Which NFL Teams Have Never Been to the Super Bowl?

The NFL Super Bowl is the biggest annual event in American football, and every team in the league dreams of winning it. But there are a few teams that have never even made it to the big game. Here’s a look at which NFL teams have never been to the Super Bowl.

Introduction

The Super Bowl is the biggest and most important American football game of the year. It is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is usually played on the first Sunday in February. The two best teams in the NFL, one from the American Football Conference (AFC) and one from the National Football Conference (NFC), play each other in the Super Bowl.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have the distinction of being the only team to play in four consecutive Super Bowls, yet never win a single one. They lost to the New York Giants in 1991, the Washington Redskins in 1992, the Dallas Cowboys in 1993, and the Steve Young-led San Francisco 49ers in 1994.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have never been to the Super Bowl. They have been to the playoffs ten times, most recently in 2016, but have never made it to the big game. The Lions have a long history of futility, dating back to their days as the Portsmouth Spartans. They are one of only four teams to have never made it to the Super Bowl, along with the Browns, Jaguars, and Texans.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Browns play their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium, which opened in 1999, with administrative offices and training facilities in Berea, Ohio. The Browns’ official colors are brown, orange, and white. They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a mascot; they are also the only team named after a specific person, original coach Paul Brown.

The franchise was founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur B. McBride and coach Paul Brown as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns dominated the AAFC, compiling a 47–4–3 record in the league’s four seasons and winning its championship in each of them. When the AAFC folded after the 1949 season, the Browns joined the NFL along with three other AAFC teams and became one of its charter members. In 1950, Brown hired an assistant coach from the University of Maryland named Bill Walsh; with Walsh’s help, he assembled what came to be known as “the finest collection of assistant coaches ever assembled on one staff”.

From 1965 to 1995, they made the playoffs 14 times (playing in 10 NFL Championship/Super Bowl games), but did not win another championship during that period; their most recent title was won prior to joining the NFL, during their last season in the AAFC. Between 1995 and 2015 (a 20-year period), they suffered through 14 consecutive seasons without making the playoffs—one of these seasons was 2012 which featured a 1–15 record—and compiled an NFL-worst 128–166–1 record during that time span. Since restarting operations in 1999 after owner Al Lerner’s purchase of then bankrupt franchise from former owner Art Modell’s holding company for $530 million—a then league record price—the Browns have mostly been competitive, posting Winning Seasons in 2002 and 2007 under then head coach Butch Davis; Neither those teams nor any since have posted consecutive Winning Seasons however. In 2012 under first year head coach Pat Shurmur and General Manager Tom Heckert Jr., who had replacements for several long tenured starters including quarterback Colt McCoy via trade and running back Peyton Hillis via free agency playing key roles due to injuries to starters produced a 7–9 season which ended up being Heckert’s last full season as GM as he was fired by new owner Jimmy Haslam following his purchase of controlling interest of then struggling department store chain department store chain Pilgrims Pride midway through Shurmur’s second season as head coach which quickly deteriorated into Shurmur being fired after going 4-12 that year and having posted just nine wins cumulatively over his two seasons at 1-15 overall while fielding some really bad teams talent wise due partly to being hamstrung by former owner Randy Lerner’s frugality following his father Alfred Lerner’s death nine years earlier up through Haslam buying controlling interest giving him much needed revenue injections necessary for increased player personnel spending among other areas..[34] The current regime led by General Manager John Dorsey who has turned over almost two thirds of roster via trades or free agency along with Head Coach Freddie Kitchens who served as interim offensive coordinator for second half of 2018 campaign following firing offensive coordinator Todd Haley whom Dorsey also fired several weeks later has seen many changes on both coaching staffs & starting lineups along with front office positions since late 2012 including change in ownership from Randy Lerner selling majority share to Jimmy Haslam..

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional 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.

The Texans joined the NFL in 2002 as an expansion team, becoming the league’s 32nd franchise and the first in Texas. The team’s majority owner is Cal McNair; Ian McAndrew, Tina Durenberger, and Susie Adams Smith have minority stakes.

In its 15 seasons of existence, the franchise has won just two divisional championships (in 2011 and 2012) and no playoff games.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995, have never been to the Super Bowl. The Jaguars have made it to the playoffs nine times in their franchise history, but they have never advanced to the conference championship 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 are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined the NFL in 1965 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL).

In their 51 years of existence, the Falcons have compiled a record of 368–466–6 (.442), winning division championships in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2016. The Falcons have appeared in two Super Bowls during that time, Super Bowl XXXIII and Super Bowl LI, both under head coach Dan Reeves. However, the Falcons have never won a Super Bowl, and join five other teams who share that dubious distinction.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers joined the NFL in 1995 as an expansion team, and have yet to make a Super Bowl appearance. The Panthers have come close, reaching the NFC Championship Game in both 2003 and 2015, but they have never been able to make that final step.

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 have yet to win a playoff game in their entire history, and have only won two division titles (in 1981 and 1988), despite appearing in the playoffs multiple times in between. As a result, they are currently the only team in NFL history to have not won a playoff game since 1990, and one of only four teams overall to have never made a Super Bowl appearance, along with the Browns, Lions and Texans.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the greater Los Angeles Area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. They were founded on August 14, 1959, and began play on September 10, 1960, as charter members of the American Football League (AFL), before joining the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints currently compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Saints were founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966. The team played their home games at Tulane Stadium through the 1974 NFL season. They moved to the new Louisiana Superdome (now Mercedes-Benz Superdome) for the 1975 season.

Although plagues, such as Katrina in 2005, have interrupted their play, and at times forced them to relocate to another city; they have continued to field a competitive team. They have made 13 playoff appearances, won six division championships (all in the NFC West), and one conference championship since their founding. The team has also won five of seven postseason contests, with their most recent win coming in the 2018 NFC Divisional Playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have never been to the Super Bowl. They’ve been close, but they’ve never quite made it.