Teams Who Made it to 3 Super Bowls in a Row: 3 peat Super Bowl

Getting to the Super Bowl ultimate goal and the greatest challenge for every NFL team. There are some franchises -  the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars – that never even made an appearance. There are also several others that have never experienced the joy of winning a Super Bowl.

Needless to say, it’s a great accomplishment just to reach the Super Bowl one time. Getting there in back-to-back seasons - or three years in a row - is something truly special. In the Super Bowl era, there are only three teams that have played in the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons.

The Miami Dolphins did it from 1971 to 1973. The Buffalo Bills actually did it in four consecutive years from 1990 to 1993. Finally, the New England Patriots went to three straight Super Bowls between 2016 and 2018 at the peak of their two-decade dynasty.

Why Is That Such a Rare Feat to Accomplish?

There are many reasons why three straight Super Bowl appearances is so difficult. One of the main reasons is the way the NFL has set up their salary cap system. With a limit on spending, it’s difficult for teams to retain all of their key players when they reach free agency, so it’s hard to keep teams together and build a so-called ‘super-team’ made up of high-priced superstars.

But even if you could do that, an NFL super-team wouldn’t have the same effect on the league as, say, an NBA super-team, since, with the exception of the quarterback, the nature of the game of football minimizes the impact each of the team’s eleven on-field players has overall.

Yet, the Dolphins, Bills, and Patriots all somehow figured out how to beat the system three seasons in a row with Super Bowl appearances.

What Makes Those Three NFL Teams So Special?

It’s tough to say what distinguishes those three teams from some of the other great teams in NFL history. However, it’s safe to say it has a lot to do with a special combination of players, coaching staff, and front office.

Below, we briefly examine those three factors for each of the three-season Super Bowl runs of the Dolphins, Bills, and Patriots.

One thing is clear: each of these franchises has and will produce multiple Hall-of-Famers, some whose names we’ve heard repeatedly and others who have remained virtually anonymous to this day.

Most Consecutive Super Bowl Appearances

Miami Dolphins, 1971 to 1973

Super Bowl Appearances:

• 1971 – Super Bowl VI, lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 3-24

• 1972 – Super Bowl VII, defeated the Washington Redskins, 14-7

• 1973 – Super Bowl VIII, defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-7

Regular Season, Postseason records:

• 1971 – 10-3-1, 2-1

• 1972 – 14-0, 3-0

• 1973 – 12-2, 3-0

Head coach: Don Shula

Quarterback(s): Bob Griese / Earl Morrall

Owner: Joe Robbie

General Manager: Don Shula

Hall of Famers from those three Dolphins teams: head coach Don Shula, offensive lineman Jim Langer, fullback Larry Csonka, wide receiver Paul Warfield, linebacker Nick Buoniconti, and player personnel director Bobby Beathard.

Notes:

After losing in the Super Bowl in 1971, head coach Don Shula “stressed in the locker room…that we wanted to make sure this wouldn’t happen again. Our goal was not to go to the Super Bowl but to win it.”

In Week 5 of the 1972 season, star quarterback Bob Griese broke his leg, so veteran backup Earl Morrall stepped up and continued the Dolphins’ win streak until Griese could play again.

The 1972 Dolphins team was the only NFL team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season, going 14-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the postseason.

’72 Dolphins Urban Legend

There is an urban legend that every season since 1972, as soon as the very last undefeated NFL team is beaten, all the surviving members of that undefeated Dolphins team crack open a bottle of champagne and share a toast.

What Made The Dolphins Great?

While the roster was loaded with talent, coach Don Shula is a big reason for the team’s impressive success in the 1970’s. Shula took over as the team’s head coach in 1970 after a strong run with the Baltimore Colts.

The Dolphins were able to steal the coach away from the Colts in 1970 after the relationship between the two sides soured. The NFL would ultimately charge Miami with tampering over the signing of Shula, costing them a first-round draft pick in 1971.  While that is a high price for the team to pay, it was more than worth it for Miami.

The Dolphins had been a bad team in the AFL before the merger with the NFL in 1970. However, after hiring Shula, the team found immediate success, making the Super Bowl in 1971. While they lost that one, Shula and the Dolphins would return to win the following two.

Shula would lead the Dolphins to one more Super Bowl (1982) before retiring in 1996. The legendary coach ended his career with a regular-season record of 328-156-6.

Buffalo Bills, 1990 to 1993

Super Bowl Appearances:

• 1990 – Super Bowl XXV, lost to the New York Giants, 19-20

• 1991 – Super Bowl XXVI, lost to the Washington Redskins, 24-37

• 1992 – Super Bowl XXVII, lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 17-52

• 1993 – Super Bowl XXVIII, lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 13-30

Regular Season, Postseason records:

• 1990 – 13-3, 2-1

• 1991 – 13-3, 2-1

• 1992 – 11-5, 3-1

• 1993 – 12-4, 2-1

Head coach: Marv Levy

Quarterback: Jim Kelly

Owner: Ralph Wilson

General Manager(s): Bill Polian, John Butler

Hall of Famers from those four Bills teams: head coach Marv Levy, quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas, wide receivers James Lofton and Andre Reed, defensive end Bruce Smith and general manager Bill Polian.

Notes:

Is it better to have never gone to the Super Bowl than to have lost in it four times in a row like the Buffalo Bills have?

