The Super Bowl is the ultimate prize in American sports. The NFL is king and to be the king of the NFL, you need to capture the ever-elusive Lombardi Trophy.
Starting in 1967, the Super Bowl features the winner of each conference championship in a clash for supremacy. This season will be the 59th edition of “The Big Game.”
But throughout history, not all Super Bowl teams have been equal. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite. Out of 58 Super Bowls, seven franchises have 34 championships.
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers each have six. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have five each. The Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs have won four apiece.
So roughly one quarter of the NFL has captured just under 60% of all titles. Which brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum.
Which NFL franchises have never been able to attain a Super Bowl victory?
Which NFL Teams Have Never Won a Super Bowl?
Houston Texans: Joining the NFL as an expansion franchise in 2002, the Texans haven’t necessarily had all that much time to win a Lombardi Trophy. The team has had one of the best defensive players in NFL history in J.J. Watt, but they were never able to make an AFC championship game.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Another expansion team, the Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995 and by 1999 were playing in the AFC championship. Unfortunately for them, they lost to Tennessee in that game and didn’t make it back until 2018 where they lost to New England.
Detroit Lions: The first two entries have only been NFL teams for about 30 years, while the Detroit Lions have been in the NFL since the 1930s. And, much to the chagrin of fans in the Motor City, the Lions have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for most of the Super Bowl era, winning 10+ games just seven times. However, Detroit is coming off an NFC championship appearance a season ago and it looks like things are turning around for the Lions.
Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (1 SB appearance): The Chargers have become (unfortunately for their fans) a chronically underachieving franchise. Dan Fouts led the team to back-to-back AFC championships in 1980 and '81, but the team lost both. The '94 Chargers made it to the Super Bowl, but were blown out by Steve Young and San Francisco. It would take 13 years before the Chargers would get back to the AFC championship, but they lost to New England.
Arizona Cardinals (1 SB appearance): The Cardinals are the oldest NFL team (established in 1920) without a Super Bowl victory. Led by Kurt Warner, the Cardinals scored a go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl 43 with just over two minutes left in the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance before the Steelers went on a soul-crushing touchdown drive.
Tennessee Titans (1 SB appearance): Tennessee has had plenty of good teams throughout the years, but it all boils down to one play. The image of Titans wide-out Kevin Dyson being tackled by Rams linebacker Mike Jones just inches before the goal line is etched into the mind of every football fan. Dyson’s arm outstretched, but just short, will continue to haunt Titans fans until the team can win the Big Game.
Atlanta Falcons (2 SB appearances): It’s been a while since the Falcons got walloped by the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 33, but the wounds from the team’s collapse in Super Bowl 51 are as fresh as ever for fans. Up 28–3 midway through the third quarter against the Patriots, Atlanta couldn’t hold on and eventually lost in overtime.
Carolina Panthers (2 SB appearances): Joining with the Jaguars in 1995, the Panthers have had quite a bit of success in their relatively short NFL existence. Carolina has made two Super Bowl appearances (38 and 50), but fell short in both. Though there’s not much shame in losing to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, respectively. Still, fans will remain haunted by Cam Newton’s decision to not jump on a fumble in Super Bowl 50.
Cincinnati Bengals (3 SB appearances): The Bengals clashed with the 49ers twice in the 1980s, falling just short in tight games on both occasions. Cincinnati wouldn’t return to the Super Bowl until 2022, taking on the Los Angeles Rams. With a lead in the fourth quarter, the Bengals defense crumbled and committed three-straight penalties before giving up a touchdown with 1:25 left.
Minnesota Vikings (4 SB appearances): The Vikings have finished with double-digit wins 21 times since 1967 and appeared in four Super Bowls, but the team has also lost six conference championship games (the fourth most all time). So it’s been a true mix of peaks and valleys for the Vikes. It’s worth noting that all four of Minnesota’s Super Bowl appearances came between 1969-1976.
