Back-to-back, then smack

51 teams have attempted a three-peat in the 4 major sports leagues. Only 14 have done it. It never has happened in the Super Bowl era of the NFL. You have heard of the 1990s Bulls. You likely don’t know about the 1989 Oilers. A look at what went wrong when teams tried to three-peat.

Packers coach Vince Lombardi is carried off the field after his team defeated the Raiders in Super Bowl II in 1968. The next season, Lombardi moved upstairs to be general manager and the Packers went 6-7-1 under first-year head coach Phil Bengston. AP

The Patriots’ Ellis Hobbs fumbles as he is hit by Broncos kicker Todd Sauerbrun on a kickoff return, one of five turnovers against the Broncos in their divisional round game loss following the 2005 season. Bill Ross/AP

PREVIOUS IMAGE

Image

NEXT IMAGE

Until this year’s Chiefs, no back-to-back Super Bowl champion has ever advanced to the Super Bowl in an effort to win three consecutive titles. The Chiefs are only the third team to advance to the conference championship game in a would-be three-peat season. Two of the back-to-back champs followed with a losing record.

1968 Packers (6-7-1): Green Bay suffered its first losing season in a decade. Legendary coach Vince Lombardi moved upstairs to take a general manager role, and the Packers strugled under first-year coach Phil Bengston.

Lombardi left after the season to join Washington. Bengston would last only 2 more seasons in Green Bay.

In the next 23 seasons the Packers would make the playoffs only twice until 1991.

1974 Dolphins (11-3): Miami steam-rolled its way through the season despite losing the season opener to the Patriots.

Fullback Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese powered the Dolphins to a top-3 offense that racked up blowouts.

But the Dolphins season ended when they ran into the Raiders and lost in the first round 28-26.

Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler threw for 4 touchdowns while Griese threw only 1 and barely topped 100 passing yards.

The Dolphins missed the playoffs in each of the next two seasons.

1976 Steelers (10-4): The Raiders, in the middle of a dynasty of their own, knocked off the Steelers 24-7 in the AFC Championship Game.

The top-ranked Steel Curtain defense dominated all season, but struggled against the Raiders.

Stabler threw 2 touchdowns and Clarence Davis rushed for one more.

The Steelers lost in the first round of the playoffs after the 1977 season, going 9-7, but then went 32-6 and won Super Bowls after the 1978 and ’79 seasons,

1980 Steelers (9-7): Pittsburgh’s second try at a three-peat went worse than the first. They finished third in their division and the vaunted Steel Curtain defense looked downright pedestrian, finishing in the middle of the pack in the league.

Terry Bradshaw, Super Bowl XIV MVP, in the previous season, had a putrid-by-today’s-standards 75.0 passer rating (24 TDs and 22 INTs — yikes!).

The Steelers bounced back somewhat and returned to the playoffs after the 1982 and ’83 seasons.

1990 49ers (14-2): The Giants edged the Niners 17-15 in the NFC Championship Game on the leg of Matt Bahr, who scored three unanswered field goals in the third and fourth quarters.

But, it was by no means the end of the 49ers dynasty. After missing the playoffs after the 1990 season, the Niners advanced to the conference championship in each of the next three seasons with a Super Bowl win after the 1994 season.

1994 Cowboys (12-4): The clash between owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson ended with Johnson resigning in the wake of his second striaght Super Bowl win. Enter Barry Switzer.

The former Oklahoma coach led the Cowboys to the conference championship where they promptly loss to eventual Super Bowl champ 49ers 38-28 with almost exactly the same roster they had the previous year, minus linebacker Ken Norton, who signed with the Niners.

They settled for three-out-of-four titles, as they went 12-4 again in 1995 and won Super Bowl XXX against the Steelers.

1999 Broncos (6-10): John Elway won back-to-back Super Bowls and promptly retired. Running back Terrell Davis followed up an MVP, 2,000-yard season with a knee injury and missed all but four games.

Top tight end Shannon Sharpe played in only five games.

