Mahomes, Chiefs deny ex-Cowboys defensive lineman a ring

The Cowboys thought they had agreed to a contract with Gregory prior to the 2022 campaign. An announcement was actually made to that effect.

But Gregory suddenly changed his mind and signed a similar deal with the Denver Broncos instead.

The change of scenery did not produce the desired result as Gregory only played in six games in 2022. He played just four games in Denver in 2023.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton had seen enough and Gregory was traded to 49ers on Oct. 6^th.

In 10 games with the 49ers he had 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles. He added five tackles in the playoffs, including one in the Super Bowl.

For a few minutes it looked like he was going to cap his journey with a Super Bowl ring.

But Patrick Mahomes had other ideas. Still Gregory came a lot closer to capturing that elusive Lombardi this year than anyone on his former team did.

It Always Happens In Threes

The 49ers loss on Sunday was the third-straight loss in Super Bowl appearance for the franchise. San Francisco joins Cincinnati with three consecutive Super Bowl losses.

The 49ers did win their first five championship game appearances while the Bengals have never won a title.

The Broncos, Vikings and Bills all have four straight Super Bowl losses on their resume.

Denver at least has three Lombardi trophies in their eight Super Bowl games played. Minnesota went 0-4 from 1970 to 1977.

Buffalo of course lost four straight in consecutive Super Bowls from 1991-94, two at the hands of the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have never lost consecutive Super Bowls in their eight appearances.

The Leaderboard

The New England Patriots (6-5) and Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) remain alone at the top with the most Lombardi trophies.

The Cowboys (5-3) and 49ers (5-3) remain tied for third. Kansas City (4-2) moved up into a tie for fifth with the Giants (4-1), and Packers (4-1).

The Broncos (3-5), Raiders (3-2), and Commanders (3-2) are tied for eight and round up the Top 10 in Super Bowl wins.

Only four teams have won a Super Bowl without losing one. The Tampa Bay and the Ravens are both 2-0.

The Saints and Jets are both 1-0.

All Tied Up

Kansas City's win leveled the Super Bowl record between the NFC and the AFC at 29 wins each.

The NFC's dominating run of winning 15 of the 16 Super Bowls played between 1982 and 1997 had given the conference a sizable lead.

The Patriots run to kick off the 21^st Century helped the AFC catch up. The Chiefs' back-to-back Super Bowl run helped tie it up again.

The AFC is now 15-10 in the Super Bowls played in this century.