The Kansas City Chiefs will contest their fourth Super Bowl in five years on Sunday evening as they look to cement their status as the best team of the 2020s so far.
In the build-up to the game, you will hear the word ‘dynasty’ bandied about, as the NFL cognoscenti love to find a place in history for the era’s finest teams.
Should the Chiefs overcome the 49ers in Las Vegas they will very much be in the dynasty conversation. Behind most dynasties is a legendary quarterback-head coach combination and in Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid they certainly have that.
But how do they compare to previous coach and QB combos? Here is a look at some of the tandems that the Chiefs are attempting to emulate.
Bill Walsh and Joe Montana - San Francisco 49ers
The team of the 1980s were the San Francisco 49ers, with Bill Walsh masterminding the revolutionary ‘West Coast Offense’ that featured a short, fast, precise passing game. For that, he needed a cool, level-headed, accurate quarterback and in Joe Montana he had one of the all-time greats.
The pair won three Super Bowls together in the 1980s, with Walsh stepping down following the third in 1989 and the Niners winning the big game again the following season.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick - New England Patriots
Usually, a dynasty lasts for a decade tops - but between 2001 and 2018, the Pats lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy six times, a sustained period of excellence unmatched not just in the NFL, but in the whole of American sport. Records fell, opponents’ dreams were crushed and the benchmark for future dynasties was lifted.
Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw - Pittsburgh Steelers
While this team needed more than a little help from the ‘Steel Curtain’ - the finest defence of their era - you can’t discount the Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw partnership that saw the Steelers land four Super Bowls in a six-year period.
Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr - Green Bay Packers
You know you’re in legend territory when they’ve named the Super Bowl trophy after you. Vince Lombardi masterminded a run of five NFL championships in the 1960s, including the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi’s forensic, disciplined approach was complimented by Starr’s accuracy and head for the big occasion, and the Pack were able to establish themselves as one of the greatest ever sides.
George Halas and Sid Luckman - Chicago Bears
Before the Super Bowl era, the Chicago Bears side of the 1940s changed the NFL forever. Head coach Halas was an innovator, establishing many of the formations and line-ups we still see today, while quarterback Halas revolutionalised the position. They would claim four title wins in the 1940s and were denied more by World War II.
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