Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith explains why team failed to pull off what Patrick Mahomes could

As Emmitt Smith might agree, Patrick Mahomes might arguably be in the best position to win a Super Bowl he ever has been. He appears to be in perfect health, he's had the same key coaches and his team has mostly been in this moment before. They've even already beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in the Big Game before.

However, there's never been an NFL three-peat. One of the closest attempts were the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, who won two Super Bowls and lost in the conference championship in the third season.

Speaking on Friday's edition of "Get Up," Cowboys legendary running back Emmitt Smith blamed the coaching change for the failed third Super Bowl attempt (2:31:)

"I think there was an opportunity for us to get the thing done, three-peat wise, but mentally people was like in disarray. I mean, you saw how our team was and then we had to adjust to a new head coaching style versus the way Jimmy was.

"Jimmy had his arm and his thumbprints on everything around a team and his thumbprints over everything that we did."

In 1993, before Patrick Mahomes was born, Jimmy Johnson won the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year. However, he did not return after hoisting the Lombardi.

Barry Switzer took over as the head coach in 1994 and saw plenty of success in his first season with the team but the unit failed to reach the Super Bowl for the third-straight time. Of course, Switzer avenged the stumble, winning the Super Bowl in 1995. Troy Aikman was Smith's quarterback throughout all of the team's 1990s Super Bowls.

Exploring whether Emmitt Smith was the engine of the Cowboys' success in the 1990s

Syndication: The Anderson Independent Mail - Source: Imagn

The Dallas Cowboys running back pointed to the coaching change for the three-peat stumble, but the bigger question might be why the franchise slipped into the playoff purgatory in the first place. One potential reason is that Emmitt Smith slowed down after 1995.

He was still productive, logging many more 1000-yard seasons. However, he was not quite on the same level as he was during the Cowboys' surge in the earlier part of the 1990s.

In 1995, Emmitt Smith logged his third rushing touchdown total of at least 18 touchdowns. After 1995, he never logged another 18-touchdown season. The Cowboys also failed to log another Super Bowl appearance.

While Smith stuck around with the Dallas Cowboys from 1990 to 2002, his production from 1996 onwards was a step down from what he did in the first half of the 1990s. The Cowboys' rise and stumbles line up with his production.

If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Get Up," and H/T Sportskeeda.