Taking a look back at previous Super Bowl matches.

In Super Bowl LVIII on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the 49ers and Chiefs will square off for the Lombardi Trophy for the eighth time in Super Bowl history.

The phrase “rematch” is apt given that these teams met in Super Bowl LIV four years ago, as many of the Chiefs’ Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and Patrick Mahomes, as well as the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, Nick Bosa, and George Kittle, will be prominent figures in this year’s contest. However, the lineups of previous Super Bowl “rematches” differed significantly even if the helmet logos were the same. And the side that prevailed in the first game also won the second in four of those rematches.

New England Patriots vs. St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2001 and 2018 seasons) 

The Patriots were seen as the tenacious underdogs that defeated the St. Louis Rams, “The Greatest Show on Turf,” 20-17 thanks to an exhilarating, game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The game took place on February 3, 2002, at the Superdome.

When the Patriots faced the Los Angeles Rams, headed by Sean McVay and Jared Goff, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on February 3, 2019, it was a very different tale. The Patriots, who were at that point viewed as the NFL’s evil empire by many fans outside of New England, prevailed 13-3 in a defensive duel replete with punt plays to claim their sixth Lombardi Trophy.

On February 6, 2005, in Jacksonville, the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX over the Eagles, 24-21. With the win, the Pats became the latest NFL dynasty and won their third Super Bowl in four years. That meant Philadelphia’s decades-long championship drought would go on.

Let’s go back to February 4, 2018, the day of Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. Quarterback Donovan McNabb and head coach Andy Reid had left Philadelphia long before, but Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were still seen walking around the Patriots’ sideline. Backup quarterback Nick Foles and Reid’s backup head coach Doug Pederson took their spots. Philadelphia won its first Super Bowl by defeating New England 41–33 by utilizing aggressive play calls like “The Philly Special” and appealing to the underdog mindset.