NFL
Super Bowl Appearance with No Victory
Despite making Super Bowl appearances, the teams covered in this article have never had tangible victory.
Image Credit: Isaiah Vazquez / Contributor/Getty Images
It has been over 50 years since the NFL and AFL rival football leagues decided to merge and establish the Super Bowl. The Annals of NFL history have showcased memorable Super Bowl matchups, giving rise to legendary performances with some dynasties emerging along the way.
Different mechanisms have been introduced by the league along the way to ensure there is parity and competitive balance, so as to give each franchise a shot at the big prize. Some of these mechanisms include the: Salary caps, the NFL draft and the Free agency.
These processes have worked to an extent, with 20 different teams having claimed the Super Bowl since its inception in 1967. However, for a select group of 12 teams, the pursuit of the big prize has proven elusive. Four of the 12 teams have yet to participate in the Super Bowl, while five others have seen their misery pile up, with failure as the end result despite multiple title appearances. These 12 franchises are:
NFL Teams that Have Never Won Super Bowl
| Team Name | Super Bowl Appearances |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 |
| Tennessee Titans | 1 |
Image Credits: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings are tied for the most Super Bowl appearances without an actual victory with 4. On the other hand, only the Cleveland Browns Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars have never made a Super Bowl appearance.
1. Arizona Cardinals
Having been in existence since 1920, the Cardinals are the oldest franchise without a Super Bowl victory. They haven’t been very competitive either, with more than 200 losses than wins in their franchise history.
The Cardinals have only nine playoff appearances in the Super Bowl era, including the 2008 season, when they lost Super Bowl XLIII with 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
2. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have been dismal throughout their NFL existence, with only 14 playoff appearances to show and a record of well below .500 All-Time. Still, they have appeared in two Super Bowls.
The first was during the 1998 season where they were whooped 34-19 by the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.
However, it’s their second Super Bowl appearance at Super Bowl LI that football fans will remember for a long time. The Falcons blew a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots, only to lose 34-28 in overtime. Tom Brady cemented his GOAT status during the game much to the detriment of the Falcon fans, by leading his team to the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and the only overtime victory in the game's 57-year history.
The Falcons haven’t been back to the postseason since the 2017 campaign.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are the only NFL franchise to ever reach four consecutive Super Bowls (1990-1993 seasons). Sadly, Bills lost every single one of them.
Buffalo lost a nail-baiter 20-19 against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV, with their kicker Scott Norwood missing a 47-yard field goal during the final minute of the game.
At Super Bowl XXVI, the Bills were beaten 37-24 by the Washington Redskins before a juggernaut Dallas Cowboys dynasty crushed them in the next two Super Bowls.
The Bills haven’t been back to the Big Game since then despite winning four straight AFC East titles from 2020-2023.
4. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers only entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1995, but they’ve reached the Super Bowl twice in their relatively brief existence. Both their losses came at the hands of an all-time great quarterback.
In 2004, Brady and the Patriots outlasted the Panthers, 32-29, in Super Bowl XXXVIII albeit on a last-second game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
In 2015, NFL MVP Cam Newton inspired them to a 15-1 regular season record and a Super Bowl appearance. However, Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos crushed Carolina’s dream with a 24-10 victory.
5. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have reached the Super Bowl three times since entering the league in 1970. The Bengals made the championship game twice in the 1980s: Super Bowl XVI in the 1981 season and Super Bowl XXIII in the 1988 season. However, they would lose both games to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Bengals would wait until 2022 to make another Super Bowl appearance, where quarterback Joe Burrow would lead them to a narrow 23-20 loss against the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LVI.
6. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns have won many championships as a franchise but no Super Bowls. Cleveland won a championship in its inaugural NFL season in 1950 and again in 1954, 1955 and 1964.
However, it’s been tough sledding since then, with the Browns failing to make the Super Bowl.
7. Detroit Lions
The Lions are one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, having been founded in 1930. What’s rather appalling is that they are yet to make it to the Super Bowl and arguably have the worst postseason résumé in league history.
In 2023, the Lions won their first playoff game since 1992, leading them to historic NFC run as per the franchises expectations. However, it culminated in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.
8. Houston Texans
The Texans are the newest franchise in the league, having joined as an expansion team in 2002. They are yet to reach a conference championship.
However, good things are brewing in Houston, with the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C.J. Stroud, looking to fulfill his superstar potential and lead the franchise to the promised land in the coming years.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have had a checkered history since joining the NFL in 1995 as an expansion team. They had immediate success, reaching the playoffs in four of their first five seasons. Jacksonville would see their fortune turn, as they have only made the postseason four times since 2000, never reaching the Super Bowl despite appearing in three conference championship games.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
Originally the San Diego Chargers until 2017, the Los Angeles Chargers have experienced great success as a franchise. The Chargers have made the postseason 15 times since 1970 and have been to four AFC championship games but only one Super Bowl.
Their sole Super Bowl appearance came in Super Bowl XXIX against the San Francisco 49ers, who thoroughly thrashed them 49-26.
11. Minnesota Vikings
Arguably, the most successful team to have never won a Super Bowl, the Vikings have more regular-season wins than losses and have usually been competitive since the late 1960s.
Minnesota are 0-4 in Super Bowls, all coming during the “Purple People Eaters” era from 1969 to 1976.
Minnesota hasn’t been to the Super Bowl in nearly half a century.
12. Tennessee Titans
Originally named the Oilers until the late 1990s, the Tennessee Titans have only reached one Super Bowl. The lone appearance came during the 1999 campaign, when Steve McNair, debatably the franchise’s greatest quarterback, led them to an agonizing 23-16 defeat against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
The image of wide receiver Kevin Dyson reaching out at the one-yard line, and coming up short as time ran out, always haunts the Titans fans to this day.
Ian Mugo Wanyeki is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a sports enthusiast with vast knowledge of different sport disciplines. Ian is a graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Kenyatta University. He is a Kenyan journalist who’s worked as a sports analyst at Covenant Television Network, as a sports reporter at NTV and as a Sports Correspondent/contributor at Quartz Africa.