Trent McDuffie and a pair of Kansas City Chiefs teammates enter Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday in New Orleans poised to do something no one else in NFL history has done.
While plenty of veteran pro football players have appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls — and won all of them — McDuffie, the former University of Washington cornerback, plus edge rusher George Karlaftis (formerly of Purdue) and running back Isiah Pacheco (originally from Rutgers) stand to become the only players in league history to open three title match-ups in a row beginning as rookies.
In other words, be great and fully involved in the showcase event from the very outset of their careers. Most first-year NFL players simply don’t start the Super Bowl.
“It’s been special to be part of a group like this,” McDuffie told reporters during the week, specifically referring to those he arrived with in Kansas City.
3rd year in the league.
3rd Super Bowl. 😈 pic.twitter.com/Qv4yRf40Dy— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 30, 2025
This season, McDuffie has been the healthiest of these three precocious Chiefs by starting every game during the season while the others have had a tougher go, with Karlaftis limited to 11 starting assignments because of an abdominal injury and Pachecho opening just six games because of a fractured fibula.
All three are projected to play against the Eagles on Sunday, though only McDuffie is considered a definite lock as a starter.
Just three other NFL franchises have made three or more consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the Miami Dolphins, who went 3-0 in 1972-74; the Buffalo Bills, who lost all four games in 1991-94; and the New England Patriots, who captured three in a row in 2017-19.
From that group of teams, only one player, Patriots edge rusher Phil Hansen, had a chance to do what McDuffie and his two teammates are set to do, yet the North Dakota State alum came off the bench to play in the 2017 Super Bowl before starting the next two championship games.
That the Chiefs have had three players enter the league, become instant starters and open a pair of Super Bowls with the possibility of a third is nothing short of amazing. They finally paused and acknowledged their good fortune last weekend after beating Buffalo to advance.
“I think last Sunday, in the AFC championship game, was the first time we took a moment with each other and hugged each other and and said this has been an amazing moment,” McDuffie told reporters during the week. “And then we walked back in the locker room and you could see the focus in everyone’s eyes — there’s still so much more to prove.”
