LAS VEGAS — The Chiefs have been hearing the talk all week.
If they win Super Bowl 2024 on Sunday, will they be a dynasty? It will be their third Super Bowl win with a majority of the same core. If they beat the 49ers, there is no denying they are a dynasty.
“I think it’s been thrown around a lot,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said. “And obviously, it being our third in five years, I think the number three is a big number in terms of dynasties and things like that. Hopefully, we can get this thing and you guys can start talking about dynasties. I’m trying to get this third ring, though.”
Kansas City can become the ninth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls and the first since the Patriots did it in 2003-04. It will also almost certainly mean they are going to be the team that dominates this decade.
Through the years, the NFL has had the Packers own the 1960s, the Steelers run the 1970s, the 49ers had the 1980s, the Cowboys controlled the 1990s and the Patriots dominated the 2000s and 2010s.
With Mahomes only 28 years old, the Chiefs’ run shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
“That’s for other people to decide,” Mahomes said of the dynasty talk. “I just want to go out there and win this game, and I think we can put our stamp in NFL history of winning back-to-back championships, but as far as dominance, that’s for other people to decide.”
Let’s take a look at the biggest dynasties of the NFL since 1960 and how the Chiefs stack up:
Packers (1961-67)
Regular-season winning percentage: .755 (74-20-4)
Super Bowl wins: 2
Super Bowl losses: 0
Championship games: Won three NFL championships
Vince Lombardi’s group set the standard in the ’60s. It won three NFL titles before the Super Bowl began and then the Packers won the first two Super Bowls. One knock against them is this is the era before players could move around freely so they did not have to deal with major roster turnover.
Steelers (1974-79)
Regular-season winning percentage: .761 (67-20-1)
Super Bowl wins: 4
Super Bowl losses: 0
AFC Championship games: 5
The Steelers had 11 Hall of Famers, including coach Chuck Noll, during their dynasty. They ruled the AFC even with other tough teams such as the Raiders, Dolphins and Oilers competing with them. They were a perfect 4-0 in the Super Bowl.
49ers (1981-94)
Regular-season winning percentage: .736 (159-56-1)
Super Bowl wins: 5
Super Bowl losses: 0
NFC Championship games: 9
We are going to count the entire 14-year run for the 49ers even though they had two different coaches and quarterbacks. Bill Walsh built the dynasty with Joe Montana and then George Seifert and Steve Young won at the tail end.
Cowboys (1992-95)
Regular-season winning percentage: .766 (49-15)
Super Bowl wins: 3
Super Bowl losses: 0
NFC Championship games: 4
The first dynasty to occur when players began moving around more through free agency. The dynasty did not last long, but the Cowboys were dominant. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin are all in the Hall of Fame.
Patriots (2001-18)
Regular-season winning percentage: .764 (220-68)
Super Bowl wins: 6
Super Bowl losses: 3
AFC Championship games: 13
When you stack up these dynasties, the Patriots’ run is stunning for two reasons — the length and the number of roster makeovers they had to do to sustain it. The common threads through it all were Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Chiefs (2019-present)
Regular-season winning percentage: .759 (63-20)
Super Bowl wins: 2
Super Bowl losses: 1
AFC Championship games: 5
It is hard to assess this run considering we are in the middle of it, but it feels like Mahomes and Co. could win five or six when it is all over. Andy Reid, 65, is probably going to retire at some point during the run and the question will be if they can sustain success without him.
Final rankings
I would rank the dynasties like this: 1. Patriots; 2. 49ers; 3. Steelers; 4. Packers; 5. Cowboys.
If the Chiefs win Sunday I would put them ahead of the Cowboys on the list. It is hard to envision them duplicating the Patriots’ success, but every other dynasty is within their reach.
