Several Chiefs players, mere moments after defeating the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, were already talking about a dynasty in the making. And how could you blame them? The Chiefs have a future Hall of Fame head coach (Andy Reid), the league's best player at football's most important position (Patrick Mahomes), one of the league's fastest skill position players (Tyreek Hill), a quality halfback (Damien Williams), one of the league's top tight ends (Travis Kelce) and a budding defense (led by Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu) that shut out the 49ers in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game.
While they certainly have the makeup of a dynasty in the making, the road will be anything but easy for the Chiefs moving forward. In the 54-year history of the Super Bowl, only a dozen teams have appeared in consecutive Super Bowls. Of those teams, only seven repeated as a Super Bowl champion, with the 2003-04 Patriots serving as the most recent back-to-back winner. Even with the success of the 2010s Patriots, they still fell short of being a back-to-back champion.
Before the Chiefs begin their quest at a second straight title, let's look at how the last 10 Super Bowl champions fared in their quest for back-to-back titles.
The 2010 Saints
A funny thing happened during the Saints' quest for a second straight title. While Drew Brees and the Saints' high octane offense went from 1st to 11th in the league in scoring from '09 to '10, their defense was the unit that got better in 2010, going from 20th in the league in scoring in '09 to 7th the following season. The main reason for the Saints' offensive decline was their red zone woes, as the Saints went from 6th to 20th in the league in that department.
Despite posting an 11-5 record, the Saints, who finished second to the 13-3 Falcons in the NFC South division standings, had to face the 7-9 Seahawks on the road in the wild card round. A considerable favorite, the Saints' defense, the team's strength at many points during the regular season, gave up a whopping 41 points that included Marshawn Lynch's back-breaking, 67-yard touchdown run that put the finishing touches on Seattle's upset victory.
While the Saints would post five more seasons of 11-plus wins during the decade, they are still waiting for a return trip to the Super Bowl after suffering heartbreaking playoff losses each of the past three offseasons. The Saints' next Super Bowl run may be without Drew Brees, whose future in New Orleans is one of the biggest question marks of the 2020 offseason.
2011 Packers
A year after winning three road games en route to a victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl LIV, the Packers were historically good in 2011, joining the '84 49ers, '85 Bears, '98 Vikings, '04 Steelers and '07 Patriots as the only teams in league history to win at least 15 regular season games. But while Aaron Rodgers won the first of his two league MVP awards in leading the NFL's top-ranked offense, the Packers' defense went from 2nd to 19th in the NFL in scoring, an issue that could no longer be concealed once the postseason arrived.
Like the '07 Patriots, the '11 Packers were bedeviled by Eli Manning, who threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in New York's 37-20 upset victory. Manning thoroughly outplayed Rodgers, who completed just 56.5% of his passes against a Giants defense that forced four Packers turnovers.
While they continued to pile up winning seasons, the Packers went 0-3 against the 49ers in postseason play during the decade. Green Bay also endured heartbreaking playoff losses to the Seahawks (in the '14 NFC title game) and the Cardinals (in the '15 wild card round). The Packers also suffered a 23-point loss to the Falcons in the '16 NFC title game before suffering losing seasons in '17 and in '18. The losses prompted the exit of head coach Mike McCarthy, as his replacement, Matt LaFleur, helped lead the Packers back to the NFC title game this past January.
2012 Giants
Not all 9-7 records are created equally. That's the story of the 2011 and 2012 Giants. A year after winning the Super Bowl after going 9-7 during the regular season, the 2012 Giants missed the playoffs a year later despite posting the same record. Statistically, the Giants were considerably better in '12, ranking 6th and 12th in offense/defensive league rankings after finishing 9th/25th 2011. New York started their title defense on a high note, as they were 6-2 at the midway point. But three losses against AFC North teams, along with late-season losses to the Redskins and Falcons, left the Giants on the outside looking in on the NFC playoffs.
New York then suffered through three consecutive losing seasons, losing many pieces of their '07 and '11 Super Bowl teams along the way, before making it back to the playoffs in 2016, Ben McAdoo's first year as the Giants' head coach. But the Giants' revival didn't last long, as McAdoo was fired after a 2-10 start to the 2017 season. New York then fired his replacement, Pat Shurmur, after winning just nine games after the last two years. The Giants, who saw the Manning era officially come to an end this offseason, are hoping that second-year quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, and new head coach -- and former Patriots assistant -- Joe Judge can get Big Blue back on track.
2013 Ravens
Baltimore joined the Giants as Super Bowl champions that weren't able to make it back to the playoffs the following season. Despite losing Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, the Ravens' defense was 12th in the league in points allowed in 2013, the same ranking they held in 2012. The issue was Baltimore's offense, as the Ravens went from 10th to 25th in the league in scoring. While the Ravens' 30th ranked rushing attack was a huge reason why Baltimore fell to 8-8 in '13, the Ravens also surely missed Anquan Boldin, who caught 22 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns during the Ravens' Super Bowl run the previous year.
While they made it back to the playoffs in 2014, the Ravens suffered through three consecutive non-playoff seasons before Lamar Jackson led Baltimore back to the postseason in 2018. The Ravens, led by Jackson's MVP performance, earned the AFC's No. 1 seed before being upset by Derrick Henry and the Titans in the divisional round of the '19 playoffs.
