Two and done: How the first 8 NFL teams seeking a three-peat fell short

The Chiefs, as you may have heard, are trying to become the first NFL team to win three straight championships in the Super Bowl era. Kansas City is just one win away from pulling it off, which is to say the Chiefs are as close as any team has gotten in the past 48 years.

Three-peating, in general, is not an easy thing to do. No team in the four major sports has done it in the past 20 years. The Los Angeles Lakers won three NBA titles from 2000-02, the New York Yankees did it in baseball from 1998-2000, and the New York Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83.

But in the NFL, just making the Super Bowl after two straight championships is unprecedented. Now, as the Chiefs prepare to play the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, let's look back at the eight NFL teams that won back-to-back titles and why they fell short in their quest for a third. (Note: The years are for the seasons they played in, not the year of the Super Bowl.)

[Prepare for the epic Eagles-Chiefs matchup on FOX Sports' Super Bowl LIX hub ]

New England Patriots , 2003-05

WHY THEY WON: This was three championships in four years, and the back-to-back titles came two years after Tom Brady's triumphant arrival in the 2001 season. These two rings were largely due to New England's defense, which gave up the league's fewest points in 2003 and the second-fewest in 2004. Brady threw three touchdowns and set up Adam Vinatieri's game-winner to beat Carolina, and the Patriots repeated when Brady threw two more touchdowns and Rodney Harrison picked off Donovan McNabb to clinch a close win over the Eagles.

HOW THEY FELL SHORT: New England opened the 2005 season just 6-5, finished strong to go 10-6 but had to go on the road in the divisional round. The