Chiefs Set Sights on Historic Super Bowl Three-Peat

Announcer Jim Nance, center, is joined by Chiefs great Willie Lanier, in cap and scarf, as he presents the AFC championship trophy to Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and head coach Andy Reid. Cheering at right are quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

All eyes will be on the Kansas City Chiefs amid the team’s quest to become the first-ever three-peat Super Bowl champion in two weeks.

“I’m excited to get to New Orleans and try to make history,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said from the AFC trophy stage after a 32–29 victory over the Buffalo Bills (13–4) on Sunday.

No NFL team has ever won three straight Super Bowls, and the Chiefs (15–2) also became the third team to make it that far three consecutive seasons. Miami went to three straight Super Bowls in the early 1970s, winning two, and Buffalo lost four straight Super Bowls in the ‘90s.

Kansas City beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 in the 2022 season Super Bowl, and the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 last season for a repeat. The Chiefs will face the Eagles again in New Orleans for a shot at the three-peat.

“It’s an amazing achievement,'' Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt told reporters. “It’s hard to even put into words what it means to have the opportunity.'’

Kansas City can do what eluded eight other NFL teams after back-to-back Super Bowl wins since 1968. Only three of those teams even made it to their respective conference championship games: the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1990 49ers, and the 1994 Dallas Cowboys.

The Chiefs had moments of doubt on Sunday against the Bills. The Chiefs trailed 22–21 going into the fourth quarter and had a 29–29 tie with 6:15 left in the game before kicker Harrison Butker settled things with an eventual game-winning field goal.

“We’re not done,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters Monday. “We’re not done, we got one more game against a good Philadelphia Eagles team, and we got a lot of preparation to go before we have a chance to play them.”

Philadelphia will pose a challenge for the Chiefs. The Eagles (14–3) steamrolled the 12–5 Washington Commanders 55–23 in the NFC Championship Game, and Eagles superstar running back Saquon Barkley continues to be unstoppable. Barkley had 2,005 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns through the regular season, and has added 442 yards rushing and five touchdowns in three playoff games.

“We know they’re gonna have a sour taste in their mouth from the last time we played them in the Super Bowl,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce told reporters. “That being said, we gotta go to work. We gotta go to work and make sure we’re ready to handle it.”

As for the Bills, there will be more sour taste for an offseason. It marked a fourth straight playoff loss against the Chiefs since 2021.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen capped another MVP caliber season with a 237-yard, two touchdown game in his second AFC Championship Game appearance in four years. Allen had one last shot to rally the Bills after Butker’s field goal, but tight end Dalton Kincaid couldn’t haul in a fourth-down pass.

Mahomes praised Allen after the game. “I always feel for him. He’s a great player, an amazing competitor and an awesome dude who I respect so much. I’m sorry it had to be us. But, you know, we compete, and someone has to win.”

Meanwhile, Mahomes added another piece of history to his career with his 17th playoff win, second all time. He moved ahead of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana of San Francisco and Kansas City.

Former New England and Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady has the most at 35 from his storied career from 2000 to 2022. Seven of those victories were Super Bowl wins, another record Mahomes could chase with three Super Bowl wins already.

“It’s obviously really cool,'' Mahomes said about the playoff record. ”Your goal is to win in the postseason, but I’ve been blessed to be on a lot of great football teams with a lot of great coaches and a great organization and I just try to maximize every moment.”

“You never know what’s going to be your last one,” he added. “I know I’m a long way from Tom, so I‘ll try to do whatever I can for that.’’