Buffalo Bills (4 SB appearances): We all knew this one was coming. The Bills lost four-straight Super Bowls from 1991-1994, with the first cut truly being the deepest. Kicker Scott Norwood missed wide right on a 47-yard attempt with eight seconds left. The next three Super Bowls would all be either firmly within or approaching blowout territory.
Notable NFL Players Who Have Not Won a Super Bowl
There’s a reason why NFL fans hold Super Bowl winning players in such high regard: It is incredibly difficult to win it all.
You’re going to need some luck, plenty of skill, intelligence and determination, plus you’re going to need to have someone step up in the biggest moment.
And there are plenty of NFL players who never won a ring—and even more who never even had an opportunity to play for one. Still, that shouldn’t diminish their incredible pro careers.
Here are some notable NFL players who never won a Super Bowl. For the purpose of this list, the teams in parentheses are the teams that had the best shot of winning, not a comprehensive list of all teams a player might have played for.
Dan Marino, QB (Miami Dolphins): Marino was a two-time All-Pro and a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, who was a prolific passer. He was the first quarterback to throw for 40 touchdowns in a season, the first quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a season and finished his career with 63 300-yard passing games.
Marino’s incredible 1984 season—which saw him win NFL MVP—featured his best team and likely best shot at winning it all. Unfortunately for him, the Dolphins fell to Joe Montana and the 49ers, 38–16 in Super Bowl 19.
Randy Moss, WR (Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers): A four-time All-Pro, Moss made the playoffs seven times in his illustrious career, appearing in two Super Bowls (one with New England and one with San Francisco).
In 15 postseason games, Moss caught 54 passes for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns, but could never win the big one. His best shot was probably in 2007 as he had a monster year for a Patriots team that went undefeated until the Super Bowl. Moss led the NFL with 23 touchdowns that season and nearly caught a deep shot late in Super Bowl 42 that might have changed history.
Barry Sanders, RB (Detroit Lions): While the Lions are just now becoming a force to be reckoned with in the NFC, the franchise’s history in the postseason hasn’t been great since winning the 1957 NFL championship. Outside of 2023, the last time the Lions won in the playoffs was 1991—when Barry Sanders led the team to a 12–4 record and first-round win before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champs (Washington).
Sanders was an eight-time All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler and finished his career with 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons. At his peak, he was the best player in pro football.
Anthony Muñoz, T (Cincinnati Bengals): Considered by many to be the greatest offensive tackle in the history of the NFL, Muñoz played in two Super Bowls with the Bengals. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, it fell short to San Francisco on both occasions. Muñoz made 11 All-Pro teams.
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB (San Diego Chargers): Tomlinson won the NFL MVP award in 2006, leading the Chargers to a 14–2 record while rushing for 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns. But, he and the Chargers were upset by New England in the divisional round.
Had the Chargers held on against the Patriots, they would’ve likely been favored over the Colts to go to the Super Bowl, where they also would’ve likely been favored over the Chicago Bears.
Tony Gonzalez, TE (Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons): One of the best (and most durable) tight ends of all time, Gonzalez didn’t win a playoff game until his 16th season. Despite putting up insane numbers during his time in Kansas City, his best seasons often came when the Chiefs were at their worst.
So his best opportunity would’ve likely been in 2012 when the Falcons went 13–3. Atlanta lost a tight NFC championship to the San Francisco 49ers, but Gonzalez did catch a touchdown in the game.
Terrell Owens, WR (Philadelphia Eagles): One of the best receivers in NFL history, TO remained a top-level player late into his 30s. Despite amassing more than 15,000 receiving yards, he played in just one Super Bowl during his career.
And he did so on a broken leg.
Owens and the Philadelphia Eagles took on the Patriots in Super Bowl 39, but no one thought TO would play. He broke his leg in Week 14 of the regular season against Dallas after a “horse collar” tackle (which the NFL would ban for the following season).
With just hours to go before kickoff, Owens told the Eagles he would play and was nothing short of incredible. Owens caught nine passes for 122 yards on one leg, but it wasn’t enough as the Patriots won 24–21.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which Teams Have Never Won a Super Bowl? Running Through the Full List of Have Nots.
