Ranking the 12 Ringless NFL Franchises by Super Bowl LXI Chances

The NFL desperately needs a fresh champion. 

The recently crowned Seattle Seahawks are the fourth consecutive Super Bowl winner that also won in the previous 13 years. 

In fact, only nine teams have been represented in the last 10 Super Bowls, compared to 12 in the last 10 World Series and 12 in the last 10 NBA Finals. And every Super Bowl winner since 2011 has at least appeared in another Super Bowl since 2000 (seven of the nine are multi-time winners this century). 

As a result, the "No Super Bowl Club" has remained quite large, with the membership remaining at a steady 12 teams since the Philadelphia Eagles captured their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2017.

Which of those dozen have the best shot at becoming the first new champion in nearly a decade? Let's break it down. 

Odds courtesy of Draft Kings. Contract and salary-cap information courtesy of Spotrac.

12. Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Mike LaFleur

Odds: +20000

The Window: Appears to be jammed

The Hope: On the surface, Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride give them a very talented big three offensively, and new head coach Mike LaFleur may have the roots and know-how to take this team out of the gutter. 

The Hurdle: Murray may have worn out his welcome with another disappointing season marred by injury, and it's possible he's ready for the bust label and a new address. Meanwhile, Harrison has underperformed, the defense was atrocious last year and there's no obvious succession plan if they do make a change at quarterback. 

The Bottom Line: Considering the three juggernauts in their division and a so-so cap situation, it's hard to see the Cards improving much on a three-win '25 campaign—let alone making any sort of Super Bowl run for the first time since 2008. 

11. Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Cam Ward

Odds: +10000

The Window: Opening, slowly

The Hope: A franchise that hasn't been to a Super Bowl this century and has won just six games the last two seasons combined leads the league in salary-cap space. With that and another top-five draft pick, they should add plenty of support for young franchise quarterback Cam Ward. 

The Hurdle: This is still very much a rebuild for a team that will be adjusting to a new regime led by Robert Saleh. The Titans ranked in the bottom five in terms of scoring offense and defense in 2025, and Ward was the lowest-rated passer in football among those with more than 10 starts. 

The Bottom Line: While the Patriots went from an umpteen-loss campaign to the Super Bowl with their sophomore quarterback and new head coach in 2025, that remains a hell of a reach for Tennessee in '26. Ward finished strong, but this squad is realistically thinking about 2027. 

10. Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Jeff Dean

Myles Garrett

Odds: +15000

The Window: Opening

The Hope: The Browns don't appear to be on the brink of their first-ever Super Bowl run, but they actually performed quite well in December and January, they have the best defensive player in football in his prime, and it's possible they've found their franchise quarterback in Shedeur Sanders. 

The Hurdle: It's also possible Sanders will never become a reliable and consistent starter, and his seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions in eight games as a rookie indicates he has a long way to go despite a comical "Pro Bowl" nod in 2025. This Browns offense scored more than 20 points just three times in all of '25, and there isn't much cap space to improve. 

The Bottom Line: Even if Sanders progresses as a sophomore and they hit with their two first-round picks, there isn't enough offensive talent in Cleveland for the Browns to go from 5-12 to Super Bowl contender in one year.

9. Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Kevin Stefanski and Matt Ryan

Odds: +8000

The Window: Opening

The Hope: There is plenty of offensive talent in Atlanta, and they at least have two skilled quarterbacks on the roster. New head coach Kevin Stefanski could help bring all of that along, and the young defense is improving as well. 

The Hurdle: One of those quarterbacks is unproven and recovering from a torn ACL, while the other is over the hill at age 37. Meanwhile, an 8-9 team that clearly needs more defensive talent lacks significant cap space and has no first-round pick. 

The Bottom Line: They'll likely continue to be in the mix in a soft division in 2026, but it's very hard to see a path for the Falcons to suddenly break from a run of eight consecutive losing seasons to win their first-ever title. 

8. Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

Bryce Young

Odds: +10000

The Window: Opening

The Hope: Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan make up an intriguing young offensive duo for an ascending squad that just won its first division title since 2015. The Panthers seem to make an unexpected Super Bowl run every decade or so. Maybe it's their turn again?

The Hurdle: Young is still far from established after posting a mere 87.8 passer rating in his third season, and there isn't a lot beyond McMillan in terms of weaponry. The pass rush remains an obvious problem as well for a team that hasn't finished above .500 since 2017.

The Bottom Line: It's possible Young takes off in his fourth season, but Carolina doesn't have a top-15 draft pick or a ton of salary-cap space, so it's still tough to imagine the Panthers going toe-to-toe with the NFC's best next January—if they even make it that far.

7. Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

J.J. McCarthy

Odds: +6000

The Window: Tough to tell

The Hope: The talent is there on both sides of the ball, and there's a chance third-year first-round pick J.J. McCarthy becomes the man under center for a team that went 14-3 just a year ago. 

