In a league of 32 teams, there are still 13 without a Super Bowl ring, including the favorites in Super Bowl 50, the Carolina Panthers.. Among them are four without a Super Bowl appearance – Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills played in four consecutive Super Bowls (1990-1993 seasons) but lost all four times against the New York Giants (wide right), Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys twice. The franchise does have championships from it’s AFL days (it’s been around since 1960), winning them in 1964 and 1965.
Cincinnati Bengals
One of the more successfully consistent teams in the NFL over the last few years, the Bengals played in two Super Bowls (XVI, XXIII), twice losing in them to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. While they’ve made the playoffs five years in a row, they haven’t won a playoff game in 25 years.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns haven’t even made the Super Bowl once in their existence and their second existence. To try and find a championship for the Browns one has to go back to their days in the old NFL, when they were quite successful, winning four championships from 1950 to 1964.
Houston Texans
Another team that’s never played in the Super Bowl, although the Texans have been around since 2002, which makes it a little easier to forgive them. They’ve been to the postseason only three times since they’ve stated playing in the league, never making the conference championship game.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Like the Texans, the Jags are a relatively young franchise, beginning their NFL “career” in 1995. They did play in a couple of conference championship games during the 1990’s but both games weren’t close, and it’s been eight years since they last even made the playoffs.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans used to the Houston Oilers, a team that won two AFL Championships in the 1960’s. In the Super Bowl era, as Houston they never made it past the conference championship. In Tennessee, they made Super Bowl XXXIV, losing to the St. Louis Rams as Kevin Dyson came one yard short of scoring a game winning touchdown for them.
San Diego Chargers
The Chargers won an AFL championship in 1963, the only title for this franchise. In the Super Bowl era they made the Super Bowl once, only to get crushed by Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers while blowing it on three other conference championship games, the last of them eight years ago against the New England Patriots.
Philadelphia Eagles
The three other NFC East teams? They have 12 Super Bowl rings combined. The Eagles? They won three championships before the merger, the last of them in 1960. As for the Super Bowl, they’ve only made it in twice, losing to the Oakland Raiders following the 1980 season and to the New England Patriots 24 years later.
Detroit Lions
The Lions have never played in the Super Bowl, and their 41-10 defeat against the Washington Redskins after the 1991 season is their only appearance in the conference championship game. In the pre merger days they have four championships, the last of them in 1957.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings made four Super Bowls from 1969 to the 1976 season, losing all four times. Since then they’ve been to five conference championship games and lost.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have just one Super Bowl appearance which they lost to the Denver Broncos. They have two other NFC Championship game appearances, the last of them three years ago.
Carolina Panthers
Another one of the newer teams in the league, the Panthers have one Super Bowl appearance that ended with an Adam Vinatieri field goal sending them home as the losers, two more NFC championship game losses and this season, making it to the Super Bowl for a second time, this time as clear favorites.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have an NFL championship from 1925 (before playoffs were held) and one more in 1947, both as the Chicago Cardinals. In the Super Bowl era, known as the St. Louis, Phoenix and then Arizona Cardinals, they have one Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl XLIII, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a great game) and this season was only the second time they’ve made it to the conference championship game.