The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will be the eighth Super Bowl rematch in NFL history, but this rematch will be even more unique. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will face off in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years, which is only the fourth rematch between the head coaches of the Super Bowl history.
All of the Super Bowl head coach rematches have taken place over a five-year period, like the 49ers-Chiefs rematch that will take place on Sunday. The Chiefs won the first game of Super Bowl LIV, rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the 49ers 31-20, giving Reid his first Super Bowl title.
The win catapulted the Chiefs dynasty, as Kansas City has won two Super Bowl titles in the last four years. The Chiefs are aiming for their third Super Bowl title in five years and looking to become the first Super Bowl repeat champions since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots. The 49ers are still looking to win their first championship of the Shanahan era after playing in four conference championship games in the last five years.
With Reid and Shanahan set to face off for a second time in the Super Bowl, history is certainly in Reid’s favor to beat Shanahan again. Here’s how the head coach’s three previous Super Bowl rematches went:
- Super Bowl X (1975) and Super Bowl XIII (1979)
The Steelers and Cowboys met twice in the 1970s for the Super Bowl championship, with Noll’s Steelers winning both times. Both victories came in the Orange Bowl, as the Steelers defeated the Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl X and 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII.
Lynn Swann had four catches for 161 yards and a touchdown to earn Super Bowl XIII. The Steelers won both meetings to cement themselves as the team of the 1970s, winning four championships in six years.
The Cowboys won two titles in the 1970s, but could have become the team of the decade with a victory against the Steelers.
Jimmy Johnson (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Marv Levy (Buffalo Bills)
- Super Bowl XXVII (1993) and Super Bowl XXVIII (1994)
The Cowboys’ dynasty began in the 1990s with back-to-back Super Bowl victories over the Bills, with Johnson and Levy being the first coaches to meet in the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons. Johnson got the better of Levy each time, even though Levy and the Bills had been to the previous two Super Bowls before facing the Cowboys.
Dallas won 52-17 against Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII, the last Super Bowl played at the Rose Bowl. Troy Aikman won MVP after completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. In Super Bowl XXVIII, the Cowboys trailed 13-6 at halftime before outscoring the Bills 24-0 in the second half for a 30-13 victory. Emmitt Smith ran for 132 yards and two scores to win the MVP award.
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years to become the team of the 1990s, while the Bills were the first team to make four straight Super Bowls — and lose all four. Johnson resigned as head coach of the Cowboys following the Super Bowl XXVIII victory.
Tom Coughlin (New York Giants) vs. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl XLII (2008) and Super Bowl XLVI (2012)
The Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history when they shocked the Patriots 18-0 and cost New England its perfect season – and Tom Brady’s fourth title in seven years and Bill Belichick. Eli Manning earned Super Bowl XLII MVP honors by going 19 of 34 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the 17-14 victory.
In the rematch four years later, the 9-7 Giants upset the Patriots again – as Manning led another game-winning drive in the final minute. Super Bowl XLII had Manning throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left to give the Giants the lead while Ahmad Bradshaw scored a touchdown with 55 seconds left to give the Giants a victory from 21-17. Manning went 30 of 40 for 296 yards and a touchdown to once again earn MVP honors.
The Giants have won one playoff game since while Belichick has won three more titles with New England (all with Brady). The Patriots won three titles in five years between the 2014 and 2018 seasons, but went 0-2 against Coughlin’s Giants in the Brady-Belichick era.
How will Reid and Shanahan Part II play out?
The head coach who wins the first meeting in Super Bowl games is 3-0 in the second meeting, so history is certainly on Reid’s side there. Besides the Giants and Patriots (where both matchups were decided in the final minute), the Steelers took a commanding fourth-quarter lead over the Cowboys in their rematch and the Cowboys pulled away from the Bills in the second half of their rematch.
Like Landry and Belichick, Reid will join them as three of four coaches with five Super Bowl appearances (Don Shula is the other). Interestingly enough, Landry and Belichick lost both of their rematches with the head coach (they also didn’t win the first one, while Reid did).
Reid and Shanahan have combined for 15 conference title games (Shanahan has four and Reid has 11) and seven trips to the Super Bowl (Shanahan has two and Reid has five). Shanahan has the most yards per play (5.9) and yards per attempt (8.1) of any head coach in the Super Bowl era, while Reid has the sixth most yards per play (5.6) and the second most yards per carry (4.5) among any head coach in the Super Bowl era (minimum 100 games).
The 49ers averaged 6.61 yards per game this season, seventh best of any team in the Super Bowl era (none of the top 12 on this list won a title). The 49ers may have the more explosive offense, but Reid has the championship pedigree — and two of the three teams that won the head coach’s rematch had a top-two defense in points allowed per game (the Chiefs are second in points per game allowed).
Once again, history is certainly on Reid’s side.