That’s the question that haunts the Bills ever since their string of four Big Game losses in the early 90’s.

Levy is the winningest coach in Bills’ history, recording a regular season record of 112-70 and a playoff record of 11-8 in eleven total seasons. However, he and the franchise are forever haunted by four straight Super Bowl losses, a series of unfortunate losses that fans can relive in the documentary Four Falls of Buffalo.

One More Go of It for Levy

In 2006, owner Ralph Wilson hired Levy, at the age of 80, to be the General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations for the Buffalo Bills, and to eliminate any speculation, Wilson was very clear that Levy, “will never be the coach.” Levy’s time as GM lasted just two seasons, as he failed to put them on a path toward another Super Bowl appearance.

What Made The Bills Great

These Bills teams were loaded with talent, but quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas stood out from the rest. 

Thomas established himself as one of the best backs in the league during the Bills' infamous run of Super Bowl appearances. He had the third most rushing yards in the NFL from 1990 through 1999, earning him a place in the NFL Hall of Fame. Teams struggled to stop Thomas, which helped the Bills win many games.

Kelly was the other reason for the Bills' success in the 90’s. The quarterback once spurned the Bills but eventually ended up with the team and became one of their all-time great players. Kelly made the Pro Bowl in 1990, 1991, and 1993, thanks to stats that are impressive even when compared to today’s standards.

Unfortunately, this star quarterback-running back duo was not enough to get the Bills a Super Bowl title, despite four straight appearances.

New England Patriots, 2016 to 2018

Super Bowl Appearances:

• 2016 – Super Bowl LI, defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28

• 2017 – Super Bowl LII, lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 33-41

• 2018 – Super Bowl LIII, vs. the Los Angeles Rams, defeated, 13-3

Regular Season, Postseason records:

• 2016 – 14-2, 3-0

• 2017 – 13-3, 2-1

• 2018 – 11-5, 3-0

Head coach: Bill Belichick

Quarterback: Tom Brady

Owner: Robert Kraft

General Manager: Bill Belichick

Certain Hall of Famers from those Patriots teams: head coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady

Longer shot Hall of Fame Players from those Patriots teams: tight end Rob Gronkowski, slot receiver Julian Edelman, running back Sony Michel, and owner Robert Kraft

Notes:

The New England Patriots have been to the Super Bowl eleven times (the most of all NFL teams).

There have been two additional times where the Patriots could have played in the Big Game three seasons in a row – had they gone to the Super Bowl in 2002 and 2015.

During the Brady-Belichick era, the Patriots went to the Super Bowl nine times, going 6-3 in the Big Game. If not for a 41-33 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, the Patriots would have become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls, as they beat the Falcons in a famous comeback in Super Bowl LI and went on to beat the Rams in an ugly Super Bowl LIII the year after losing to the Eagles. Yet, not even Brady and Belichick could win three straight championships despite being among the teams to reach the Super Bowl three years in a row.

What Made The Patriots Great

The combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady made the Patriots one of the league’s premiere franchises. Belichick had established himself as a great coach before being hired by the Patriots, but he got even better after joining the team.

His schemes were unique and often stood out compared to their opponents. He saw the game differently than other coaches, allowing him to think outside the box to beat more talented teams.

Belichick benefited from the Pats drafting a young Tom Brady out of Michigan. There were low expectations for the quarterback, but he fit perfectly into Belichick’s new offense. Over the years, Brady would go from being a system quarterback to one of the best ever to play the game. While he doesn’t have the impressive stats of Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, Brady’s ability to win big games made him the greatest ever to play the position.

Final Analysis

It obviously takes a lot of talent to get to the Super Bowl three seasons in a row. Usually, having a few future Hall-of-Famers is a necessity. But it also requires the ability to make the most out of that talent and elevate average players to get them to play at a championship level. 

That’s part of the genius of Shula, Levy and Belichick – to be able to consistently pull the most out of their players, especially the ones that other teams didn’t want.

Who knows when it will happen again?

Who’s Next to Get to 3 Super Bowls in a Row?

Now that the Belichick-Brady era is over, what team will be the next to make three consecutive Super Bowl appearances? Needless to say, only one team comes to mind.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs came close to joining this list at the very start of the Patrick Mahomes era. The Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV in Mahomes’ second season as a starter and got back to the Super Bowl the following year, only to lose to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Kansas City almost made it three straight trips but lost to the Bengals in the 2022 AFC Championship Game. Keep in mind that in Mahomes’ first season as a starter, the Chiefs lost to Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Winning that game would have positioned Kansas City to ultimately reach the Super Bowl in three straight seasons. 

Alas, the combination of Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid is close to reaching three straight Super Bowls yet again. Kansas City was victorious in Super Bowl LVII and LVIII. The Chiefs then earned the top seed in the AFC playoffs during the 2024 NFL season, putting them two wins away from becoming the fourth team to reach the Super Bowl in three straight seasons. They are also three wins away from becoming the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in three straight years. Such a feat would fuel the debate between Brady and Mahomes with regard to the greatest of all time. Of course, countless teams have discovered just how difficult it can be to reach the Super Bowl in three straight years. Only time will tell if the Mahomes and the Chiefs make that short list of special teams.

While we’re on the subject, we’d also like to invite you to read our article about all the known future Super Bowl locations.