If the Kansas City Chiefs making the AFC Championship Game feels familiar, that’s because it is.
Patrick Mahomes’ team is headed to the title game for the seventh consecutive season after defeating the Houston Texans in the divisional round on Saturday.
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While the Chiefs’ consistency has been impressive, they are still short of the all-time record. That belongs to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, whose run ended as the Chiefs’ began in the 2018 season.
Those two franchises stand above the rest in terms of longevity. There have only been seven instances where a team made at least four straight AFC or NFC title games. Here’s a full breakdown of those squads:
Patriots: 8 (2011-2018)
AFC Championship Game record: 5-3
Super Bowl record: 3-2
After winning three Super Bowls early in his career, the second half of Brady’s Patriots career was just as impressive. He added three more rings and the record eight straight title game appearances, culminating in a road victory over Mahomes before winning his sixth of seven Super Bowls — and his last in New England.
Chiefs: 7 (2018-2024)
AFC Championship Game record: 4-2 (seventh game set for Sunday)
Super Bowl record: 3-1
Mahomes is keeping pace with Brady despite losing an AFC title game and Super Bowl to his teams during this run. Kansas City will host the title game next weekend for the sixth time in seven years, while the Patriots were only at home five times in their eight-year run. The Chiefs could be the first NFL team to ever win three straight Super Bowls.
Raiders: 5 (1973-1977)
AFC Championship Game record: 1-4
Super Bowl record: 1-0
Head coach John Madden turned the Raiders into a perennial contender, making the AFC title game seven times in his 10 years as coach. This was their best stretch, despite the fact that they came up short four out of five times. Their one victory came in 1976, when Oakland went 13-1 and rolled to a Super Bowl win with quarterback Ken Stabler.
Eagles: 4 (2001-2004)
NFC Championship Game record: 1-3
Super Bowl record: 0-1
Before Andy Reid led the Chiefs to seven straight AFC title games, he had a run of four straight NFC title games with the Philadelphia Eagles. The head coach relied on quarterback Donovan McNabb and a dominant defense, but it took three straight losses before finally breaking through in 2004 — only to lose the Super Bowl to Brady’s Patriots.
Cowboys: 4 (1992-1995)
NFC Championship Game record: 3-1
Super Bowl record: 3-0
The Dallas Cowboys’ run of the 1990s was one of the best in NFL history. Head coach Jimmy Johnson led them to back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993 before Barry Switzer took over and won another ring in 1995. The trio of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin helped create an unstoppable offense.
Bills: 4 (1990-1993)
AFC Championship Game record: 4-0
Super Bowl record: 0-4
This one still has to hurt — a perfect 4-0 record in AFC title games, only to lose the big game every single time. The Bills were loaded with talent during this era (Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith), but they ran into some stiff competition from the NFC.
Cowboys: 4 (1967-1970)
NFC Championship Game record: 2-2
Super Bowl record: 1-1
The Cowboys were the first team to make four straight title games during this run by head coach Tom Landry. It began with a Super Bowl loss in 1967, followed by the franchise’s first Super Bowl win in 1968 before consecutive NFC title game losses to close out the stretch
