Which NFL Teams Have Never Won a Super Bowl? A Look at the 12 Still Chasing History

The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will have an opportunity to play for history on Sunday afternoon, going head to head in Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs can etch their names in NFL history with a win, becoming the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls, while the Eagles are trying to capture their third ring in franchise history, and their second in the past decade. 

It's obvious to say that 31 teams in the league will be looking at the eventual victors with envy, wishing to be the ones who win the final game of the year. However, there are 12 teams in the NFL who would give just about anything to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, seeing as they have never done so before. 

Who are those 12 teams? Let's take a closer look. 

Minnesota Vikings 

Trips to the Super Bowl: 4

The Vikings not only have lost four Super Bowls, but they have also lost a total of six conference championships, meaning they were part of the final four teams a total of 10 times in franchise history. All four of Minnesota's Super Bowl losses game in the 1970's, while all six conference championship losses have come since then. 

Buffalo Bills

Trips to the Super Bowl: 4

It's hard to find a more tortured fanbase than the Buffalo Bills, seeing as they lost four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991-1994. The first was a brutal 20-19 loss to the New York Giants, while the ensuing three defeats came by a combined 65 points to the Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys, twice. To make matters worse, Buffalo now has an MVP quarterback in Josh Allen, but he is 0-4 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs, with two losses in the conference championships. 

Cincinnati Bengals

Trips to the Super Bowl: 3

The Bengals have three Super Bowl losses, all by a combined 12 points, which is tough to swallow. Joe Burrow led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl in 2021, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in a close game. 

Carolina Panthers

Trips to the Super Bowl: 2

The Panthers have only been around for 30 years, but they've managed to be around the hoop several times during that span, losing a pair of Super Bowls. In 2004, they lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots, and in 2016, they fell to Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Despite the pair of Super Bowl losses, the Panthers are the only team on this list with a winning record in the postseason. 

Atlanta Falcons

Trips to the Super Bowl: 2

The Bills may have experienced pain like no other with their four consecutive losses in the Super Bowl, but no team on this list seemingly experienced a gut punch as bad as the Falcons did in 2017 with their 34-28 OT loss to the Patriots. Atlanta was famously leading that game 28-3 with 3:12 left in the third quarter, and managed to blow the game in horrific fashion.

Tennessee Titans

Trips to the Super Bowl: 1

When your team has been involved in a famous "play" or "moment" in the Super Bowl, it's either a really good thing, or a really bad thing. In the Titans' case, it's a really bad thing. Tennessee was on the wrong side of "The Tackle" in 2000 against the St. Louis Rams. Trailing by seven with six seconds in the game, receiver Kevin Dyson caught a slant pass over the middle and was wrapped up by St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones near the 1-yard line. Dyson stretched out his arm toward the goal line, but he was inches short, ending the game. 

Los Angeles Chargers

Trips to the Super Bowl: 1

The Chargers have been to a Super Bowl once, and made it to three AFC Championships as well, but they've lost by at least a touchdown in every one of those games. The Super Bowl loss came in a blowout to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers, 49-26, in 1995. 

Arizona Cardinals

Trips to the Super Bowl: 1

The Cardinals are the oldest team in league history without a Super Bowl victory, though they did win a pair of 'League Championships' before the Super Bowl era began in 1925 and 1947.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Trips to the Super Bowl: 0

The Jaguars have a trio of AFC Championship appearances, but have never gotten over the hump. The latest AFC Championship appearance came in 2017, where they blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. 

Houston Texans

Trips to the Super Bowl: 0

Not only have the Texans never made it to a Super Bowl, but they've never reached a conference championship game either. Of course, they are the newest team in the NFL, joining in 2002, so it's not a surprise that they are on this list. 

Detroit Lions

Trips to the Super Bowl: 0

The Lions are one of the oldest franchises in NFL history, but no Super Bowl appearances. Detroit's postseason resume — or lack there of — is daunting, as they went from 1958-1991 without winning a playoff game. That 33-year streak was then followed by a 21-year postseason winless streak that was broken in 2023. 

Cleveland Browns

Trips to the Super Bowl: 0

Before the Super Bowl era, the Browns were the class of the NFL, winning seven championships in their first 10 years as a franchise. In the modern NFL era, though, Cleveland has been among the worst teams in the league, posting more winless seasons (one) than division titles and Super Bowl appearances combined (zero).