Good luck with all of that, second-year QB Brian Griese. He finished with a 75.6 passer rating (14 TDs and 14 INTs).

Sharpe recovered nicely, signing a deal with the Ravens, where he won the Super Bowl the next season.

2005 Patriots (10-6): If losing in the divisional round of the playoffs during a dynasty can be called an off year, this was it.

The Patriots had 5 turnovers, including 3 fumbles, and lost 27-13 to the Broncos.

To say the Patriots recovered from the disappointment is a bit of an understatement as they would play in 6 of the next 13 Super Bowls.

Source: pro-football-reference

Three-peat tries in other leagues

(Three-peat winners in bold)

MLB

1909 Cubs (104-49-2): Finished 2nd in National League to Pirates (110 wins)

1912 Athletics (90-62-1): 3rd in AL

1917 Red Sox (90-62-5): 2nd in AL

1923 Giants (95-58): Lost in World Series to Yankees

1929 Yankees (88-66): 2nd in AL

1931 Athletics (107-45-1): Lost in a 7-game World Series to Cardinals

1938 Yankees (99-53-5): Swept Cubs in World Series to complete 3-peat

1951 Yankees (98-56): Won World Series in 6 games over Giants

1963 Yankees (104-57): The Dodgers swept Yankees in World Series

1974 Athletics (90-72): Won World Series in 5 games vs. Orioles

1977 Reds (88-74): 2nd in NL West

1979 Yankees (89-71): 4th in AL East

1994 Blue Jays (55-60): 4th in AL East, no World Series in ’94

2000 Yankees (87-74): Won World Series in 5 games vs. Mets

NBA

1950-51 Lakers (44-24): Lost in division finals

1953-54 Lakers (46-26): Won NBA Finals vs. Syracuse in 7 games

1960-61 Celtics (57-22): Won Finals in 5 games vs. St. Louis Hawks. Celtics would win 6 of next 7 championships.

1988-89 Lakers (57-25): Pistons swept Lakers in NBA Finals

1990-91 Pistons (50-32): Lost in conf. finals

1992-93 Bulls (57-25): Won Finals in 6 games vs. Suns

1997-98 Bulls (62-20): Won Finals in 6 games vs. Jazz

2001-02 Lakers (58-24): Swept Nets in Finals

2010-11 Lakers (57-25): Lost in conf. semis

2013-14 Heat (54-28): Lost in Finals to Spurs

2018-19 Warriors (57-25): Lost in Fnls. to Raptors

NHL

1925-26 Canadiens (23 pts): 7th in NHL

1931-32 Canadiens (57): Lost in semis to Rangers

1937-38 Red Wings (35): 4th in Amer. div.

1948-49 Maple Leafs (57): Won Stanley Cup in 4-game sweep vs. Red Wings

1955-56 Red Wings (67): Lost Stanley Cup final in 5 games vs. Candiens

1957-58 Canadiens (82): Won Stanley Cup in 5 games vs. Bruins

1963-64 Maple Leafs (78): Won Stanley Cup in 7 games vs. Red Wings

1966-67 Canadiens (77): Lost Stanley Cup Final in 6 games to Maple Leafs

1969-70 Canadiens (92): 5th in NHL East

1975-76 Flyers: Swept in Stanley Cup Final vs. Candiens

1978-79 Canadiens (115): Won Stanley Cup in 5 games vs. Rangers

1981-82 Islanders (118): Won Stanley Cup in 4 games vs. Canucks

1985-86 Oilers (119 pts): Lost in div. finals

1988-89 Oilers (84 pts): Traded Wayne Gretzky to Kings in the offsesaon and promptly lost in division semis.

1993 Penguins (119): Lost in div. finals

1999 Red Wings (93): Lost in conference semifinals

2018 Penguins (100): Lost in second round

2022 Lightning (110): Lost in Stanley Cup Final in 6 games to the Avalanche

Sources: Pro Baseball, basketball, hockey references