Which NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl? It's a short list.
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.
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Here’s what you need to know about the four teams who have never reached the Super Bowl.
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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).