Where Chiefs Rank Among NFL's Greatest Dynasties After Super Bowl LVIII Win

Thanks to a dramatic overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, the Patrick Mahomes-era Kansas City Chiefs have officially sealed their place as a true NFL dynasty.

Over a half-decade run, Kansas City has brought home three Super Bowl victories and even appeared in a fourth.

There is no valid argument about the Chiefs not belonging in the discussion. What's up for plenty of debate, however, is where exactly Kansas City—through the 2023 campaign—ranks in the history of NFL dynasties.

The gold standard is the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots, but K.C. is steadily creeping up the chart.

While the ranking is subjective, franchises must have won multiple Super Bowls in a five-year window. Regular-season records, additional Super Bowl appearances and longevity also shaped the order.

The list is limited to the Super Bowl era, which began in 1966.

8. Oakland Raiders (1967-85)

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Ken Stabler

You might define "dynasty" a little differently, and it might narrow the scope of the Oakland Raiders' timeline.

Here's the early picture: Oakland made the Super Bowl in 1967 as the AFL champion before falling in the league's title game in 1968 and 1969. Then, the post-merger Raiders lost in the AFC Championship during four of the next six seasons. It wasn't until 1976 that Oakland won a Super Bowl.

So, perhaps the Raiders' dynasty started in 1976. In which case, hey, they ripped off three championships in an eight-year span. But they also missed the playoffs in three of those seasons, too.

That's all the long version of saying Oakland had an impressive, imperfect two-decade run to kick off Al Davis' ownership tenure.

7. Dallas Cowboys (1970-79)

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Tom Landry and Roger Staubach

After making the postseason in four straight years as NFC East winners, the Dallas Cowboys found the breakthrough and finally reached the Super Bowl in 1970. Unfortunately for Dallas, it didn't result in a victory.

However, the 1971 squad quickly rectified that letdown with a triumph over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.

The title kickstarted a partnership between head coach Tom Landry and Roger Staubach that thrived until the latter's retirement post-1979. While making five Super Bowl appearances in a 10-year stretch, the franchise won a pair of rings—1971 and 1977.

Overall, the Cowboys secured six division titles and appeared in the NFC Championship Game seven times.

6. Washington (1982-91)

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Joe Gibbs

One impressive part of Washington's decade-long excellence is the amount of transition it navigated.

Yes, legendary coach Joe Gibbs patrolled the sideline in each of those seasons. Unlike any other dynasty, though, Washington had three different quarterbacks guide the franchise to a championship.

Joe Theismann propelled the team to a ring in the strike-shortened 1982 season and an NFC title in 1983 when Washington lost to the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII. Doug Williams—who'd only started twice in the regular season—led Washington through the 1987 playoffs, and Mark Rypien rounded out this group of Super Bowl MVP-winning QBs in 1991.

Along the way, Washington won five NFC East crowns and also secured at least one postseason victory in both 1986 and 1990.

5. Dallas Cowboys (1991-96)

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Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman

The most comparable dynasty to Kansas City's is the 1991-96 Cowboys, who celebrated three championships in a four-year space.

If you know a little bit of NFL history, you're probably familiar with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. They're among the greatest QB-RB-WR trios to share the field, and they carried the Cowboys offensively while the defense regularly played at an elite level.

Jimmy Johnson coached Dallas from 1991 to 1993, winning a title in each of his last two seasons. Barry Switzer replaced him, and the Cowboys went to the NFC Championship in 1994 before securing a Super Bowl in 1995.

Although the dynasty could be marked as "over" in 1995, Dallas snagged the NFC East for the fifth straight season in 1996.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (2018-23*)

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Andy Reid and Travis Kelce

Following the 2017 season, Chiefs coach Andy Reid switched from veteran Alex Smith to second-year talent Patrick Mahomes. The calculated risk has turned into a franchise-changing move.

In six years, Kansas City has claimed six AFC West titles and advanced to the AFC Championship in each season. Four of those campaigns also included a trip to the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs have embraced the falling confetti in three of those opportunities.

Six years, three championships. Not bad!

Best of all for K.C., the dynasty might not be finished. Mahomes will be just 29 years old in 2024, so the Hall of Fame-track quarterback—in theory—should play at a high level for at least another half-decade.

In 2024, Kansas City is aiming to become the first franchise to ever win three consecutive Super Bowls.

3. San Francisco 49ers (1981-98)

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Steve Young, Joe Montana and Bill Walsh

As with several teams on the list, the timeline of the San Francisco 49ers' dynasty is a fair debate. Since they last won a title in 1994, it's unnecessary to include the next four years. I will, though, because the Niners finished no worse than 11-5 in those seasons.

That explanation aside, the bulk of San Francisco's success happened in the 14-year span of 1981-94.

Bill Walsh ignited a flailing organization, taking over in 1979 and winning a Super Bowl just two seasons later. Together with quarterback Joe Montana, Walsh won six division and three NFL titles until he retired after landing his third ring in 1988.

The next season, new coach George Seifert opened with a bang as Montana recorded his fourth and final championship.

Steve Young took control of the offense in 1990 and returned the Niners to the pinnacle in 1994.

In all, San Francisco won 13 division crowns with 16 playoff trips, 10 appearances in the NFC Championship and a perfect 5-0 record in Super Bowl during this 18-year stretch.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (1972-79)

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Terry Bradshaw

If the Chiefs complete a three-peat in 2024, they'll also become only the second franchise to win four rings in a six-year period.

The wildest part of the 1970s is that a pair of dynasties coincided. Dallas won a pair of Super Bowls and appeared in three more, while the Pittsburgh Steelers brought home the Lombardi Trophy four times.

Most impressively, Pittsburgh went 4-0 on the championship stage—including victories over the Cowboys in 1975 and 1978.

Legendary coach Chuck Noll oversaw the entire run, and the Steelers boasted a ridiculous number of NFL icons.

All four championship-winning teams featured Hall of Fame inductees Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris—he of the Immaculate Reception in 1972—Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, "Mean" Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount and Donnie Shell. All four.

Within the eight-year stretch, Pittsburgh won seven division titles with championships in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979.

1. New England Patriots (2001-19)

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Tom Brady and Bill Belichick

If you wanted to slice the Patriots' dynasty into two parts, that's an understandable thought. After all, there's a 10-year gap between New England's third (2004) and fourth championship (2014).

But two things never changed: Tom Brady was the quarterback, and Bill Belichick was the head coach.

Brady assembled a surprise run in 2001 when he replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe early and later stunned the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then, the Pats added titles in 2003 and 2004. Adam Vinatieri drilled clutch kicks in all three games, including last-second winners in the first two championships.

New England didn't win for a decade, sure, but posted a 16-0 regular season in 2007 and made the Super Bowl in 2011. Eli Manning and the New York Giants shocked the Pats in both years.

Belichick and Brady returned to the top in 2014 and secured a ring in alternating years through 2018. Plus, the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.

The details of the dynasty never get old.

During these 19 years, the Pats won 18 division titles and cranked out 30 postseason wins. Most of all, New England advanced to nine Super Bowls and returned to Foxboro with six championships.