NBC Sports’ Jay Croucher breaks down three keys to Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
It doesn’t get bigger than the Super Bowl, but certain matchups have a bit more history.
The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will battle on the Super Bowl stage for the second time in a five-season span when Super Bowl LVIII kicks off in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs came from behind to win the first matchup, Super Bowl LIV, in Miami. Twelve starters from Super Bowl LIV will take the field in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII when the Chiefs and 49ers square off once again. The Chiefs will look to become the first team in nearly 20 years to go back-to-back, while the 49ers are chasing their first title since Super Bowl XXIX 29 years ago.
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This is far from the first time two teams have met in a second Super Bowl showdown. Here’s a look at every Super Bowl matchup that has occurred multiple times:
Miami Dolphins vs. Washington: Super Bowls VII and XVII
The Miami Dolphins made history in their first Super Bowl matchup against Washington, winning Super Bowl VII at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles by a score of 14-7 to close out the NFL’s first and only undefeated season.
Washington got some payback 10 years later, earning a 27-17 victory over the Dolphins at the Rose Bowl in Super Bowl XVII.
NFL
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys: Super Bowls X, XIII and XXX
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are the only teams to match up in three Super Bowls.
Terry Bradshaw’s Steelers won each of the first two showdowns at the Orange Bowl, winning Super Bowl X 21-17 and Super Bowl XIII 35-31. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Ariz., behind Emmitt Smith’s two rushing touchdowns.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Super Bowls XVI and XXIII
Joe Montana and the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals in both of their Super Bowl matchups during the 1980s.
Montana won Super Bowl XVI MVP honors with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in a 26-21 victory at the Pontiac Silverdome. Seven years later in Miami, Jerry Rice went off for a Super Bowl-record 215 receiving yards against the Bengals in a 20-16 Super Bowl XXIII win.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills: Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII
The Buffalo Bills made four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s, but they lost each time, including back-to-back defeats against the Cowboys that weren’t particularly close.
Super Bowl XXVII saw Troy Aikman throw four touchdown passes at the Rose Bowl in a 52-17 blowout. The Cowboys and Bills met at the Georgia Dome a year later for Super Bowl XXVIII, and once again Dallas won convincingly, this time 30-13.
The two Cowboys-Bills matchups mark the only time there was a Super Bowl rematch in consecutive years in NFL history.
New England Patriots vs. St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams: Super Bowls XXXVI and LIII
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s first and last Super Bowl wins together with the New England Patriots came against the same foe.
They earned the Patriots’ first title in franchise history at the Louisiana Superdome with an upset over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Seventeen years later, the Brady-Belichick pairing won a sixth Super Bowl with a low-scoring Super Bowl LIII victory against the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.
New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowls XXXIX and LII
The Patriots officially became a dynasty when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. The 24-21 win in Jacksonville gave Brady and Belichick their third Super Bowl in four seasons.
The team had a chance to go three-for-four once again entering Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, but the Eagles had other plans. Nick Foles led the team to a 41-33 win to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia for the first time.
New York Giants vs. New England Patriots: Super Bowls XLII and XLIX
Brady and Belichick had three Super Bowl defeats during their time together in New England: one against the Eagles and two excruciating losses against the New York Giants.
Eli Manning, David Tyree and the Giants pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NFL history in Super Bowl XLII, beating the 18-0 Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. Four years later, the two teams met once again in Indianapolis with the Giants earning a 21-17 triumph.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers: Super Bowls LIV and LVIII
The first Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl showdown was in Miami to conclude the 2020 season. The 49ers held a 20-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Mahomes and Co. closed the game on a 21-0 run to win Super Bowl LIV, giving Kansas City its first championship.
Now, the 49ers will look to exact some revenge in Las Vegas.
