The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers represent the eighth Super Bowl rematch in NFL history, yet this one will be even more unique. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will square off in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years, just the fourth rematch between head coaches in Super Bowl history.
All of the head coach rematches in the Super Bowl have taken place in a five-year span, similar to the 49ers-Chiefs rematch that will take place on Sunday. The Chiefs took the first meeting in Super Bowl LIV, rallying from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the 49ers 31-20 -- giving Reid his first Super Bowl title.
The victory catapulted the Chiefs' dynasty, as Kansas City has two Super Bowl titles in the last four years. The Chiefs are seeking their third Super Bowl title in five years and looking to become the first repeat Super Bowl champions since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots. The 49ers are still looking to win their first championship in the Shanahan era after going to four conference championship games over the last five years.
As Reid and Shanahan are set to square off for the second time in the Super Bowl, history is certainly in Reid's favor to beat Shanahan again. Here's how the previous three Super Bowl head coach rematches panned out:
Chuck Noll (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl X (1975) and Super Bowl XIII (1979)
The Steelers and the Cowboys met twice in the 1970s for the Super Bowl championship, with Noll's Steelers coming out on top in both occasions. Both of the victories occurred at the Orange Bowl, as the Steelers beat the Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl X and 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII.
Lynn Swann had four catches for 161 yards and a touchdown to win MVP honors for Super Bowl X while Terry Bradshaw went 17 of 31 for 318 yards and four touchdowns with an interception to claim the MVP for Super Bowl XIII. The Steelers won both meetings to solidify themselves as the team of the 1970s, winning four championships in six years.
The Cowboys won two titles in the 1970s, but could have been the team of the decade with one win over the Steelers.
Jimmy Johnson (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Marv Levy (Buffalo Bills)
- Super Bowl XXVII (1993) and Super Bowl XXVIII (1994)
The Cowboys' dynasty got started in the 1990s with back-to-back Super Bowl victories over the Bills, as Johnson and Levy were the first pair of coaches to meet in the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons. Johnson got the better of Levy both times, even though Levy and the Bills were in the two previous Super Bowls prior to facing the Cowboys.
Dallas won 52-17 over Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII, the last Super Bowl to be played at the Rose Bowl. Troy Aikman won MVP after completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. In Super Bowl XXVIII, the Cowboys trailed 13-6 at halftime before outscoring the Bills 24-0 in the second half for a 30-13 victory. Emmitt Smith rushed for 132 yards and two scores to win MVP.
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years to become the team of the 1990s while the Bills were the first team to play in four consecutive Super Bowls -- and lose all four. Johnson stepped down as Cowboys head coach after the Super Bowl XXVIII victory.
Tom Coughlin (New York Giants) vs. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl XLII (2008) and Super Bowl XLVI (2012)
The Giants pulled off the one of the biggest upsets in NFL history when they shocked the 18-0 Patriots and cost New England its perfect season -- and the fourth title in seven years for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Eli Manning took home Super Bowl XLII MVP honors by going 19 of 34 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the 17-14 win.
In the rematch four years later, the 9-7 Giants upset the Patriots again -- as Manning led another game-winning drive in the final minute. Super Bowl XLII had Manning toss the winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left to give the Giants the lead while Ahmad Bradshaw had a touchdown run with 55 seconds left to give the Giants a 21-17 victory. Manning went 30 of 40 for 296 yards and a touchdown to win MVP honors again.
The Giants have won one playoff game since while Belichick won three more titles with New England (all with Brady). The Patriots won three titles in five years from the 2014 through 2018 seasons, but went 0-2 against Coughlin's Giants in the Brady-Belichick era.
How will Reid and Shanahan Part II play out?
The head coach that wins the first meeting in Super Bowl matchups is 3-0 in the second meeting, so history is certainly on Reid's side there. Besides the Giants and Patriots (where both matchups were decided in the final minute), the Steelers took a commanding fourth quarter lead over the Cowboys in their rematch and the Cowboys pulled away from the Bills in the second half of their rematch.
Like Landry and Belichick, Reid will join them as three of the four coaches with five Super Bowl appearances (Don Shula is the other). Interestingly enough, Landry and Belichick lost both of their head coach rematches (they also didn't win the first one, unlike Reid).
Reid and Shanahan have combined for 15 conference title games (Shanahan has four and Reid has 11) and seven Super Bowl trips (Shanahan has two and Reid has five). Shanahan has the most yards per play (5.9) and yards per attempt (8.1) among any head coach in the Super Bowl era while Reid has the sixth-most yards per play (5.6) and second-most yards per carry (4.5) among any head coach in the Super Bowl era (minimum 100 games).
The 49ers averaged 6.61 yards per play this season, the seventh-best by any team in the Super Bowl era (none of top-12 on that list won a title). The 49ers may have the more explosive offense, but Reid has the championship pedigree -- and two of the three teams that won the head coach rematch had a top-two defense in points allowed per game (Chiefs are second in points per game allowed).
Again, history is certainly on Reid's side.
