There have been 57 Super Bowl winners, and the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have combined for eight of those, or about 14% of the total championships. While each team would love to add another to the collection, at the same time, it isn’t like this would be the first time. In fact, when compared to most teams in the NFL, another championship, in the grand scheme of things, may not mean nearly as much as it would to another team.
For example, had the Lions won last week and been playing for a Super Bowl, there would be no question that a win would mean more and do more for the team and organization than both of these teams combined.
Yet, here we are with the 49ers, who’ve won five Super Bowls, and the Chiefs, who’ve won three, including two in the last five years. But which team would it actually mean more for? Which team would gain more by holding up the trophy late Sunday evening? Depends how you look at it.
What a Super Bowl Win Would do for the Kansas City Chiefs
In terms of bringing much more value to the actual team, it wouldn’t do a ton, at least immediately. It could, however, set up quite a future, with a New England Patriots kind of dynasty. This would go further than just the team.
Patrick Mahomes is a fringe top-five QB of all time already, with two Super Bowl wins. Only Tom Brady (7), Terry Bradshaw (4), Joe Montana (4), and Troy Aikman (3) have more Super Bowl wins. Mahomes is already in a tie for fifth, along with nine other quarterbacks. A third win would put Mahomes alone in the top tier and set him up for a real chance to move into a tie for second and potentially a sole second place with two more Super Bowl wins. Tom Brady feels like an unlikely milestone, but a win would at least keep it a possibility.
A win would do the same for Andy Reid. Reid currently sits in a tie for fourth all-time in wins, along with 10 other coaches. A win would put him in a tie for third and give him a real chance of tying or passing Chuck Noll for second all-time (4).
Finally, a win would move the Kansas City Chiefs into a tie for fifth all-time for most Super Bowl wins, alongside the New York Giants and and Green Bay Packers.
What a Super Bowl Win Would Mean to the San Francisco 49ers
For the 49ers, there is bit more of a team aspect to potentially winning the Super Bowl. Yes, the team has five Super Bowls, but the last time they hoiseted the Lombardi Trophy was all the way back in 1994. For some perspective on that, Brock Purdy was still five years from being born, and Tom Brady was playing Quarterback as a senior at Junipero Serra High School.
In other words, it has been a very, very long time.
Winning the Super Bowl would mean a lot to the city of San Francisco, and would probably be more celebrated than it would be in Kansas City. This is especially true since the last time two times the 49ers were in the Super Bowl, they lost.
Aside from that aspect, winning another Super Bowl would put the 49ers in a tie for first place for the most Super Bowl ever, alongside the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Considering neither of those teams are showing any signs of being in the top-tier anytime soon, the 49ers may have a very good chance to be the first to seven and become the all-time leader.
Verdict
There isn’t a clear cut winner on which team a win would do more for. If you value personal accolades such as Mahomes or Reid moving up the all-time leader board, the Chiefs probably benefit more. If you value a team winning for the first time in a long time, the answer is clearly the 49ers.
Regardless, both teams are going to be ready and determined to win this game, and it very easily could be one of the best Super Bowl matchups we’ve seen in recent years.