Arizona Cardinals is the oldest NFL Team without a Super Bowl win. Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals also join the list.
NFL teams and players dream of wearing the championship ring on their hands at least once in their careers. However, every team and player is not fortunate enough to realize their dreams of winning the Super Bowl.
At least Arizona Cardinals have yet to realize the dream despite being in operation for over a century now. Cardinals along with 7 other teams have made appearances in Super Bowl but that is the nearest they have been to wearing those diamond-studded rings.
Among teams that never won a Superbowl, Buffalo Bills have made the highest appearance (4) but lost every time. Minnesota Vikings match Bill's record on the number of appearances without a single victory.
Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Arizona Cardinals have all played Super Bowl once without a victory. Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers have played twice and Cincinnati Bengals have played three times without a victory.
Here are eight old NFL teams without a Super Bowl victory as of 2023.
Buffalo Bills - 4 Appearances
Buffalo Bills have played Super Bowl four times since the team was established in 1959. Those appearances came in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.
Bills entered competitive football in 1960 as a member of the American Football League (AFL). They are based out of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area in the state of New York.
Buffalo Bills joined National Football League after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 and have since played for American Football Conference (AFC).
Bills have the highest number of consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the years 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, but without a victory. They played against New York Giants in 1991 losing 19-20.
Buffalo played against Washington Redskins now known as Washington Commanders in 1992 losing 24-37, they played against Dallas Cowboys in 1993 and 1994 losing 17-52 and 13-30 respectively.
Their four consecutive championship appearance record still stands today as it has not been broken even after three decades. Unfortunately, holding the record for most consecutive Super Bowl appearances does not count as a victory.
Minnesota Vikings - 4 Appearances
Minnesota Vikings have played Super Bowl four times in the team's history. Vikings played Super Bowl in the years 1970, 1974, 1975, and 1977.
Vikings are based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are also one of the six NFL teams to be named after states. Minnesota team was founded in 1960 and entered competitive football the following year as part of the National Football League.
Vikings' first appearance in Super Bowl came after a decade of formation in Super Bowl IV, the fourth installment of the game between NFL champions and AFL champions.
Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Vikings with a score of 23-7 in their first game. Their second appearance was in 1974 against Miami Dolphins which resulted in a loss with a score of 24-7
Viking's third Super Bowl appearance was against Pittsburgh Steelers in 1975 resulting in a 16-6 loss and their final appearance until now was on Super Bowl XI in 1977 against Oakland Raiders, the Vikings lost 32-14.
Cincinnati Bengals - 3 Appearances
Cincinnati Bengals join the list of NFL teams that never won a Superbowl. The Bengals have made three Championship appearances since 1967.
Cincinnati team was founded the same year as Super Bowl I, but they had to wait for another two and half decades to play their 1st championship game in 1982. They played against the San Francisco 49ers which resulted in the Bengals losing 21-26.
Bengals returned to the turf once again in 1989 with the San Francisco 49ers, the two team's second face-off also resulted in Cincinnati's loss with a score of 16-20. In their third appearance in 2022, the Bengals lost 20-23 against Los Angeles Rams.
Cincinnati Bengals currently play in the American Football Conference (AFC) in their North Division alongside Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Paycor Stadium-based team has won eleven division championships so far.
Atlanta Falcons - 2 Appearances
Atlanta Falcons have played in the final play-off game of the NFL so far in their 58-year history. The Falcons played Super Bowl in 1999 and 2017.
The team was founded on 30 June 1965 as part of the NFL after it was voted unanimously by the NFL team owners to start competition in 1966.
Now, the Falcons play in National Football Conference (NFC) in their South Division alongside Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Although the Falcons had already started playing competitive football a year before the first Super Bowl was played, they had to wait 33 years to book their first seat in the 1999 Super Bowl.
Atlanta Falcons played their first championship game against Denver Broncos losing 19-34. Similarly, their second appearance on the NFL's last play-off of the season came in 2017 against New England Patriots, Falcons lost 28-34 against the Patriots.
Carolina Panthers - 2 Appearances
NFL teams without Super Bowl wins include Carolina Panthers. Panthers played Super Bowl two times in their history, losing both times.
Panthers are based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team was founded 29 years ago on October 26, 1993, and entered competitive play two years later in 1995.
Carolina Panthers are currently associated with National Football Conference (NFC) in their South division alongside Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers have won six division championships since their formation.
Carolina Panthers played their first Superbowl in 2004 against New England Patriots. However, the game resulted in defeat for the Panthers with the scoreboard reading 29-32 at the end of the playoffs. They lost 10-24 against Denver Broncos in 2016.
Arizona Cardinals - 1 Appearance
Arizona Cardinals are the oldest NFL team established in 1898 as Morgan Athletic Club. Arizona has played one Super Bowl in its 125-year history.
The team went through a few changes in name and location over the century. Some of its past names include Racine Normals, Racine Cardinals, Chicago Cardinals, Card-Pitt, St. Louis Cardinals, and Phoenix Cardinals.
Cardinals currently play in National Football Conference in their west division alongside Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks. Arizona Cardinals have won seven division championships so far.
Their only Super Bowl appearance was in 2009 when the Cardinals faced Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII losing 27–23. Despite being the oldest team in NFL, they have had a poor Super Bowl appearance and conference win so far.
Los Angeles Chargers - 1 Appearance
Los Angeles Chargers made their only Super Bowl appearance in 1995 against the San Franciso 49ers. LA Chargers were founded in 1958.
Chargers are based in the Greater Los Angeles area and they call SoFi Stadium their home turf. The team was renamed San Diego Chargers in 1961 and the name was changed back to Los Angeles Chargers in 2017.
LA Chargers currently play as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the West division alongside the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Las Vegas Raiders. They have won 15 division championships so far.
The only Super Bowl appearance of the Chargers was in Super Bowl XXIX where they faced a 49-26 defeat against the San Franciso 49ers.
The 49ers also set the record for most Super Bowl victories at number 5 during the 1995 game. The record was later broken by Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009 with their 6th victory.
Tennessee Titans - 1 Appearance
Tennessee Titans have made only one appearance in Super Bowl so far. The Titans faced St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV in the year 2000.
Titans are based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team was founded 63 years ago on August 14, 1959, as Houston Oilers and played their first competitive football season in 1960.
The team was renamed Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and changed to Tennessee Titans in 1999. They are one of the four NFL teams with cat mascots.
Tennessee Titans currently play in the American Football Conference (AFC) in South Division alongside Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans are the only team to not win a Super Bowl in their division but have won 11 Division championships so far.
During their only Super Bowl appearance in 2000, the Titans faced St. Louis Rams. The game was named Super Bowl XXXIV and resulted in the Titans' 16-23 defeat against the Rams.
