10.6 C
London
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Most championship games in a row: Chiefs closing in on NFL record set by Patriots dynasty

- Advertisement -

The word “dynasty” often gets used to refer to any team on a successful run, usually ending in multiple championships. The Chiefs might not be there just yet, but they’re about as close to any team in the NFL is to being a true dynasty.

The pairing of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid has guided Kansas City to the 2023 AFC Championship, marking the fifth straight appearance by the duo. They have reached the conference title game each of the first five years Mahomes has been the starting quarterback, a feat that has been accomplished only once in NFL history.

If the Chiefs make it back to the Super Bowl and win Mahomes’ second ring, it’s fair to begin calling their run a true dynasty. But even just making it to the AFC championship five consecutive years in a conference that is loaded with top-tier quarterbacks is an impressive feat in its own right.

Here’s a look back at the longest streaks of consecutive conference game appearances by teams in NFL history.

BENGALS-CHIEFS PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread

Tom-Brady-012822-Getty-FTR

Most championship games in a row

This might not come as a surprise, but the Tom Brady-led Patriots hold the record for consecutive appearances in a conference championship. Which era? The second extended dynastic period.

From 2011, when New England lost the Super Bowl to the Giants, to 2018, when it beat the Rams, the Patriots reached eight consecutive conference championship games. There is some overlap with that Patriots team and the current Chiefs’ squad, as Brady’s Pats beat Pat’s Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium in the 2019 AFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl.

But Mahomes is quickly advancing on New England’s record. With the appearance against the Bengals in 2023, Kansas City has now been to five straight AFC championship games, which now ties the 1973-77 Raiders for the second-longest streak in NFL history.

TSN POWER RANKINGS: 3 reasons why Chiefs, Bengals will (or won’t) win Super Bowl 57

Mahomes also now shares the company of Ken Stabler for taking a team to the AFC championship in their first five years as the team’s starter. Heading into 1973, Stabler had been in the NFL for three years, but had started only two games for the Raiders. He secured the team’s starting role in Week 4 of the 1973 season, and never looked back, taking the team to the AFC championship in his first year as the full-time starter and then the next four seasons. During that run, the Raiders won Super Bowl 11 during that stretch, marking Stabler’s lone ring.

Here’s a look at all the teams that have had streaks of at least four straight championship appearances:

Team Years Streak
Patriots 2011-18 8
Chiefs 2018-23 5
Raiders 1973-77 5
Cowboys 1967-70 4
Bills 1990-93 4
Cowboys 1992-95 4
Eagles 2001-04 4
Andy Reid

Consecutive NFC championship appearances

While three AFC teams have the longest consecutive runs overall, there are three NFC teams that share a tie with the 1990-93 Bills for the fourth-longest streak.

The Cowboys went to four conference championship games in a row twice. The first streak started in 1970, when the Cowboys lost the Super Bowl to the Colts. The next year, Dallas beat the Dolphins in the Super Bowl before losing in two straight conference championship game appearances. 

49ERS-EAGLES PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread

Dallas went on an impressive run again in the early 1990s, when it won the Super Bowl in three of four years, beating the Bills in two straight Super Bowls, losing to the 49ers in the NFC championship and then returning to beat the Steelers in Super Bowl 30.

Only one other NFC team appeared in four straight conference title games, and it was none other than Reid’s Eagles of the early 2000s. The Eagles lost three straight conference championship games before advancing past the Falcons to reach Super Bowl 39, where they lost to Brady’s Patriots.

Consecutive conference championship matchups

Mahomes is back in the AFC championship game, and he’s facing a familiar foe. Last year, the Chiefs’ bid for a third straight Super Bowl appearance came up short as Joe Burrow and the Bengals upset Kansas City to send Cincinnati to only its third conference title game in team history.

This year, Cincinnati is back in the way between Mahomes and a chance to play for a title.

BENDER: Comparing Burrow-Mahomes rivalry to Brady-Manning

The rematch of Cincinnati-Kansas City marks only the ninth time in the Super Bowl era that there has been a rematch in the conference title game. Take a look back at the other previous rematches in conference championship history:

Years Teams Year 1 winner Year 2 winner
1966-67 Cowboys vs. Packers Packers Packers
1970-71 Cowboys vs. 49ers Cowboys Cowboys
1974-75 Raiders vs. Steelers Steelers Steelers
1975-76 Raiders vs. Steelers Steelers Raiders
1978-79 Oilers vs. Steelers Steelers Steelers
1986-87 Broncos vs. Browns Broncos Broncos
1992-93 Cowboys vs. 49ers Cowboys Cowboys
1993-94 Cowboys vs. 49ers Cowboys 49ers
2011-12 Ravens vs. Patriots Patriots Ravens

There are two separate instances where teams met three times in a row: 1974-76 Raiders vs. Steelers and 1992-94 Cowboys vs. 49ers. Those streaks originally marked the only instances where different teams came away from the meetings with wins, as all other rematches had ended with the same winner as the first game. When teams face off in rematches, the team that won the previous year is 6-3.

That was, until the Ravens and Patriots met up in 2011 and 2012. Brady got the better of Joe Flacco’s Ravens in 2011, but Flacco prevailed in 2012, ultimately guiding his team to a Super Bowl victory over the 49ers.

Latest news
Related news