In the 1992 and 1993 NFL seasons, the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills met in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. It was, and remains to this day, the only time the same two teams played in the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons.
It doesn’t work like that in other sports. A pair of juggernauts meeting at the end on an annual basis has happened several times.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics met in back-to-back NBA Finals four different times and it wasn’t that long ago that the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers played for the title in four straight years. There are plenty of stretches in MLB history where the perennial AL champ New York Yankees just kept running into the Dodgers, Giants, or Cardinals in the World Series.
It’s just too dang hard to stay on top in football, though.
Yet, here we are — more than nine months removed from the Kansas City Chiefs’ 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII — and those are still the two best teams in football.
Of course, there’s still a lot to be decided over the next three months or so. There are more than a few contenders in each conference who will have something to say about a Super Bowl rematch coming to fruition.
But when the Chiefs and Eagles duked it out Monday, it was for the title of the best football team of right this second and Philadelphia came out on top. Here’s how the rest of the league stacks up entering Week 12:
1
Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
Last week: No. 1
Week 11 result: 21-17 win vs. Chiefs
2
Kansas City Chiefs (7-3)
Last week: No. 2
Week 11 result: 21-17 loss vs. Eagles
3
Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
Last week: No. 5
Week 11 result: 34-20 win vs. Bengals
4
Detroit Lions (8-2)
Last week: No. 3
Week 11 result: 31-26 win vs. Bears
5
San Francisco 49ers (7-3)
Last week: No. 6
Week 11 result: 27-14 win vs. Buccaneers
6
Cleveland Browns (7-3)
Last week: No. 4
Week 11 result: 13-10 win vs. Steelers
7
Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
Last week: No. 7
Week 11 result: 33-10 win vs. Panthers
8
Miami Dolphins (7-3)
Last week: No. 9
Week 11 result: 20-13 win vs. Raiders
9
Houston Texans (6-4)
Last week: No. 8
Week 11 result: 21-16 win vs. Cardinals
10
Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3)
Last week: No. 13
Week 11 result: 34-14 win vs. Titans
11
Buffalo Bills (6-5)
Last week: No. 14
Week 11 result: 32-6 win vs. Jets
12
Denver Broncos (5-5)
Last week: No. 16
Week 11 result: 21-20 win vs. Vikings
13
Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
Last week: No. 12
Week 11 result: 21-20 loss vs. Broncos
14
Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
Last week: No. 10
Week 11 result: 17-16 loss vs. Rams
15
Cincinnati Bengals (5-5)
Last week: No. 11
Week 11 result: 34-20 loss vs. Ravens
16
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
Last week: No. 17
Week 11 result: 13-10 loss vs. Browns
17
Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)
Last week: No. 15
Week 11 result: 23-20 loss vs. Packers
18
Las Vegas Raiders (5-6)
Last week: No. 18
Week 11 result: 20-13 loss vs. Dolphins
19
New Orleans Saints (5-5)
Last week: No. 19
Week 11 result: BYE
20
Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
Last week: No. 21
Week 11 result: BYE
21
Green Bay Packers (4-6)
Last week: No. 25
Week 11 result: 23-20 win vs. Chargers
22
Los Angeles Rams (4-6)
Last week: No. 27
Week 11 result: 17-16 win vs. Seahawks
23
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
Last week: No. 20
Week 11 result: 27-14 loss vs. 49ers
24
Atlanta Falcons (4-6)
Last week: No. 23
Week 11 result: BYE
25
New York Jets (4-6)
Last week: No. 22
Week 11 result: 32-6 loss vs. Bills
26
Chicago Bears (3-8)
Last week: No. 24
Week 11 result: 31-26 loss vs. Lions
27
New York Giants (3-8)
Last week: No. 32
Week 11 result: 31-19 win vs. Commanders
28
Arizona Cardinals (2-9)
Last week: No. 26
Week 11 result: 21-16 loss vs. Texans
29
Washington Commanders (4-7)
Last week: No. 28
Week 11 result: 31-19 loss vs. Giants
30
Tennessee Titans (3-7)
Last week: No. 29
Week 11 result: 34-14 loss vs. Jaguars
31
New England Patriots (2-8)
Last week: No. 31
Week 11 result: BYE
32
Carolina Panthers (1-9)
Last week: No. 30
Week 11 result: 33-10 loss vs. Cowboys
