So how close have the other teams come to making a three-peat?
1968 GREEN BAY PACKERS
Vince Lombardi retired as the Packers head coach a few weeks after winning Super Bowl II to become the team's general manager. Phil Bengston took over an aging Green Bay team and his style was in stark contrast to Lombardi's. Despite having four of their first five games at Lambeau Field, the Packers got off to a 2-3 start and hovered around the .500 mark before finishing 6-7-1. They missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Lombardi would leave for the Washington Redskins following the season.
1974 MIAMI DOLPHINS
The Dolphins had a magical two year run where they'd go 32-2 and won consecutive Super Bowls. The Dolphins slipped a bit in 1974, going 11-3, but won the AFC East. Miami would have to play at the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the playoffs, and lost in the "Sea of Hands" game. Ken Stabler threw an 8-yard touchdown pass while falling down to Clarence Davis, who fought three Dolphins for the possession of the football. Miami would miss the playoffs the next two seasons and wouldn't get back to the Super Bowl until 1982.
1976 PITTSBURGH STEELERS
This is one of those times where the team was dominant enough to win it all, just came up short in the playoffs. The 1976 Steelers averaged under 10 points given up per game -- still a franchise record. They shut out five teams -- a Super Bowl era record -- including three straight games in the middle of the season. They forced 46 turnovers in a 14 game season. What did the Steelers in was their offense in the postseason. Both of their 1,000 yard running backs -- Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris -- got hurt in the Steelers' first round win over the Baltimore Colts. Both were out in the AFC Championship game against the rival Oakland Raiders, who took advantage by winning 24-7. Obviously this was a blip in the Steelers' dynasty. Because ...
1980 PITTSBURGH STEELERS
After not winning the Super Bowl in 1976 and 1977, the Steelers would win consecutive titles in 1978 and 1979. The 1980 version just got old, especially on defense. The vaunted Steel Curtain fell from the second best defense to 15th overall and the offense, while still good, was turnover prone. They lost three of their final five games of the season (including an ugly 6-0 loss to the Oilers in the Astrodome), knocking them out of the playoff hunt for the first time since 1971. This was the end of the 1970s Steelers dynasty.
1990 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
This is one of the more interesting misses at a three-peat. These Niners were a juggernaut, winning Super Bowls in 1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989. In 1990, they went 10-0 before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the game prior to their showdown with the New York Giants. They won their hyped up Monday Night Football matchup with the Giants, but the two would meet again in the NFC Championship. In that game, Joe Montana was violently hit by Leonard Marshall and suffered broken ribs, a broken hand, and a bruised sternum. He'd miss the rest of the game and nearly the next two years. Steve Young came on and the Niners tried to run out the clock, but a fumble by Roger Craig was recovered by Lawrence Taylor, giving the Giants a chance. New York moved down the field and kicked a field goal as time expired to win the game, 15-13. The three-peat was denied and while the 49ers would win a Super Bowl again in 1994, the dynasty pivoted. Had San Francisco won this game, Montana likely wouldn't have been able to start in the Super Bowl.
1994 DALLAS COWBOYS
With the Niners dynasty (kind of) over, the Dallas Cowboys emerged as the next power in the NFL. Owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson used deft trades and draft picks to build an absolute power house that blew through Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII (both over the Buffalo Bills). However, an offseason argument broke up the Jones-Johnson partnership and the hiring of Oklahoma Sooners legend Barry Switzer to take over. On the surface, the Cowboys didn't miss a beat. They went 12-4 and won the NFC East yet again, but injuries bothered Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and others. They went into San Francisco for the NFC Championship and fell behind early, only the scratch back and lose, 38-28. Dallas would sign cornerback Deion Sanders away from San Francisco and win the next year's Super Bowl, winning three titles in four years.
1999 DENVER BRONCOS
This one is fairly easy: John Elway retired. After winning consecutive Super Bowls over the Packers and Falcons, Elway called it quits after a brilliant 16-year career. Mike Shanahan and the Broncos looked to Brian Griese as their new quarterback as they would lean on running back Terrell Davis, however an 0-4 start to the season (which Davis suffered a season-ending injury) cratered any hopes at a three-peat. Denver went 6-10 on the season and missed the playoffs.
2005 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Like the earlier Cowboys, these era of the Patriots win three Super Bowls in a four year period. The difference is that the Patriots won their last two consecutively. As the theme of this piece goes, injuries played a key role in stopping a three-peat. Tedy Bruschi suffered a stroke in the offseason and Rodney Harrison (who suffered a season ending injury in Week 3) was one of several defensive players who missed time that season. The Patriots also lost coordinators Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and Romeo Crennel (Browns) to head coaching jobs elsewhere. New England got off to a 4-4 start before winning six of their next seven and starting to look like a contender again. But five turnovers in an ugly loss to the Broncos in Denver ended their playoff run. It was the first playoff loss in the Brady/Belichick era, and the Patriots wouldn't win a Super Bowl again for ten years.
No comments:
Post a Comment