This is a list of current National Football League franchise post-season and Super Bowl droughts (spells of not winning). Listed here are both appearance droughts and winning droughts in almost every level the NFL playoff system.
As of the 2011 NFL season, every active NFL team has qualified for, and won a game in, the playoffs at least once. Teams that have never made it beyond each successive milestone are listed under the year in which they began NFL play.
Of the 14 teams that have never won the Super Bowl, 6 are expansion franchises younger than the Super Bowl itself (Falcons, Bengals. Seahawks, Panthers, Jaguars, and Texans), while the 8 others (Cardinals, Lions, Eagles, Oilers/Titans, Chargers, Browns, Bills, and Vikings) all won an NFL or AFL championship prior to the AFL–NFL merger. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 62 seasons.
Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997 and 1998 seasons, and that the Baltimore Ravens are a separate team that began play in 1996. The Ravens, as a result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, absorbed the Browns' personnel upon their suspension, but not their history.
Longest active post-season drought[]
Longest active playoff game victory drought[]
(*): Franchise earned a bye in the Wild Card round.
(**): Franchise dormant 1996-1999.
Longest active Conference Championship game appearance drought[]
Longest active Super Bowl appearance drought[]
| Team | Last League Championship game Pre-Super Bowl era (1920-1965) |
Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | NFL Championship Game, 1957 | 54 |
| Cleveland Browns * | NFL Championship Game, 1965 | 46 |
Notes: Super Bowl I took place January 15, 1967 after the 1966 regular season. Cleveland's last appearance in a NFL championship game was the 1969 NFL Championship (Super Bowl era).
Longest active Super Bowl or NFL/AFL Championship crown drought[]
| Team | Last League Championship crown Pre-Super Bowl era (1920-1965) |
Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals* | 1947 NFL Championship | 64 |
| Detroit Lions | 1957 NFL Championship | 54 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1960 NFL Championship | 51 |
| Minnesota Vikings** | Never (franchise started in 1961) | 50 |
| Tennessee Titans*** | 1961 AFL Championship | 50 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1963 AFL Championship | 48 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1964 NFL Championship | 47 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1965 AFL Championship | 46 |
Note: Super Bowl I took place January 15, 1967 at the end of the 1966 season.
(*): Team in Chicago in 1947.
(**): Minnesota won 1969 NFL Championship Game (during Super Bowl era)
(***): Team known as Houston Oilers in 1961.
(****): Team in Los Angeles when it won Super Bowl XVIII.
Cities/regions awaiting first Super Bowl crown[]
Listed according to seasons waited
Current NFL cities/regions only
Longest active division title drought[]
Listed according to seasons waited
*does not include three seasons (1996-1998) during which the franchise suspended operations.
See also[]
- List of MLB franchise postseason droughts
- List of MLS club post-season droughts
- List of NBA franchise post-season droughts
- List of NHL franchise post-season droughts
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of NFL franchise post-season droughts. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |