NFL: The 30 most incredible duos in league history

28. Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

During the end of the 1980s and for most of the 1990s, the pass-rushing combination of Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith was one of the best the NFL had ever seen. Playing together with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989 through 1996, Smith and Thomas helped the Chiefs become perennial playoff contenders, as they were a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

Both members of the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team, Thomas and Smith combined for over 200 sacks during their time together in Kansas City. Thomas, who is currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, tragically saw his life cut short. However, his legacy with the Chiefs continues to live on, as he is widely considered one of the best players in team history.

For Smith, he may not be a Pro Football Hall of Famer, but he is also certainly one of the better Chiefs in team history. In his nine seasons with the team, Smith racked up 85.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl every season from 1991 through 1995. Smith and Thomas were both Pro Bowlers during that five-year run.

In 1993, the duo helped lead a Chiefs defense that brought the franchise to their first AFC title game since joining the NFL, though they would eventually lose to the Buffalo Bills. Still, this is one of those pass-rushing tandems that will forever go down as one of the best in league history. For Kansas City, the Chiefs may never see a better pass-rushing duo again.