Where Chiefs rank vs. Steelers, Cowboys, Patriots among back-to-back NFL champions

While they’ve already set their sights on a three-peat, the Kansas City Chiefs made history this season by joining an elite group of NFL teams who successfully defended their Super Bowl title. The Chiefs are only the ninth team to do so in the 58-year history of the Super Bowl. 

How does this Chiefs team stack up with the previous eight repeat winners? It’s tough to say, given that seven of the previous eight repeat winners played in an era where the salary cap’s impact on rosters was either minimal or non-existent. The majority of the previous back-to-back champions built dominant rosters that weren’t chipped at by free agency or salary caps. 

Using the following criteria, I was still able to rank the back-to-back based on the following criteria. 

• Overall record
• Roster talent 
• Strength of opponent 
• Enduring legacy 

So, where do the Chiefs rank? Let’s find out. 

Miami went 32-2 over this span that included its undefeated 1972 team. That team boasted the league’s top-ranked scoring offense and defense, an extreme rarity in football history. 

The Dolphins had two 1,000-yard running backs, a dominant offensive line, a Hall of Fame receiver and quarterback, and a “No Name” defense that allowed just one total touchdown in Super Bowls VII and VIII. This team truly had no weakness, but if you want try to find one, you could point to the fact that the Dolphins didn’t have the most prolific passing offense, but a lot of that because of that era and the fact that Miami was so good running the football. 

Pittsburgh’s roster boasted 10 Hall of Fame players, including quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who over this two-year span won two Super Bowl MVPs and one league MVP. Bradshaw’s emergence as a prolific passer is the reason why the ’78-79 Steelers teams are ahead of the 74-45 squads. At Bradshaw’s disposal were two Hall of Fame wideouts (Lynn Swann and John Stallworth), HOF running back Franco Harris and arguably the greatest center of all-time in Mike Webster. 

While not as good as they were in the early ’70s, the Steelers’ defense was still an elite group, led by Joe Greene, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount, who won a combined four Defensive Player of the Year awards. The Steelers’ defense helped Pittsburgh defeat the decade’s other elite team, the Dallas Cowboys, in Super Bowl XIII in a game that determined which team would hold the mantle as the Team of the ’70s. 

Vince…