The Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back championships in nearly two decades since the New England Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, and now they want to become the first NFL franchise to ever ‘three-peat’.
After winning his third Super Bowl MVP award, having reached the game itself four times in his first seven seasons in the league, Mahomes insisted he will “do whatever I can to be back in this game next year”.
“It’s legendary [a three-peat] – no one has ever done it,” he said.
“Only eight teams have done it back-to-back. We felt like we had the best opportunity we’ve ever had.
“To be able to have our stamp on NFL history is something I’ll never take for granted.”
The Green Bay Packers did win three-straight championships from 1965 to 1967, but their first title in that stretch was the year before the Super Bowl era began in the NFL.
As for examples from America’s other premier sports, the most recent three-peat was achieved by the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers, who won NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Michael Jordan also led the Chicago Bulls to two separate three-peats (1991-1993 and 1996-1998), while the Boston Celtics won eight NBA titles in a row from 1959-1966.
In baseball, the MLB has had four three-peats, three of them achieved by the New York Yankees – the most recent of those coming between 1998 and 2000. As for the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens have each three-peated twice, while the New York Islanders won four-straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1984.
Coach Reid, who confirmed after the game that he will return with the team next season, ending speculation of any retirement talk, said: “We’ll have changeover on our team, there’s always the unexpected and we have to keep battling through it.
“I just asked [Mahomes], has anyone done it three (consecutive) times? He said no. It’d be great.”
Speaking further on his star quarterback, Reid said that 28-year-old Mahomes’ performance and excellence can be easy to take for granted, adding that he’s still getting better.
“He makes it look easy,” Reid said. “This is a fluid game with the best athletes in this sport in the world… and he’s out there playing like he’s in the back yard, like it’s nothing.
“From a head-coaching standpoint, for a guy that works with offensive guys, that’s all you can ask for.”
Mahomes was also full of praise for his head coach after their third Super Bowl win together in the space of five seasons.
“He’s one of the best coaches of all time,” he said. “I believe he’s the best coach of all time.
“For me, he brings out the best in me because he lets me be me. That’s important. He doesn’t make me try to be anyone else.
“I don’t think I am the quarterback that I am if I didn’t have coach Reid being my head coach.”
