There’s something to be said about the heart of a champion. The Kansas City Chiefs have proven it time and again. So it will be hard to bet against the defending champions when they take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Chiefs’ 2024 season leading up to the Super Bowl
Kansas City had an up-and-down regular season but still won 11 games and captured the AFC West title for the eighth consecutive year. The Chiefs then went on the road in the playoffs, which many thought would lead to their undoing considering their relative lack of postseason experience away from the friendly confines of Arrowhead Stadium.
It turns out, it didn’t matter. Defense and timely performances from key offensive superstars played large roles in wins at Buffalo and Baltimore.
“We know nothing is going to be given to us. We’ve got an even bigger target on our back than we did last year,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said last Saturday. “But as far as the mentality in the room, we’re working to continue this dynasty, and continue to build on what we did last year, not just rest on our laurels of what we did.”
Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Kansas City has positioned itself as the NFL’s gold standard in the post-Tom Brady era. Brady’s New England Patriots won six Super Bowls, tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in NFL history. However, if the Chiefs can get the job done on Sunday night, they’ll be more than halfway to equaling that mark. And with a young superstar quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, a surefire Hall of Fame coach in Andy Reid, and a front office that always seems to retool the roster, there’s no reason to believe they won’t continue to be a perennial Super Bowl contender for the foreseeable future.
How many Super Bowls have the Chiefs won?
The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and have won three total:
- 2023: Kansas City Chiefs def. Philadelphia Eagles 38-35
- 2020: Kansas City Chiefs def. San Francisco 49ers 31-20
- 1970: Kansas City Chiefs def. Minnesota Vikings 23-7
How many Super Bowls have the Chiefs appeared in?
This Sunday will mark Kansas City’s sixth trip to the Big Game and its fourth in the last five years, including a 31-20 victory over the 49ers in 2020 at Super Bowl LIV in Miami:
- 2024: Kansas City Chiefs v. San Francisco 49ers
- 2023: Kansas City Chiefs def. Philadelphia Eagles 38-35
- 2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. Kansas City Chiefs 31-9
- 2020: Kansas City Chiefs def. San Francisco 49ers 31-20
- 1970: Kansas City Chiefs def. Minnesota Vikings 23-7
- 1967: Green Bay Packers def. Kansas City Chiefs 35-10
Here’s a look back at their championship game history:
The last Chiefs Super Bowl win, in detail
Feb. 12, 2023: A third ring for Kansas City —The Chiefs trailed the Philadelphia Eagles by 10 points at halftime and by six after three quarters of Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, but eventual MVP Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the first 5:38 of the fourth to open an eight-point advantage. The Eagles tied the game with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Jalen Hurts’ 2-yard run and subsequent two-point conversion plunge. Mahomes, however, got the ball back with plenty of time to spare and marched the Chiefs 66 yards before Harrison Butker booted a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left, giving K.C. the 38-35 victory.
Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Super Bowl 2021
Feb. 7, 2021: A repeat wasn’t in the cards, thanks to Brady — Mahomes, star tight end Travis Kelce and the rest of an extremely talented group finished the regular season 14-2 and looked like a lock to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the Patriots in 2004. But Brady and his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had other ideas. The 43-year-old quarterback became the oldest player to win Super Bowl MVP, his record-breaking fifth, and the first to do it with two different franchises, as the Buccaneers cruised to a 31-9 victory at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl 2020
Feb. 2, 2020: Long wait ends with comeback win over 49ers — The Chiefs erased a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter with 21 unanswered points on their way to their second league championship and first in 50 years. Super Bowl LIV MVP Mahomes threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. The title was the first for head coach Andy Reid, who has since gone on to join the short list of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings at Super Bowl 1970
Jan. 11, 1970: Lessons learned and championship earned — Led by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson and coach Hank Stram, the Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Dawson, who was named MVP, threw for 142 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs, like the New York Jets the year before, showed with relative ease that the upper-echelon teams from the AFL had come a long way in a very short time.
Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers at Super Bowl 1967
Jan. 15, 1967: Chiefs no match for Bart Starr-led Packers — They will always be remembered as the first team to represent the AFL in the Super Bowl following the league’s merger with the NFL, but the game, itself, was anything but a celebration for the Chiefs. Kansas City hung around early and only trailed by four points at the half, but did not score over the last two quarters on its way to a humbling 35-10 loss. Coming into the game, many prognosticators believed that type of outcome was inevitable, given the strength of the more-established NFL representative. Green Bay’s Bart Starr threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and was named MVP.
Super Bowl LVIII will air on CBS and Nickelodeon and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 11 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.