Bill Belichick has done something neither Chuck Noll, Tom Landry nor Bill Walsh ever managed. Same for Tom Brady, besting the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach and Joe Montana.
Together, Belichick and Brady have put themselves into a record seven Super Bowls. And they made the New England Patriots the NFL's first franchise to play in nine Super Bowls with a 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night in the AFC championship game.
That victory helped the Patriots break from the NFL's pack of royalty, the teams who seemingly take turns making the league's championship games into their personal finish lines.