Which Team has Won the Most Super Bowls?
When it comes to sheer number of championships won, there’s no question who the best NFL team of all-time is: It’s the Green Bay Packers. They’ve claimed the title 13 times since they were founded in 1919. However, nine of those happened before the first Super Bowl in 1967 – which the Packers won as well.
That leaves Green Bay just a bit short when it comes to which team has won the most Super Bowls. The great Chicago Bears teams of the pre-WWII era have also disappeared from memory; of their nine titles in franchise history, only one was at the Super Bowl, although it was the incredible 1985 Bears who won it all at Super Bowl XX.
Believe it or not, the Cleveland Browns (four titles) and Detroit Lions (another four titles) also used to be world-class football clubs. But not only have these sad-sack teams failed to win a Super Bowl, they haven’t even played in the Big Game yet – although we’re not including the Baltimore Ravens, since the NFL itself doesn’t carry over the history of the original Browns franchise that absconded to Baltimore in 1996.
So, which team has won the most Super Bowls? We’ve already covered the player with the most Super Bowls, so here’s our list of each NFL team that’s won the Big Game at least three times – a list that Kansas City can join if they beat Philadelphia (–1.5 at Bodog Sportsbook as we go to press) at Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12.
Las Vegas Raiders (3)
They were actually the Oakland Raiders when they won their first two Super Bowls (XI and XV), then the Los Angeles Raiders when they claimed their last title at Super Bowl XVII nearly 40 years ago. It’s never as good as the first time; the Raiders had John Madden as their head coach and Ken Stabler as their quarterback when they went 13-1 during the 1976 campaign and beat the Minnesota Vikings (+4) 32-14 at the Big Game.
Washington Commanders (3)
The Commanders also had a different name when they won their three Super Bowls (XVII, XXII, XXVI). They were 3-point underdogs for their first two championships; all three had Joe Gibbs as their head coach, with three different quarterbacks: Joe Theismann, Jay Schroeder, and Mark Rypien. Washington haven’t gotten past the Divisional Round since that last victory in 1991.
Denver Broncos (3)
People of a certain age will remember when The Simpsons (and really, just about everyone else) made fun of the Denver Broncos for always coming up short at the Super Bowl. That all changed in 1997 when John Elway and the Broncos won their first of back-to-back titles at Super Bowl XXXII. Peyton Manning would make it three at Super Bowl 50, in the last game he ever played.
New York Giants (4)
That last championship for the Broncos also saved Peyton from being shown up by his younger brother Eli. It was the second Super Bowl win for the former (his first was with the Indianapolis Colts), tying him with the latter; Eli Manning led the Giants to victory at Super Bowls XLII and XLVI, both times as underdogs to the New England Patriots. Phil Simms (XXI) and Jeff Hostetler (XXV) were the other winning quarterbacks for Big Blue.
Green Bay Packers (4)
The Super Bowl Era may have overshadowed all the titles Green Bay racked up starting in 1929, but this team is still emblematic of football greatness at the highest level: The NFL even named the championship trophy after Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Packers at Super Bowls I and II. Bart Starr was Lombardi’s quarterback, with Brett Favre (XXXI) and Aaron Rodgers (XLV) following in his footsteps and collecting the rest of the silverware.
San Francisco 49ers (5)
The 49ers didn’t enjoy much success in the NFL until the DeBartolo family bought the team in 1977. Then they hired Bill Walsh as their head coach in 1979, the same year they selected QB Joe Montana in the third round. Walsh and Montana would win three Super Bowls together (XVI, XIX, XXIII). George Seifert took over for Walsh at Super Bowl XXIV, then Steve Young took over for Montana at Super Bowl XXIX. The Niners have yet to win another since the DeBartolos sold the team in 1999.
Dallas Cowboys (5)
Of the NFC teams on this list, the one with the most titles happens to be the newest of the bunch. The Cowboys were formed in 1960 and won exactly zero games that season for head coach Tom Landry; 11 years later, America’s Team prevailed at Super Bowl VI, then they did it again at Super Bowl XII, both times with Roger Staubach under centre. The Cowboys dynasty of the early 1990s (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) featured the legendary trio of QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith and WR Michael Irvin on offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers (6)
Back in the day, it was all about the Cowboys versus the Steelers, which is why it comes as no surprise to see the Steelers in the list of which teams have won the most Super Bowls. Pittsburgh beat Dallas at Super Bowls X and XIII, with QB Terry Bradshaw out-duelling Staubach; Bradshaw won another pair of titles at Super Bowls IX and XIV, then “Big” Ben Roethlisberger added another pair (XL, XLIII) to set the record for most Super Bowl wins for a single franchise. Remarkably, the Steelers were favoured in each of their six championship wins – they were the underdogs in their losses to Dallas and Green Bay.
New England Patriots (6)
The Steelers spent 10 years alone in first place on this list before company came along. The Bill Belichick-Tom Brady regime is the closest thing to a Super Bowl dynasty that the NFL has ever produced, winning all six of their titles (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII) in the span of 17 years. Brady would go on to win a seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Belichick is hoping Sam Jones can create the same magic as Brady somewhere down the road. It could happen.