Current:Home > NewsWhich NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl? It's a short list. -FinanceMind
Which NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl? It's a short list.
View
Date:2025-04-11 12:26:56
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! (17)
Related
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- A Colorado man is charged with arson in a wildfire that destroyed 26 homes
- Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau’s Sister Katie Speaks Out After Their Tragic Deaths
- Gordon Ramsay’s Daughter Holly Ramsay Engaged to Olympic Gold Medalist Adam Peaty
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- A plan to extract gold from mining waste splits a Colorado town with a legacy of pollution
- With Florida football's struggles near breaking point, can DJ Lagway save Billy Napier's job?
- Dutch adopt US war graves to harbor memories of the country’s liberation 80 years ago
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Harvey Weinstein Indicted on New Sexual Assault Charges in New York After Overturned Conviction
Ranking
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Pac-12 to add Boise St., Fresno St., San Diego St., Colorado St. in 2026, poaching Mountain West
- Democrats claiming Florida Senate seat is in play haven’t put money behind the effort to make it so
- VMAs 2024 winners list: Taylor Swift, Eminem, Ariana Grande compete for video of the year
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- 2024 MTV VMAs: See How Megan Thee Stallion Recreated Britney Spears' Iconic Snake Routine
- University of Mississippi official and her husband are indicted on animal cruelty charges
- Watch Army veteran literally jump for joy over this surprise gift from his wife
Recommendation
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
An ER nurse says it was ‘second nature’ to rescue a man trapped in hurricane floodwaters
Georgia community grapples with questions, grief and a mass shooting
Linkin Park setlist: All songs in the From Zero World Tour kickoff with Emily Armstrong
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
How many VMAs did Taylor Swift win last night? See the singer's full, record-breaking haul
The echoes of Colin Kaepernick ring loudly in Tyreek Hill police detainment
The prison where the ‘In Cold Blood’ killers were executed will soon open for tours