NFL Super Bowl: Which NFL franchises have never won a ring?

NFL Super Bowl: Which NFL franchises have never won a ring?

Lewis Injai
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:14 PM

The NFL's final, Super Bowl, is one of the world's most popular and famous sports events. While some teams might have been lucky to have won it, some have not been so fortunate. Which are these teams? This article highlights NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl.

Which NFL franchises have never won a ring?
LA Rams are the current NFL Champions. However, a couple of teams have never won the championships. Which teams are those? This article lists them. Photo: Keith Birmingham
Source: Getty Images

NFL Super Bowl's popularity also makes it one of the most competitive sports events. In its 56 years of existence, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are the teams with the most wins, making them two of the toughest teams in the league post-modern era. However, a couple of teams have not been quite as fortunate.

How many current NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl?

As of October 2022, twelve NFL franchises have never won a ring, and four out of the twelve have yet to make an appearance in the big event throughout their history.

Team

Number of Super Bowl Appearances

Last Super Bowl Appearance

Houston Texans

0

N/A

Jacksonville Jaguars

0

N/A

Detroit Lions

0

N/A

Cleveland Browns

0

N/A

Los Angeles Chargers

1

1995

Tennessee Titans

1

2000

Arizona Cardinals

1

2009

Carolina Panthers

2

2016

Atlanta Falcons

2

2017

Cincinnati Bengals

3

2022

Buffalo Bills

4

1994

Minnesota Vikings

4

1977

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Houston Texans

Winless NFL teams
Houston Texans team members celebrate after a play during the first half of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on 09 October 2022. Photo: Courtney Culbreath
Source: Getty Images

Houston Texans were founded in 2000 and joined the League in 2002, making it the NFL's newest franchise. Their first eight seasons were riddled with struggles and not making it to the playoffs. After that, they have been to the playoffs six times but never past the division stage, making them the only team that has never played in a conference championship in the entire league.

Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL Franchise that have never won a ring
Jacksonville Jaguars offense huddle during the game against the Indianapolis Colts on 16 October 2022. Photo: Michael Hickey
Source: Getty Images

Founded in 1995, Jacksonville Jaguars is another young NFL franchise to have never won a title. They were off to a good start in the second year of their existence in the league when they were one win away from making it to the Super Bowl in the ABC Championship. Sadly, they lost and never proceeded and have lost two more times at the conference championships, the last time being in 2017.

Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions has been in the NFL since its inception in 1930. They have four league titles (1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957), which they won before the Super Bowl was created in 1967. Since the first Super Bowl, they have been to the playoffs 19 times and one conference championship in 1991.

NFL teams that have never won a super bowl
Detroit Lions players walk into the field before the game against the New England Patriots on 09 October 2022. Photo: Kathryn Riley
Source: Getty Images

Cleveland Browns

Like our previous team, prior to the founding of the Super Bowl, Cleveland Browns had four NFL Championships titles (1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964) and four conference titles (1946, 1947, 1948, and 1949). But after 1967, they have been struggling, making it to the playoff five times with no win until 1990 and three times since 1990.

NFL Franchises that have never won a ring
Cleveland Browns Players during a past game against Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo: David Maxwell
Source: Getty Images

Los Angeles Chargers

LA chargers only have one conference title, which they won in 1963, before the Super Bowl's formation. However, the closest they came to winning a ring was in 1995 when they faced the San Francisco 49ers at the Super Bowl and lost. They have only made it to one conference championship game since that Super Bowl appearance.

Winless NFL teams
Los Angeles Chargers Players congratulate a teammate, Dustin Hopkins, after kicking the game-winning field goal in overtime against the Denver Broncos. Photo: Harry How
Source: Getty Images

Tennessee Titans

Initially, Tennessee Titans were called Houston Oilers and were based in Houston, Texas. They won two conference titles during this time (1960 and 1961). After the 1996 season, they relocated to Tennessee and subsequently underwent a name change in 1997. Two years later, they made their first and only Super Bowl appearance. However, they lost to the St. Louis Rams.

Winless NFL teams
Tennessee Titans huddle up during the game against the Washington Commanders on 09 October 2022. Photo: G Fiume
Source: Getty Images

Arizona Cardinals

As one of the founding teams of the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals have the longest trophyless streak of 74 years. They won the championship in 1925 and 1947 before the formation of the Super Bowl. However, they made it to the Super Bowl in 2009, which they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have since made it to multiple playoffs and reached the conference championship once in 2015.

