Steelers Now
The Kansas City Chiefs are the first team to reach the Super Bowl after winning back-to-back titles. Eight teams have failed to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
The Pittsburgh Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1974-1975 and 1978-1979. On the Steelers’ attempts to three-peat, Pittsburgh lost in the AFC Championship Game to the Oakland Raiders in 1976, while in 1980 they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
If the Chiefs three-peat, they will match the Steelers as the only team in NFL history to win four Super Bowls in a six-year span. Even if the Chiefs accomplish an unprecedented three-peat, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo still thinks the Steelers of the 1970s are the greatest dynasty ever.
“When you look at these other title teams, these dynasty teams. Pittsburgh, Green Bay, the Patriots. They’re not just about one player. Pittsburgh had (10) Hall of Famers on it. They won with defense and they won with offense. Green Bay had nine, 10 Hall of Famers on it. This Chiefs team got (Travis) Kelce, (who) is a Hall of Famer, (Chris) Jones is probably a Hall of Famer and (Patrick) Mahomes is a Hall of Famer,” Russo said on First Take. “This is a about the quarterback, who I think is the greatest quarterback of all time. It’s so much about him more than the team. So from that standpoint, I don’t look at this as the greatest dynasty in the history of the National Football League.
“When you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers, yeah you think of (Terry) Bradshaw. But you think of Franco (Harris), you think of that offensive line, you think of (Jack) Lambert, you think of Mean Joe Greene, you think of Mel Blount. When you think of the Packers, you think of Nitscke and Herb Adderley and Willie Davis and (Bart) Starr and Jim Taylor and (Vince) Lombardi and (Paul) Hornung. You think of a group of people. Here, when you think of the Chiefs, you think of Mahomes and maybe a little Kelce.”
Russo makes a valid point with the Chiefs only having three future Hall of Famers on their dynasty run, four if you count Tyreek Hill. Center Creed Humphrey is off to a good start with three All-Pros, but it’s still early. Maybe All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thurney? Head coach Andy Reid also will be in Canton someday.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones is an impressive trio, but the Steelers had 10 Hall of Famers from their dynasty in the 1970s — Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount and Donnie Shell. Five on offense and five on defense. The Steelers should have an 11th player in the Hall of Fame, but L.C. Greenwood is somehow omitted. Head coach Chuck Noll also is a Hall of Famer.
With the Chiefs, it’s all centered around Mahomes. The Steelers overall had more legendary players. Now, if the Chiefs three-peat, it certainly would...
