Next Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will meet in Super Bowl LVII.
This will be their fourth and fifth appearances in the NFL’s prestigious final game of the season, respectively. Here are the nine other times one of these two teams played for the Vince-Lombardi Trophy:
-Super Bowl I, January 15, 1967
The Chiefs were at the heart of the first matchup of the Super Bowl, they who were opposed to the Green Bay Packers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. At the time, many thought the National Conference teams were much better than the American teams. The Packers proved them right by dominating the Chiefs 35-10. Kansas City managed to hold their end in the first half and retreated to the locker room four points behind at the half. An interception brought back 50 yards by safety Willie Wood, however, destabilized the Chiefs, who then saw the Packers register 21 unanswered points.
-Super Bowl IV, January 11, 1970
Three years later, the Chiefs defied predictions and won the first championship in their history. To do this, they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. Before this duel, the bookmakers gave the “Vikes” favorites by 13.5 points. Under tough weather conditions, Kansas City’s defense was dominant. She allowed just 67 rushing yards, had three interceptions and recovered two fumble fly balls.
-Super Bowl XV, January 25, 1981
Enter the Eagles, who unfortunately for them were defeated 27-10 by the Oakland Raiders. The Pennsylvania club was however favored by three points and had just maintained an impressive record of 12-4 in the regular season. Quarterback Jim Plunkett threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and the Eagles were never able to recover. It was also the first time in history that a team that took part in the “Wild Card” stage won the Super Bowl.
-Super Bowl XXXIX, February 6, 2005
It was the first time that the final duel of a season was played in Jacksonville and the Florida air did not smile on the Eagles. Led by a certain Andy Reid, the Philadelphia club lost 24 to 21 against the New England Patriots. Trailing by 10 points late in the game, the Eagles scored a touchdown with 1:48 to go. Then recovering the ball with 46 seconds on the board, quarterback Donovan McNabb was the victim of a third interception and the victory became a given for Tom Brady and his gang.
-Super Bowl LII, February 4, 2018
Thirteen years later, the Eagles won their first and only Vince-Lombardi Trophy to date. They did it by getting their revenge on the “Pats” and Brady, following a 41 to 33 win. Fans will remember the famous “Philly Special”. In the fourth quarter, when the Eagles were trailing, the offense played a trick play that allowed quarterback Nick Foles to catch an 11-yard throw for the game-winning middle finger. This game also went down in history as the Super Bowl with the fewest punts (only one) and the losing team scoring the most points (33).
-Super Bowl LIV, February 2, 2020
Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs returned to the ultimate victory by beating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. Kansas City was trailing by 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The Chiefs center threw two touchdown passes in the final seven minutes, the defense got the job done and running back Damien Williams sealed the win with a 38-yard run ending in the pay zone. Reid, the Chiefs’ pilot since 2013, won his first Super Bowl as head coach.
-Super Bowl LV, February 7, 2021
Favorites to win top honors for a second straight year, the Chiefs got a taste of Brady’s medicine. The legendary quarterback was playing his first season in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform. He led the team to an impressive 31-9 win. It was the first time the Chiefs failed to score a touchdown since Mahomes led their offense. Kansas City also had 11 penalties for 120 yards, including eight for 95 yards in the first half alone.
