06-08-2023, 12:06 PM
has already etched his name in NFL lore. After just two seasons as the ' starting quarterback, Mahomes has made history by becoming the first player to win a league and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday. Earlier this week, Mahomes and his teammates received the fruit of last year's labor: a gaudy championship ring celebrating Kansas City's first title in 50 years. In 2020, Mahomes and his teammates can make more history by becoming the ninth team in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls and the second team this century to accomplish that feat. The first team to win back-to-back in the 21st century was the 2003-04 , who went a combined 34-4 during that span while winning the franchise's second and third Lombardi Trophies. The 16 years since New England's 24-21 win over the in Super Bowl XXXIX represents the longest stretch between back-to-back champs. The early '70s succe sfully defended their title six years Michael Bandy Jersey after the capped off their dynasty. The made history by winning back-to-back twice: in 1974-75 and again in 1978-79. San Francisco followed suit a decade later, winning back-to-back to cement their legacy as the Team of the '80s. The and both went back-to-back during the '90s. While a few have come close, no defending champion since the early 2000s Patriots have succe sfully defended their title, a streak the Chiefs are hoping to end in 2020. Here's a rundown of each defending champion since the '04 Patriots, along with the main reason why they were unable to repeat as champion. 2005 PatriotsRegular season record: 10-6Playoff results: 27-13 lo s to Broncos in divisional roundBiggest reason for failed repeat: TurnoversWhile their running game did them no favors (the Patriots finished 24th in rushing and 30th in yards per carry average during the regular season), New England's pa s defense, or lack thereof, was the biggest reason why the Pats lost six games during the regular season. A year after boasting one of the league's top defenses, the Patriots were 29th in the league in third-down defense, 31st in pa s defense and 27th in red-zone defense. New England certainly the lo s of Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law, who led the NFL with 10 interceptions as a member of the in 2005.The Patriots' pa s defense, however, was not the main culprit in the team's Troy Reeder Jersey lo s to Denver in the playoffs. Turnovers were, as five Patriot miscues including Champ Bailey's 100-yard interception return led to 17 Broncos points. 2006 SteelersRegular season record: 8-8Playoff results:NoneBiggest reason for failed repeat: InterceptionsPittsburgh lost six games by single digits. , who underwent surgery that offseason following a serious motorcycle accident, threw 14 interceptions in those games. Despite throwing a league-high 23 picks (along with being sacked 46 times), Big Ben and the Steelers still managed to salvage a .500 record by defeating the in overtime in their season finale, which would serve as Bill Cowher's final game on the sidelines. The '06 season was also the last in Pittsburgh for popular pa s rusher Joey Porter, whose departure opened the door for , the franchise's all-time career sack leader.2007 Regular season record: 13-3Playoff results: 28-24 lo s to in divisional roundBiggest reason for failed repeat: Turnovers Three turnovers largely contributed to the Colts' playoff lo s to the Chargers. Leading 7-0, Marvin Harrison's fumble near the end of the first quarter set up the Chargers' first touchdown, a 14-yard touchdown pa s from Phillip Rivers to . Leading 10-7 just before halftime, 's interception to deep in Chargers territory prevented Indianapolis from extending its lead. On their first po se sion of the second half, the Colts reached the Chargers' Bryce Callahan Jersey 4-yard-line before Manning was picked off by safety . While Manning would respond with two second-half touchdown pa ses, the Colts' offensive miscues prevented them from distancing themselves from the Chargers, who received two second-half touchdown pa ses from Rivers and another score from his backup, Billy Volek. 2008 Regular season record: 12-4Playoff results: Lost 23-11 to Eagles in divisional roundBiggest reason for failed repeat: Mi sed scoring opportunitiesThe Giants' shortcomings during their playoff upset lo s at the hands of Andy Reid's Eagles included an 0-for-3 red-zone efficiency rate, two mi Brenden Jaimes Jersey sed field goals, three turnovers (that included two critical fourth quarter miscues), and two unsucce sful fourth and short attempts in the fourth quarter. New York's offense also went just 3-of-13 on third down. The Giants lost despite having more than twice as many rushing yards as the Eagles. 2009 SteelersRegular season record: 9-7Playoff results: NoneBiggest reason for failed repeat: Lost fourth-quarter leadsThe '09 Steelers suffered five three-point lo ses before mi sing the playoffs for the first time under Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh had a fourth-quarter lead in each of those games before ultimately coming up short. One blown lead that was especially painful took place at home against the in Week 13. Despite two fourth quarter scoring drives by their offense, the Steelers' defense allowed Raiders quarterback (and Pittsburgh native) to throw three touchdowns during the game's final stanza. His 11-yard touchdown pa s with le s than 10 seconds left lifted Oakland to a shocking 27-24 victory. A big reason for Pittsburgh's late-game defensive lapses was the absence of Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, who mi sed 11 games due to injury. 2010 Regular season record: 11-5Playoff results: Lost 41-36 to in wild card roundBiggest reason for failed repeat: Blown offensive opportunitiesAs good as the Saints' offense was in '10, they definitely left some points on the field. That fact was on display in their wild card playoff lo s to the Seahawks, a club that went just 7-9 during the regular season. The Saints' red-zone offense, ranked 20th in the NFL during the regular season, was just 4-of-7 against the Seahawks. The Saints were also on the wrong side of one of the most iconic scoring Kellen Winslow Jersey runs in NFL playoff history: 's "Beast Quake" 67-yard run that helped clinch Seattle's upset win. 2011 PackersRegular season record: 15-1Playoff results: Lost 37-20 to Giants in divisional roundBiggest reason for failed repeat: Pa s defense Led by MVP , the '11 Packers were buoyed by an offense that averaged a league-high 35 points per game on their way to a 15-win regular season. As good as the Packers' offense was, their toothle s pa s defense was exposed by in the playoffs. Facing the league's 32nd-ranked pa s defense, Manning threw for 330 yards and three scores