Wondering what NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl? We’ve compiled them for you. Read on!
One of the most significant sporting events in the United States is just around the corner, the Super Bowl on February 7, 2021!
On February 2, 2020, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs faced off on the big day in Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida. Both teams have recorded Super Bowl success—five for the 49ers and two for the Chiefs, and are still looking to increase their laurels.
Nevertheless, twelve from the thirty-two NFL teams haven’t won the Super Bowl title, while four haven’t even featured on the ‘big day’ at all.
Now is an excellent time to consider the Super Bowl’s history as it approaches, and you might be lucky not to find your favorite team on the list of NFL teams that have never won a super bowl.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
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Table of Contents
Which NFL Teams Have Never Won a Super Bowl?
Many NFL teams have enjoyed play-off success and have crowned it with a victory at the Super Bowl.
However, twelve NFL teams haven’t won the Super Bowl. Out of the 12 teams, four current NFL franchises have never played in a Super Bowl, including teams that have been renamed or relocated.
The Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Minnesota Vikings have not recorded any Super Bowl victory in their franchise’s history.
Most, unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, and Tennessee Texans have never recorded an appearance at Super Bowl.
The following table shows the complete list of NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl, number of appearances, and last Super Bowl appearance.
NFL Team | No. of Super Bowl appearances | Last Super Bowl appearance |
---|---|---|
Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 1977 |
Buffalo Bills | 4 | 1994 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 2 | 1989 |
Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 2017 |
Carolina Panthers | 2 | 2016 |
Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 2009 |
Tennessee Titans | 1 | 2000 |
Los Angeles Chargers | 1 | 1995 |
Cleveland Browns | 0 | N/A |
Detroit Lions | 0 | N/A |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | N/A |
Houston Texans | 0 | N/A |
Which NFL Team(s) Have the Most Super Bowl Appearances Without a Win?
The Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills have recorded the most appearances at the Super Bowl without winning the event.
The Vikings last appeared in 1977, and the Buffalo Bills have recorded a four-time consecutive appearance at the Super Bowl (1991–1994), an NFL franchise record.
Regardless of the Vikings’ unfortunate attempts in the Super Bowl, they won the NFL Championship in 1969, before their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
1. Minnesota Vikings
Super Bowl Appearances: 4
The Minnesota Vikings are joint-highest with the Buffalo Bills in the number of Super Bowl appearances without a victory. They were present four times in the 1970s (1970, 1974, 1975, and 1977) and lost all their attempts.
They were first featured in 1970 against Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth Super Bowl event at Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, and lost 23–7.
The Vikings’ first Super Bowl appearance became an NFL record, the first Super Bowl event played by a modern expansion team.
In 1974, they made their second Super Bowl appearance, losing to the Miami Dolphins 24–7.
They made their second consecutive appearance the following year and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 16–6 at the same venue their first Super Bowl was held.
In 1977, the Vikings made their last Super Bowl event to date, in a 32–14 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
2. Buffalo Bills
Super Bowl Appearances: 4
Buffalo Bills remain the only team to record four consecutive appearances at the Super Bowl (1991–1994).
In a challenging game decided by the odds, the Bills faced the New York Giants in a 20–19 victory in the Giants’ favor.
The Bills reignited their hopes the following year when they battled the Washington Redskins in a game that ended 37–24 at the Bills’ expense.
The next years, they met the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl and lost on both occasions, 52–17 and 30–13.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Super Bowl Appearances: 2
The Bengals have earned their place twice on the ‘big day’ in 1982 and 1989 against the San Francisco 49ers on both occasions.
The 1982 Super Bowl remains one of the most interesting Super Bowl events featuring a 20–0 first-half lead in the Bengals’ favor. However, the game ended 26–21 to reduce the Bengals’ deficit by five points.
In 1989, the Bengals led twice in the 2nd half but couldn’t see the game off victoriously as they were overwhelmed by the 49ers’ expertise in a game that ended.
4. Atlanta Falcons
Super Bowl Appearances: 2
In 1999, the Falcons made their first appearance on the play-off’s most prominent stage against the Denver Broncos, finishing 34–19 in the Broncos’ favor.
Nevertheless, they worked another chance for themselves in the Super Bowl LI, holding a 21–3 lead at halftime but eventually lost 34–28 overtime to the New England Patriots.
5. Carolina Panthers
Super Bowl Appearances: 2
The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice, most recently the XLIII in a dramatic 27–23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2015 they first appeared in the Super Bowl but ultimately lost to the Denver Broncos at full time.
6. Arizona Cardinals
Super Bowl Appearances: 1
In 2009, the Arizona Cardinals reached the Super Bowl for the first time in their franchise history, against a five-time Super Bowl-winning team, Pittsburgh Steelers.
The game was held in the Stadium Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida, with over 70,774 in attendance to witness the Cardinals’ anticipated victory or the Steelers’ sixth Super Bowl victory.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Steelers held a 20–7 lead but could only see off the game with four points at full time.
7. Tennessee Titans
Super Bowl Appearances: 1
Tennessee Titans reached their only Super Bowl in 2000 against the St. Louis Rams. On January 30, 2000, both teams met at the Stadium Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia, with an estimated 88.5 million viewers worldwide.
The Titans were first-timers while the Rams were looking to win their first-ever Super Bowl title. The Rams were up 16-0 in the third quarter, but a 16-point return reduced the Titans’ deficit.
In the end, the Rams claimed a 23–16 victory to be champions on the ‘big day.’
For 19 years, Super Bowl XXXIV remained the most recent that featured two teams that had never won the title and remained one of NFL’s Greatest Games.
8. Los Angeles Chargers
Super Bowl Appearances: 1
The Chargers earned their only Super Bowl appearance in 1995 when they were known as the San Diego Chargers. They faced the San Francisco 49ers, who have previously won four Super Bowl titles.
Both teams scored in all four quarters, but the 49ers claimed victory with a 49–26 score-line to deny the Chargers their first Super Bowl title.
However, the Chargers will be remembered to have disrupted the Bills’ Super Bowl record as this was the only 1990’s Super Bowl the Bills wouldn’t feature.
Which NFL Teams Have Never Been in the Super Bowl?
Four NFL teams have never made a Super Bowl appearance in their history — Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Detroit Lions.
Understandably, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans are NFL’s two newest expansion teams founded in 1995 and 2002.
However, the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions have won the championships before 1966.
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