Can the Chiefs Threepeat?

Published January 10, 2025 4:58 pm

Updated January 10, 2025 11:37 pm

Author Paul Lebowitz

As the NFL playoffs get underway, the question is being asked, “Can the Chiefs threepeat?”

They are in rarefied air as they seek their third consecutive Super Bowl win. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls.

Kansas City went 15-2 in the regular season. It could easily have been 16-1 had they tried to win the last game of the season against Denver, but it didn’t matter to them. They had clinched home-field advantage weeks earlier. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and other stars sat out.

Now they watch the Wild Card games, rest, and await their opponents.

So, can they do it?

Detroit is Currently Viewed as a Slightly Better Bet

Five teams in the tournament are at +650 or better. The Chiefs are currently categorized as second-most likely to win the Super Bowl.

Team	Super Bowl Money Line
Lions	+320
Chiefs	+325
Ravens	+550
Bills	+600
Eagles	+650

Some Great Teams Came Close and Failed

Nine teams have even had the opportunity to win three straight. None have done it.

Here is a brief explanation as to what happened to derail each team:

2005 Patriots: The extra games and Bill Belichick’s trademark intensity took their toll as they lost to Denver 27-13 in the divisional round.
1999 Broncos: Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway retired after the 1998 Super Bowl and his HOF backfield mate Terrell Davis’s body broke down, limiting him to four games that year.
1994 Cowboys: Owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson had a blowup after their second straight title and parted ways. Under Barry Switzer, they reached the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco against the 49ers where they lost 38-28. They won another Super Bowl the next year.
1990 49ers: San Francisco had their equipment sent ahead to Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XXV. New York had other ideas and won on a Matt Bahr field goal with no time remaining.

1980 Steelers: That Steelers team was packed with Hall of Famers, but they all got old seemingly overnight and the team slipped to 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
1976 Steelers: They ran into a 14-1 Raiders team on a mission and got bounced in the AFC Championship Game.
1974 Dolphins: Miami remains the only team to ever go undefeated on their way to the Super Bowl. The living members of the 1972 team pop champagne when any team threatening that distinction loses. In 1974, Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield fled to the short-lived World Football League and Miami lost in the divisional playoffs to the Raiders.
1968 Packers: Packers football czar Vince Lombardi had retired. He had health concerns, but he knew the team was on the decline due to age and attrition.

How Does Kansas City Compare?

There’s no discounting Kansas City’s resilience. Here is the moment of their last-second overtime Super Bowl VIII win over San Francisco:

Patrick Mahomes play to Mecole Hardman will go down in Super Bowl history! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vCEVeMiYFt
— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) February 12, 2024

Still, there are several parallels to some of the above-listed teams.

Like Green Bay’s first two Super Bowl winners, the Chiefs have some key players reaching geriatric status for football players. Kelce is 35, DeAndre Hopkins is 32, and Chris Jones is 30. They are confronted with major injuries as Denver did in their title defense. Isiah Pacheco missed a chunk of the season and has not looked 100% since his return. Mahomes has dealt with nagging injuries all season. The rest between their Christmas Day clinching win and the divisional playoffs will benefit them.

The most recent team to try the threepeat, New England, played fewer games than KC has in their attempt. It’s cumulative. Extra rest, better nutrition, and treatment protocol can help, but it doesn’t eliminate the battering of playing NFL football.

Kansas City, despite its 15-2 record, has looked vulnerable all season. They appeared to hit their stride late in the season when they looked to shore up home-field advantage and get desperately needed time off.