When the Kansas City chief scores the field against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2025 Super Bowl, they won't play just for another championship. They chase history.
The victory made Kansas City the first team in NFL history, winning three consecutive Super Bowls. This is something that Tom Brady's Patriots, the Cowboys of the 90s, and the Steelers of the 70s have never done.
For chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes, its importance remains unabated.
“that [would be] Mahomes said last February.
Except…it's not entirely true.
The team never won three straight Super Bowls, but Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers won three straight NFL championships from 1965 to 1967. This is a run that includes victory in Super Bowls I and II.
So why isn't that stripe part of the conversation?
Hall of Fame linebacker Dave Robinson has a theory in the Packers dynasty.
“It's advertising,” said Robinson, 83. “That's a fake.”
He believes the NFL is intentionally ignoring Green Bay's three-peats to raise interest in the Chiefs' run.
Hall of Fame Jerry Kramer was the dominant security guard during Lombardi's reign and is less convinced.
“Yesterday's news,” said 89-year-old Kramer. “I think it's human nature to focus on today. The game contributes to that. Every year, another team wins.”
No matter why, one thing is clear. The original three peats have declined from history. And as the Chiefs chase their place in the NFL immortality, the first man who did it wonders whether their legacy has been erased.
A dynasty caught between times
One of the biggest reasons why the Packers' three peats are not widely recognized today is that the first of their championships came before the Super Bowl era.
By 1965, the American Football League had emerged as a legal challenger to the long-established National Football League. The two leagues were on their path to merger, but there was still some good debate. When the Packers won the 1965 NFL Championship against Jim Brown's Cleveland Browns, many questioned whether they could call themselves the best team in professional football.
“The AFL insisted that they could not become a world champion in 1965,” recalls Robinson.
The debate is not without precedent. In 1950, the Cleveland Browns, a fresh team from the Upstart League AAFC team, felt embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, Robinson would not have had a solid history repeating it.
“We deserved to be called the champion in 1965,” he said. “Everyone who saw the Packers and the AFL team in 1965 knew they weren't going to beat us.”
Still, no official Interleague showdown took place. The first Super Bowl didn't happen until the next season. The two-time defending NFL champion Packers finally got the opportunity to prove themselves against the AFL best, the Kansas City Chiefs.
But for Kramer and the Packers, that first Super Bowl wasn't as important as it would later be.
“We didn't know about the AFL. We weren't competing with any of these teams,” admitted Kramer. “We watched the film and there were wide receivers bumping into each other. We played it and laughed.”
In the 1967 season, the Packers completed three peats for the NFL Championship, but it wasn't the Super Bowl that solidified the dynasty. It was a brutal and frosty showdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the Ice Bowl. It is probably the most famous game in NFL history.
At Subzero temperatures, the game became one final drive, one final push, and one final sneak from Bart Starr, securing the victory.
“Ah Relief was very obvious when he won the Ice Bowl, a key addition to the 1967 championship team.”
Two weeks later, the Packers dominated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II, winning 33-14. For Mercain, the moment lacked the drama of the battle that preceded it.
“The Super Bowl was anti-climax,” he admitted.
However, if the Super Bowl didn't have the weight of today yet, Lombardi himself understood the meaning of three peats. Unlike current Chief head coach Andy Reed, he recently said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” [the three-peat]. I'm not mentioning that. I'm not going to mention that” – Lombardi revealed to his players how dangerous he is.
Lombardi emphasized how important it is to win three consecutive times,” Mercain said.
“Vince Lombardi's goal was to win three consecutive championships,” added Robinson.
To commemorate that achievement, the Packers' 1967 Championship Ring told the story: three diamonds in a row representing each successive title.
The big irony of it all is that the trophy that now named Lombardi was not something he particularly appreciated at the time.
Robinson believes that if Lombardi had been aware of how important the Super Bowl would be, he would not have left coaching after the 1967 season.
“If he had realised how important the Super Bowl was, he wouldn't have retired, and we would have beaten the Jets. [in 1968]Robinson said.
Mercain agreed.
“He would have been stuck,” he said.
But Lombardi didn't stop there. He left the Packers at the peak of the dynasty and left the door open for a new era of champions.
Who are they rooting for?
Now, almost 60 years later, the chiefs are in danger of their own three peats. And the Packers legend knows exactly where they stand on top of it. For them, the Chiefs are not just a dominant team, they are a challenge to their position in history. And that's good enough reason to cheer on the other side.
Kramer didn't hesitate when asked.
“I don't want them to claim that they are the only teams that have three in a row, three in a row, and that most media are doing the same thing,” he said. said.
Robinson didn't even write words.
“If the Eagles win, I'll be a little happier,” he admitted before pausing for a moment.
He then added, “The truth is, I'll be happier.”
Mercain, although not openly, shared the same sentiment.
“I don't want them to have three in a row,” he simply said.
Despite their preferences, none of them underestimate Kansas City. Kramer in particular acknowledged the challenges Philadelphia faced.
“They're hell for the football team and they already have hell that runs,” he said. “I don't think they'll lose, but I'm not going to take them root.”
Andrew Mercain is an MS candidate at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and is the grandson of Packers' great Chuck Mercain.
