynasty that followed them has been measured by.
The Steelers matched the Packers' level of greatness in the '70s. Pittsburgh rostered 10 Hall of Famers and were the NFL's first post merger dynasty. Pittsburgh remains the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice, doing so in 1974-75 and again in 1978-79. The Steelers' success came during one of the NFL's most competitive eras that also included Landry's Cowboys, Don Shula's Dolphins, John Madden's Raiders and Bud Grant's Vikings.
Like the Patriots before them, the Chiefs have proven that dynasties can still exist in the salary cap/free agency era. A big reason why is that Kansas City has Patrick Mahomes. Nothing is more important in today's NFL than the quarterback, and the Chiefs have the best one going in Mahomes. The Chiefs have continued to win by building teams that are good enough to complement Mahomes and his otherworldly talent.
When comparing them to great teams of the past, the Chiefs simply don't add up from a roster standpoint. It's not necessarily their fault, as they play in an era that makes it extremely difficult to stack rosters (unless you're the Eagles, who have somehow found a way to employ the league's best running back, a top-10 quarterback and receiver and a top-20 receiver at the same time). The Chiefs have found the blueprint to win in today's era, and while that may cost them in historical, team-by-team comparisons, it does nothing to diminish their dominance relative to their competition.
As far as dynasties in other sports, the Chiefs' success to this point isn't enough to vault them over the Showtime Lakers, who won five championships and played for the title on three other occasions. That being said, if they can beat the Eagles, the Chiefs would do something that the '80s Lakers were unable to accomplish, and that's win a third consecutive championship.
