The Best NFL Franchises Without a Super Bowl Appearance in the Last Decade

Although success is often judged by championships won, simply reaching the Super Bowl is a legitimate accomplishment.

The last decade of the NFL is all the evidence needed.

Since the 2013 season, 11 franchises have posted a .562 winning percentage or higher. However, seven of them—with a couple of asterisks—have never played on the Super Bowl stage.

Sometimes, a blunt reminder is best: Friends, winning is hard. And even consistent winners are not guaranteed success in the playoffs.

Minnesota Vikings

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Justin Jefferson

Dating back to 1966—the beginning of the Super Bowl era—14 franchises have collected 445 wins or more.

Among that group, only the Minnesota Vikings haven't won a ring.

That frustrating reality is mirrored in our criteria, a decade in which the Vikings own a 90-70-2 record (.562) and four postseason trips. However, those playoff runs have finished in the Wild Card Round twice, divisional round once and NFC Championship Game once.

Worse yet, Minnesota's lone opportunity in an NFC title game resulted in a blowout 31-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Buffalo Bills

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Josh Allen

As of this writing, the Buffalo Bills remain in the hunt for the Super Bowl during the 2022 season. There is a chance the Bills play themselves off the inglorious list.

For now, Bills Mafia is anxiously waiting its return.

Buffalo has compiled a 92-69 mark (.571) in the last decade, a span loaded with average seasons until Josh Allen's breakout year in 2020. The electric quarterback guided the Bills to the AFC Championship Game that season while securing the first of three consecutive AFC East titles.

The franchise is still searching for its first-ever NFL championship after losing four straight Super Bowls from 1990 to '93.

Baltimore Ravens

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Lamar Jackson

Time for a technicality!

Since the first year of the last decade is the 2013 season, the Baltimore Ravens are included. We hear you, though, Ravens fans: The team celebrated a championship in February 2013.

Nevertheless, the Ravens have registered a 93-69 record (.574) and a handful of playoff trips. All five stopped short of the AFC Championship, let alone the Super Bowl.

The most frustrating miss happened in 2019 when MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to a 14-2 record and the AFC's top seed. But the offense stumbled in the postseason, and Baltimore immediately fell to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round.

Dallas Cowboys

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TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 16: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on in the huddle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on January 16, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The Dallas Cowboys are the other team on this list that could play its way off, having advanced to the divisional round.

Can Dallas finally break through and get to the Super Bowl?

Specific to our timeline, the Cowboys have not appeared in the NFC Championship Game. Ultimately, that streak also extends to 1995, the season they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions.

Dallas has assembled a solid 94-68 record (.580) with four NFC East titles among five playoff bids in the past decade. Any meaningful postseason victory is missing from the resume, though.

New Orleans Saints

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Alvin Kamara

Avert your eyes, New Orleans Saints fans. This is not a fun journey down memory lane.

During the 2017 postseason, the Vikings eliminated the Saints on the iconic "Minneapolis Miracle" in the divisional round.

As if that wasn't enough, an egregious uncalled penalty in the following year's NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams presumably kept the Saints from making the Super Bowl.

Comparing the bad-ness of losses is subjective, but that's a gnarly pair of setbacks. New Orleans has posted a 97-65 record (.599) thanks to a flurry of high-powered offenses led by now-retired quarterback Drew Brees, but the Saints could not match the Super Bowl triumph of 2009.

Pittsburgh Steelers

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Cameron Heyward

Ever since Ben Roethlisberger's debut in 2004, the Pittsburgh Steelers have finished with a non-losing record each season. The streak is a major credit to head coach Mike Tomlin, who took over in 2007.

Pittsburgh stood atop the NFL world in 2008 and won the AFC in 2010, but the latter end of Roethlisberger's career wasn't as prominent.

While the Steelers made the AFC Championship Game in 2016, the New England Patriots cruised to a 36-17 victory. Pittsburgh lost in earlier rounds of the postseason during its five other trips.

The letdowns should not overshadow a superb 100-60-2 decade (.623), but they understandably diminish the shine.

Green Bay Packers

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Aaron Rodgers

Also holding a 100-60-2 mark (.623) since 2013, the Green Bay Packers have been a postseason fixture.

Four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers has propelled the organization to six NFC North crowns in the last decade, along with a seventh playoff bid. Green Bay earned a first-round bye in four of those seasons and totaled four trips to the NFC Championship Game, as well.

But the Pack always came up short.

The infamous mishandled onside kick opposite the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 is the most memorable loss. In 2020 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was the bizarre late-game decision to kick a field goal instead of trying to score a touchdown and a game-tying two-point conversion.

Green Bay exited the postseason on last-second field goals or in overtime during three more playoff trips.

The championship in 2010 will likely be the Packers' lone title—and Super Bowl appearance—with Rodgers.