My 7-year-old asked a question the other day: Which NFL team has never won a Super Bowl before? Although I could name a few, I was surprised to find out that 14 of the 32 NFL clubs are still fruitless in the pursuit of a Superbowl victory. And, four of them never even made it to the big game.
The Super Bowl has been played since 1967. Given Pro Football’s draft mechanism – worst performing teams get better chances at landing next year’s top talent – you would expect a more leveling playground. But in the end, the few franchises that won multiple championships are still strong contenders (Steelers, Patriots, Cowboys, for example), while some are struggling year after year.
The World Cup has also been dominated by only a few teams (countries) that continue to do well. But it is a bit more understandable. The World Cup is held once every four years, so the chance of winning one is small to begin with. There is no governing organization to determine which country should pick the next super star, regardless of their past success (or the lack of). So in large part, it depends on a country’s tradition and culture, and usually takes generations to build a strong soccer team that can compete on the world’s stage.
Anyway, below is what I digged up online: NFL teams who never won a Super Bowl as of today. Hopefully your team isn’t on the list – mine is.
NFL Teams — Super Bowl Win/Loss
Atlanta Falcons 0-1
Buffalo Bills 0-4
Detroit Lions 0-0
Minnesota Vikings 0-4
Philadelphia Eagles 0-2
San Diego Chargers 0-1
Cincinnati Bengals 0-2
Cleveland Browns 0-0
Houston Texans 0-0
Seattle Seahawks 0-1
Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals 0-1
Carolina Panthers 0-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 0-0
Tennessee Oilers-Titans 0-1
