The Super Bowl LX matchup is set as the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are set to face off in Santa Clara in less than two weeks. The game is a rematch 11 years in the making after the crazy ending of Super Bowl LIX changed the direction of both franchises, which could make things quite exciting for long time fans of both teams.
Each fan base has also tasted victory in the big game before, with Seattle winning its only Lombardi Trophy the year before in Super Bowl LVIII while the Patriots have won the big game six times behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Not all NFL franchises can count themselves so lucky.
Which teams have never won a Super Bowl?
Team | Super Bowl Record | Last Appearance |
|---|---|---|
Buffalo Bills | 0-4 | 1994 |
Minnesota Vikings | 0-4 | 1977 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 0-3 | 2022 |
Atlanta Falcons | 0-2 | 2017 |
Carolina Panthers | 0-2 | 2016 |
Arizona Cardinals | 0-1 | 2009 |
Tennessee Titans | 0-1 | 2000 |
Los Angeles Chargers | 0-1 | 1995 |
Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | Never |
Detroit Lions | 0-0 | Never |
Houston Texans | 0-0 | Never |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-0 | Never |
12 NFL teams have failed to win a Super Bowl, with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings each coming up short four times in the big game. Cincinnati is right behind them at 0-3 in Super Bowls while Atlanta and Carolina have each fallen twice, with each being a victim of the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
Arizona, Tennessee and the Chargers each have only made one Super Bowl and lost it. It has been a minute since a team got off this list, which came eight years ago when the Philadelphia Eagles broke through against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Which teams have never made the Super Bowl?
Four teams haven't even made the big game, with recent expansion teams Jacksonville (established in 1995) and Houston (established in 2002) experiencing relatively short Super Bowl droughts. The bigger heartbreaks are with Detroit and Cleveland, two long-standing NFL franchises that predated the merger that have yet to reach the Super Bowl.
Each has had its brushes with the big game, with the Lions notably collapsing against the San Francisco 49ers in 2023's NFC title game while Cleveland was victimized by John Elway and the Broncos on multiple occasions.
Biggest heartbreaks for teams that haven't won a Super Bowl
In terms of the eight teams that reached the Super Bowl without a win, it's hard not to have sympathy for Bills' fans, who saw their team reach four Super Bowls in a row in the 1990s and lose them all. The closest call came in Super Bowl XXV, when Scott Norwood's potential go-ahead field goal went wide right against the Giants, and the losses got more painful as the years progressed.
Atlanta thought they were going to be off this list in Super Bowl LI when they built a 28-3 lead over the Patriots and we'll spare the poor Falcons' fans any further dismay by elaborating. Tennessee also came within a yard of forcing overtime against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXV before Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson one yard short of the end zone as time expired.
Two more teams that had their hearts ripped out late in Super Bowls are Arizona, whose late rally was undone by a ridiculous touchdown catch from Santonio Holmes in the final minute, while Cincinnati got beaten by Joe Montana twice despite holding fourth quarter leads in the 1980s.
Predicting which team will be the next first-time Super Bowl winner
It is always fun to see a team get their first title and we are overdue for a new champion as it has been eight years since the Eagles earned their first Lombardi Trophy. The NFL has become a quarterback driven league so it would make the most sense for one of the Bills, Bengals or Chargers to get on the board as they have their franchise quarterbacks in place.
Los Angeles has some issues with Justin Herbert's postseason performance while Cincinnati's defense isn't up to championship snuff. The Bills are the call here as they are making a bet that a coaching change can push Josh Allen through to the promised land with a talented roster backing him.