Current:Home > ContactWhich NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl? It's a short list. -CapitalSource
Which NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl? It's a short list.
View
Date:2025-04-17 05:15:55
Only four NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl.
Out of 32 NFL franchises: 20 different teams have won the Super Bowl, and eight others have played in the big game but never won the championship.
That leaves four franchises that are still vying for their first trip to the Super Bowl.
Two of the NFL’s most historic franchises – the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions – won NFL championship games prior to the Super Bowl’s creation. But they have yet to even play in the Super Bowl.
And there are two relatively new NFL franchises – the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars – are still looking for their first Super Bowl trip.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Here’s what you need to know about the four teams who have never reached the Super Bowl.
NFL PLAYOFF FORMAT:How many teams make it, how many rounds are there and more
WHO'S FEELING SUPER?Which teams will be playing in Super Bowl 58? Breaking down the NFL playoff bracket
Detroit Lions
The Lions won four NFL championship games in 1935, 1952, 1953 and 1957, but they have yet to reach the Super Bowl since it was created in 1966.
The Lions have reached the playoffs just 13 times since their last championship. They snapped a 31-season drought without a postseason victory by beating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2023 wild-card round. Detroit's only other playoff win during that stretch allowed them to reach the NFC championship game against Washington during the 1991 postseason. The Lions lost that game 41-10, and Washington went on to win Super Bowl 26 that year.
But the Lions have not gotten any closer to the Super Bowl.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns won four championships in the All-America Football Conference in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949. They also won four NFL championships in 1950, 1954, 1955 and 1964.
But Cleveland also hasn't reached the Super Bowl since its inception in 1966.
The Browns reached the conference championship games in 1967, 1969, 1986, 1988 and 1989. The latter three trips ended in heartbreaking fashion against John Elway and the Denver Broncos, against whom the team suffered "The Drive," and "The Fumble."
The Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens after the 1995 season, but they returned in 1999. They've only been to the playoffs three times since coming back, most recently falling short against the Houston Texans in the 2023 wild-card round.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars’ first season was in 1995, and the franchise has not reached the Super Bowl in its 29 seasons in the NFL.
The Jaguars have had eight postseason appearances in 29 years and reached the conference championship game in 1997 and 2017, falling both times to the New England Patriots.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are the youngest NFL franchise, joining the league in 2002.
The Texans have not reached the Super Bowl in 21 seasons, but they're still alive in the 2023 postseason after beating the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round. It marked the fifth time in the Texans' seven postseason appearances that they won a playoff game. They've lost in the divisional round the other four times (2011, 2012, 2016, 2019).
veryGood! (82499)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- You'll Simply Adore Harry Styles' Reunion With Grammys Superfan Reina Lafantaisie
- Schools ended universal free lunch. Now meal debt is soaring
- Some people get sick from VR. Why?
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- U.S. Ranks Near Bottom on Energy Efficiency; Germany Tops List
- He helped craft the 'bounty hunter' abortion law in Texas. He's just getting started
- See Robert De Niro and Girlfriend Tiffany Chen Double Date With Sting and Wife Trudie Styler
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Woman sentenced in baby girl's death 38 years after dog found body and carried her back to its home
Ranking
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Underwater noises detected in area of search for sub that was heading to Titanic wreckage, Coast Guard says
- CBS News poll finds most say Roe's overturn has been bad for country, half say abortion has been more restricted than expected
- Why Are Some Big Utilities Embracing Small-Scale Solar Power?
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Italian Oil Company Passes Last Hurdle to Start Drilling in U.S. Arctic Waters
- The Climate Change Health Risks Facing a Child Born Today: A Tale of Two Futures
- It'll take 300 years to wipe out child marriage at the current pace of progress
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Jason Sudeikis Has a Slam Dunk Father-Son Night Out With His and Olivia Wilde's 9-Year-Old Otis
Back pain shouldn't stop you from cooking at home. Here's how to adapt
Senate weighs bill to strip failed bank executives of pay
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Moose attacks man walking dogs in Colorado: She was doing her job as a mom
Alaska’s Big Whale Mystery: Where Are the Bowheads?
The FDA considers first birth control pill without a prescription