Current NFL teams have never won a super bowl
Arizona Cardinals team members celebrate after one of them, Greg Dortch, scored a touchdown during the 3rd quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints on 20 October 2022. Photo: Norm Hall
Source: Getty Images

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were founded in 1995 and have made two Super Bowl appearances. The first appearance was in 2003 when they lost to the New England Patriots, and the second was at Super Bowl 50, where they lost to the Denver Broncos.

How many NFL teams that have never won a super bowl
Carolina Panthers huddles up the offense during the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams on 16 October 2022. Photo: Brian Rothmuller
Source: Getty Images

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons had their first season the same year the Super Bowl was created but have just been able to make it to the Super Bowl twice. The first time was in 1999 when the Denver Broncos defeated them, and the second time was in 2017 at Super Bowl 51, where New England Patriots defeated them narrowly during overtime.

List of NFL teams that have never won a super bowl
Atlanta Falcons players walking out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 09 October. Photo: Kevin Sabitus
Source: Getty Images

Cincinnati Bengals

Despite their three Super Bowl appearances, the Bengals have failed to lift the Lombardi trophy. Their first big game appearance was in 1982, and the second was in 1989, losing to the 49ers both times. Their third time was this year at Super Bowl 56, where the Los Angeles Rams crushed their hopes of lifting the trophy by a narrow margin.

NFL teams that have never won a super bowl
Bengals calls a play in the offensive huddle during the Cincinnati Bengals versus Baltimore Ravens NFL game on 09 October 2022. Photo: Randy Litzinger
Source: Getty Images

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills have played in four consecutive Super Bowls, between 1990 and 1993, and have not won a single trophy. Their first appearance was against New York Giant, in which they suffered a narrow defeat of 20-19. Then, the following year, they lost to Washington Commanders, followed by two consecutive losses to Dallas Cowboys. They have never been to the Super Bowl since but made it to the conference championship game, where they were eliminated.

How many NFL teams that have never won a super bowl
Buffalo Bills offensive players huddle on the field during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Playoff game on 23 January 2022. Photo: Jamie Squire
Source: Getty Images

Minnesota Vikings

Another winless NFL team with the most losses at the Super Bowl is Minnesota Vikings. Most of their Super Bowl appearances were in the 1970s. They suffered their loss for the first time under the Kansas City Chief in 1970, then the Maimi Dolphins in 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1975, and finally, the Oakland Raiders in 1977. The closest they have come to making it back to the Super Bowl was in 2018, when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference championship game.

How many current NFL teams have never won a super bowl
Camryn Bynum of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumble during an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins. Photo: Kevin Sabitus
Source: Getty Images

Which NFL teams have the most Super Bowl wins?

These are five franchises with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history as of October 2022:

Team

The number of Super Bowls won

Years won

New England Patriots

6

2001, 2003, 2004, 2014,2016, 2018

Pittsburgh Steelers

6

1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008

San Francisco 49ers

5

1981, 1984 ,1988, 1989, 1994

Dallas Cowboys

5

1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1995

Green Bay Packers

4

1966, 1967, 1996, 2010

What is the oldest NFL team without a Super Bowl win?

Founded in 1898, Arizona Cardinals are the oldest NFL franchise without the Lombardi trophy. Not that the team has not achieved anything over its incredibly long existence. In fact, over the years, the team has triumphed in a number of significant games.

Which NFL team has never lost a Super Bowl?

Despite its ultra competitiveness, the two franchises with multiple Super Bowl appearances and no losses are the Baltimore Ravens and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, we also have two other teams who have all made one appearance and never lost. They are New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.

Which NFL Players Have Won the Most Super Bowl Rings?

Below is a compilation of the 10 NFL players with the most rings.

Player

Position

Number of seasons played

Number of Super Bowl rings

Tom Brady

Quarterback

22

7

Charles Haley

Lineback

13

5

Marv Fleming

Tight end

9

4

Ted Hendricks

Lineback

15

4

Rocky Bleier

Halfback

11

4

Mel Blount

Cornerback

14

4

Terry Bradshaw

Quarterback

14

4

Larry Brown

Offensive tackle

14

4

Sam Davis

Guard

13

4

Steve Furness

Defensive tackle

10

4

It will be unfair to come to any conclusion, for the NFL remains one of the most competitive leagues in the world, and all the above-mentioned teams that have never won a Super Bowl are a testament to this fact. Despite several attempts, some are yet to get their hands on the Vince Lombardi trophy.

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Authors
Lewis Injai photo
Lewis Injai