What NFL Teams Have Never Won a Super Bowl?
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The NFL is a league full of parity, with teams rising and falling in the standings every year. However, there are a handful of teams that have never won a Super Bowl, and some of them may surprise you.
Introduction
Since the first Super Bowl in 1967, there have been 52 champions crowned. Of the 32 NFL teams, 14 have never won a Super Bowl.
The longest drought belongs to the Bills, who last made the big game in 1993 and lost to the Cowboys. The Browns/Ravens franchise is also still looking for its first title, with its last appearance coming in 2000 (although the Ravens did win a Super Bowl as the Baltimore Colts in 1970).
The Panthers and Jaguars are among six teams that have never even made a Super Bowl appearance.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays their home games at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills are the only NFL team that plays its home games in the state of New York. The Bills conduct summer training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, New York, an eastern suburb of Rochester.
The Bills began play as an original franchise of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. They joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger for the 1970 season. The 1964 and 1965 All-America Football Conference champions, they have appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls (1991–1994), but have never won. They are 0–4 in those games, and 2–0 in Super Bowls against AFC opponents they did not play against during those seasons (the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams).
The Bills have 16 NFL players who have been honored with 19 first-team All-Pro selections., including two Hall of Famers: running back Thurman Thomas and defensive end Bruce Smith; both played their entire careers with Buffalo. Wide receiver Steve Tasker, guard Ruben Brown, placekicker Steve Christie, defensive end Dwight Henry and safety Henry Jones were named to multiple All-Pro teams but never made it to a Pro Bowl; all five played significant portions of their careers with Buffalo as well.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) as part of the NFC North division. The Lions compete in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.
The franchise has won four NFL Championships, tied for ninth most of any NFL team, but none since 1957. They are also one of four current teams and the only NFC team to have not yet played in the Super Bowl.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns have never won a Super Bowl. They have been to the playoffs 20 times and have had five trips to the AFC Championship game, but they have never won it all. The Browns were founded in 1946 and have been one of the most successful franchises in NFL history, winning eight championships in their first 21 seasons.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team plays its home games at NRG Stadium.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars, who entered the league as an expansion team in 1995, have never made it to the Super Bowl. The team has made it to the playoffs 10 times, most recently in 2017, but has never won a playoff game.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League (NFL) as an expansion team in 1960, and first took the field for the 1961 season. The team competes in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have never won a Super Bowl, but they have come close. They made it to the Super Bowl in 1998, but lost to the Denver Broncos. They also made it to the NFC Championship game in 2016, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion, the New England Patriots.
Los Angeles Chargers
While the Los Angeles Chargers have been to one Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXIX), they have never won the big game. The Chargers were founded in 1959 as the Los Angeles Chargers of the American Football League (AFL). The team played its home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1960 to 2016 before moving to StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers joined the NFL in 1995 as an expansion team, and have yet to win a Super Bowl. The Panthers have made it to the big game twice, losing to the New England Patriots in 2004 and again in 2016.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Their home stadium is Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.
The Bengals were founded in 1966 as an expansion team, and first took the field in 1968. The team has had moderate success throughout its history, winning two AFC titles (1981 and 1988), but losing each time in the Super Bowl. They have also received six Pro Bowl invitations for five different players between 1985 and 1990. However, since 1990 the team has only had seven winning seasons and made the playoffs six times; they have not won a playoff game since 1990. As of 2019, they are the only NFL franchise to have never won a Super Bowl, despite appearing twice during the decade (1982 and 1989). They are also one of only two teams that have never played in a Super Bowl, along with the Detroit Lions; this is due to both franchises predating the first game by three years.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas-based team began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The Oilers won two AFL championships before joining the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football franchise based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Cardinals were founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and are the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The Cardinals play their home games at State Farm Stadium, which opened in 2006 and is located in Glendale, Arizona. Since 1988, the Cardinals have been headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
The team has won two NFL championships: both times when they were based in Chicago. The first occurred in 1925, but is awarded retroactively by the NFL to the winner of the 1920 NFL Championship Game, which was played following the 1919 regular season. The Cardinals have also won five NFC championships (in 1947, 1948, 1974, 1975 and 2008). The franchise has been credited with establishing Arizonans’ interestIn professional football; it also spurred construction of numerous stadiums throughout central Arizona during its tenure In Chicago due to displaced Midwestern fans’ patronage of Away games; most notably Duke University’s Wallace Wade Stadium (now Wallace Wade–Duke University Airport), finished for Their sole visit In 1942.
The team’s history includes two periods of long success: from 1960 to 1981 when they mostly played In St. Louis as well as from 1999 to present day when they have resided In Glendale. However, They have never won a Super Bowl championship In their history.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have never won a Super Bowl, but they have been to two. They lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.