Few NFL teams can match the rich history of the Kansas City Chiefs. This story continues to the present day, with the franchise just one win away from capturing its third Super Bowl victory in five years.
Kansas City has had many great teams over the years. Some of these teams won titles, while others failed. This year’s team hopes to join the 1969, 2019 and 2022 teams as world champions. And if they can beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, the Chiefs will add to their history by becoming the ninth team (and first in 20 years) to repeat as champions.
So where do the 2023 Chiefs rank among the franchise’s best teams? It’s difficult to fully know the answer to this question until the Super Bowl is played. But given what we already know about this team, we can already say that they’re better than any of the franchise’s other Super Bowl entrants.
Before we get into my rankings, it’s worth noting that it’s almost impossible to compare today’s teams with those that played over 50 years ago. The advent of free agency and the salary cap has completely changed the way rosters are constructed. You also cannot ignore the evolution and physical changes that exist today compared to half a century ago.
With that in mind, when comparing teams from different eras, I choose to primarily look at the talent that exists on each team, understanding that today’s teams can no longer put together teams like that. Training, strength of opponents, and lasting legacy are also taken into account when compiling lists like this.
Without further ado, let’s see where the Chiefs 23 stand compared to the franchise’s other Super Bowl teams heading into Super Bowl LVIII.
6. Leaders 2020
Injuries on the offensive line were the main reason why Kansas City failed to defend its title. Without solid protection, Patrick Mahomes spent most of Super Bowl LV running away from Buccaneers defenders.
It was a completely different night for Mahomes’ counterpart, Tom Brady, who surgically dissected Kansas City’s defense at the cost of three touchdowns on 21-of-29 passing.
5. Chiefs 2023
- Overall record: 14-6
- Beat the AFC’s top two seeds on the road
Defense is a big reason why the current Chiefs are ranked ahead of the 2020 team. Led by Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie, this year’s Chiefs team finished the regular season with the second most notable defense. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s group showed just how good it was last Sunday, when it held Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense to 10 points.
The offense has picked up its game this postseason, especially a receiving corps that took heavy criticism during parts of the regular season. Rookie Rashee Rice stepped in, alongside veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Chiefs offense continued to benefit from the outstanding play of Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco and an offensive line led by Pro Bowlers Creed Humphrey and Joe Thuney.
4. Chiefs of 1966
- Overall record: 12-3-1
- AFL Champions
Like the ’69 team, the ’66 Chiefs had plenty of talent. This talent allowed them to cruise through the AFL during the regular season before beating the Bills, 31-7, in the AFL Championship.
Kansas City put up a good fight against Vince Lombardi’s NFL champion Packers in the first half of Super Bowl I. The Chiefs actually outscored the Packers in the second quarter and faced a modest 14- 10 at halftime.
But the second half was a different story. The turning point came early in the second half when Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson (who was under heavy pressure) threw an interception to Willie Wood that was returned 50 yards to the 5-yard line from Kansas City. The Packers scored a touchdown on the next play en route to a 35-10 victory.
In the loss, the Chiefs earned the respect of the Packers, including Hall of Fame defensive end Dave Robinson. Robinson said the Chiefs’ lack of consistent competition was perhaps the biggest reason they weren’t able to hang with the Packers in the second half.
“It wasn’t so much their fault but the rest of the AFL’s fault,” Robinson told CBS Sports in a 2020 interview. “The defense wasn’t that strong in the AFL, and so they didn’t Had never experienced the things we did and the type of football we bring. We had an advantage there, that was the most important thing for us.
“After playing in the house league, the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders showed their true mettle and became very, very good teams. All they needed was to play in the house league to have that experience playing against better defenses.”
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3. Chiefs 2022
There is no gaudy statistic to define the greatness of the ’22 Chiefs. Instead, it is the fact that they have proven that they can still be world champions without the playmaking ability of Tyreek Hill, who was traded to the Dolphins last offseason.
The ’22 Chiefs showed their resolve by overtaking Joe Burrow and the rest of the defending AFC champion Bengals to return to the Super Bowl. They did so after receiving a tough performance from Mahomes, who played that game and the Super Bowl with a painful ankle injury.
Depth at the skill positions was a big reason the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year. They had 11 different players pass touchdowns from Mahomes, who put together a season for the ages. He is now the only player in history to win the regular season and Super Bowl MVP multiple times in the same year.
2. Leaders 2019
- Overall record: 15-4
- First team to overcome a 10-point deficit in three consecutive playoff games
As noted above, the 2019 Chiefs have made a habit of overcoming significant deficits in the playoffs. They trailed the Texans 24-0 in the divisional round before Mahomes led a series of 41 unanswered points. Mahomes threw five touchdowns in this game, including three to his favorite target, Kelce.
After putting 51 points on Houston, the Chiefs scored 35 against a tough Titans defense in the AFC Championship. Mahomes and Co. scored 31 points in the Super Bowl against a formidable 49ers defense that scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game.
The ability to score in bunches was one of the things that made the 2019 Chiefs so good. But the team also had an underrated defense that held Derrick Henry — who destroyed the Patriots and Ravens in the previous two playoff rounds — to 69 yards on 19 carries in the AFC title game.
1. Chiefs of 1969
- Overall record: 14-3
- Boasts the AFL’s second highest scoring attack and highest ranked defense
The Chiefs’ rich history includes being the last AFL team to defeat the NFL and the second to appear in the Super Bowl. Kansas City’s 23-7 victory over the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV was the last game played before the league merger.
That team featured eight Hall of Famers, not counting a gold-jacketed head coach (Hank Stram) and an owner (Lamar Hunt). Six of those Hall of Famers played defense, which is one more Hall of Famer than the Steelers had in their legendary defense of the 1970s.
Led by Hall of Fame linebacker Willie Lanier, the Chiefs defense allowed 6, 7 and 7 points in three playoff victories. While the defense stifled opponents, Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson did more than enough to lead the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory. Dawson earned Super Bowl MVP honors after throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Otis Taylor, whose career is also worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.