2014 Seahawks
Pete Carroll's Seahawks became the first team to make it back to the Super Bowl after winning the Big Game the previous season. While Seattle's Legion of Boom defense led the league in scoring for a second straight season, the offense, led by Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson, finished 10th in the NFL in scoring and first in rushing.
After needing a miracle comeback to get past Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC title game, Seattle jumped out to a 24-14 lead in Super Bowl XLIX before a pair of Tom Brady touchdown passes gave the Patriots the lead. But after the Seahawks, following a mind-boggling, 33-yard catch by Jermaine Kearse, appeared destined to win their second straight ring, Malcolm Butler's end-zone interception of Wilson gave the Patriots their first win of the decade. Conversely, the Seahawks joined the '77 Cowboys, '83 Redskins and the '97 Packers as the only teams to lose the Super Bowl a year after winning it.
While Wilson has continued to develop into a top-tier quarterback, Seattle would fall to the eventual NFC champion in the '15 and '16 postseasons before missing the playoffs altogether in 2017. While the Seahawks have rebounded with consecutive playoff appearances, they haven't advanced past the divisional round since 2014.
2015 Patriots
Start getting used to seeing the Patriots on this list. A year after winning their fourth Super Bowl of the Brady-Belichick era, the Patriots were essentially the same team in 2015, winning 12 games again and boasting a top-10 offense and defense.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, New England ran into a team in the AFC playoffs, the Broncos, that could put pressure on Brady, the one thing that has proven to be Brady's kryptonite over his Hall of Fame career. The Patriots also ran into a quarterback -- Peyton Manning -- who had already beaten the Patriots twice in the playoffs. Despite his advanced age and mounting injuries, Manning was able to help will the Broncos to a 20-18 win.
Along with putting pressure on Brady, the Broncos also took advantage of the Patriots' subpar rushing attack, a unit that was just 30th in the league in rushing during the regular season. Denver's defense held the Patriots to just 44 yards while sending New England home for the winter.
2016 Broncos
One of the biggest ironies of the 2015 Broncos was how invaluable Manning proved to be in the ensuing years, as GM John Elway tried in vain to find the Broncos' next franchise quarterback in ensuing seasons. Denver's inability to find their next franchise quarterback has largely contributed to the Broncos' four-year playoff drought following their win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50.
The '16 Broncos, with Trevor Siemian going 8-6 before suffering a season-ending injury, went 9-7 and falling just short of making the playoffs. Denver started three quarterbacks (Siemian, Brock Osweiler, and Paxton Lynch) in what was a 5-11 season in 2017. While Case Keenum was their only starter in 2018, the results weren't much better, as Vance Joseph (who replaced Gary Kubiak as the Broncos' head coach in 2017) was fired after a 6-10 season.
In 2019, following a 3-8 start under new head coach Vic Fangio, Denver showed signs of promise by going 4-1 during their final five games. In the process, Denver may have finally found Manning's successor in Drew Lock, who went 4-1 as a starter during his rookie season. The Broncos' return to the playoffs won't be easy, however, as their division also includes the up and coming Raiders (who were also 7-9 last season) and the reigning champion Chiefs.
2017 Patriots
The '17 Patriots, a year after pulling off the greatest come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl history, joined the Seahawks as the only teams this decade to make a return trip to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for them, the Patriots also lost their return to the Big Game, falling to Nick Foles and the Eagles, 41-33.
While they boasted the league's fifth-ranked scoring defense, New England's 30th ranked pass defense was exposed by Foles, who earned MVP honors after throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Making Foles' day easier was the absence of Butler, who didn't play in a single defensive snap after being benched by Belichick.
The Patriots' defensive woes erased Brady's record-setting performance, as Brady's 505 passing yards is a Super Bowl record.
2018 Eagles
Unlike their Super Bowl season, the '18 Eagles stumbled out of the blocks, losing four of their first 10 games before Wentz suffering another season-ending injury in Week 14. With a 6-7 record and their playoff hopes on life support, Foles re-entered the lineup and led the Eagles to three straight wins that included a Week 15 win in Los Angeles against the eventual NFC champion Rams.
The Eagles' last push propelled them into the playoffs, where they edged the Bears by a point in Chicago in the wild card round. Philadelphia's title defense came to an end the following week in New Orleans, as a late interception sealed the Eagles' 20-14 loss to the Saints. The loss also signaled the end of Foles' second run with the Eagles, as Foles signed with the Jaguars during the '19 offseason.
Philadelphia endured a similar season in 2019, winning nine games before losing Wentz to another injury. Without Wentz, the Eagles fell at home to Seattle in the wild-card round.
2019 Patriots
A year after allowing Foles to shred his secondary in the Super Bowl, Belichick watched his defense allow a mere three points in New England's win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. The Patriots' defense, led by Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, continued its tear in 2019, as New England finished the regular season with the league's top-ranked scoring defense.
But after an 8-0 start, the losses of receivers Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon and injuries to Julian Edelman and rookie N'Keal Harry led to a drastic decline of Brady, who was not selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time since an injury wiped out his 2008 season. With New England's offense backsliding, the Patriots went 4-4 down the stretch that included a Week 17 loss to the Dolphins that cost the Patriots a ninth straight playoff bye. In the wild card round, the Patriots were run over by Derrick Henry, who rumbled for 182 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. Conversely, Brady completed just 20 of his 37 attempts that included a late pick-six in the Titans' 20-13 win.
The loss could be the end of an era for the Patriots, as Brady's NFL future is the main story of the 2020 offseason.