The Hurdle: Coming off an awful first "healthy" season, McCarthy might be fighting for his job this summer. The point is, the Vikings have a major question mark at the sport's most critical position, and it would be foolish to rely entirely on McCarthy at this point. They're also in salary-cap hell and possess limited draft capital. 

The Bottom Line: I'd much rather be the Lions, Bears or Packers right now. The Vikings aren't bad but are in the wrong division at the wrong time with some major questions entering the offseason. It's highly likely they fall short of the Super Bowl for a 50th straight season. 

6. Houston Texans

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

C.J. Stroud

Odds: +1900

The Window: Open

The Hope: They sported one of the best defenses in the NFL and won a playoff game in 2025, and franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud is a recent Offensive Rookie of the Year who doesn't turn 25 until October. 

The Hurdle: Stroud has not been the same since winning that award in 2023, and he bombed, committing a ridiculous seven turnovers in two playoff games. Serious questions are being asked about his ability to take this team to the next level. 

The Bottom Line: They also lack cap space and draft capital in an increasingly challenging division, so it really comes down to Stroud. If he can rediscover the magic from '23, they'll be right there. But if not, the ceiling is probably what we saw this January for a franchise that has zero Super Bowl appearances in 24 seasons. 

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/John Raoux

Trevor Lawrence

Odds: +2000

The Window: Open

The Hope: Powered by a breakout campaign from quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the support of an opportunistic defense, the Jaguars ranked in the top eight on both sides of the ball in a 13-win 2025 campaign. That's a strong trajectory following a 13-loss 2024 season. 

The Hurdle: While Lawrence could keep improving, it'll be hard to bolster his supporting cast with very limited cap space and no first-round pick. Keep in mind this is a team that was still one-and-done in the playoffs despite all of that progress in '25. 

The Bottom Line: This could go either way, but they've clearly got something cooking with second-year head coach Liam Coen. If this core can keep moving in the right direction and Travis Hunter can be a healthy force next year, a Super Bowl surprise is within the realm of possibility for a franchise that has never made it that far before.

4. Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Jeff Dean

Joe Burrow

Odds: +2800

The Window: Open

The Hope: This same core made the Super Bowl and fell just short against the Rams four years ago. They've encountered some tough breaks since, but there's no doubt they have a Super Bowl-level ceiling if Joe Burrow and Co. are rolling. 

The Hurdle: Burrow has missed large chunks of two of the last three seasons, and his support often hasn't been there in terms of pass protection and/or defensive execution when healthy. This team likely needs more than just an injury-free campaign from its star quarterback. 

The Bottom Line: This defense won't cut it, but at least they have more than $50 million in cap space as well as a top-10 draft pick. There is room for this team to become a contender again, but they need Burrow healthy and a reinforced foundation. This is a critical offseason. 

3. Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert

Odds: +1400

The Window: Open

The Hope: The 2026 season will mark Year 3 for venerable head coach Jim Harbaugh, whose offense should be in much better shape with starting offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt returning from injury in support of franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Hurdle: Herbert has yet to join the top tier of elite quarterbacks, and there's no guarantee that'll happen. It's also not a given that an offensive line that was a mess in 2025 will suddenly become both healthy and efficient in 2026. Considering how strong the AFC West is, that leaves some doubt. 

The Bottom Line: The Bolts were a playoff team with a top-10 scoring defense yet again in 2025, and now they enter the 2026 offseason with more cap space than all but three teams. It's on a tee for Harbaugh, Herbert and Co. It's now a question of what they'll do with it, and if that'll be enough for them to make their first Super Bowl since 1994. 

2. Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Jared Goff

Odds: +1400

The Window: Closing, slowly

The Hope: Considering that they've been one of the most talented teams in professional football for several years running, an argument could be made that the Lions are due. Even in a down 2025 season they had the league's fourth-highest-scoring offense, and they're a year removed from a 15-2 campaign. 

The Hurdle: There are valid questions about the quarterback (especially when it matters most), the offensive line (which struggled while lacking continuity in '25) and the defense (which needs more firepower at all three levels). If the Lions couldn't make their first-ever Super Bowl despite being stacked in 2023, 2024 and 2025, why should we expect that to change in 2026?

The Bottom Line: This very well may be their last shot under Dan Campbell before they're pressured to blow it up and go back to the drawing board. It won't be easy to build on what is there, and the competition is fierce, but this is certainly a Super Bowl-caliber roster on paper.

1. Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Josh Allen

Odds: +1100

The Window: Closing, slowly

The Hope: Quarterback Josh Allen, who has been easily the most valuable player in the NFL this decade, according to Pro Football Reference's AV metric, still gives Buffalo as high a ceiling as any team in football.

The Hurdle: They seem to be banging their heads against the wall. Allen is a star, but he'll be 30 this spring and is yet to sniff a Super Bowl for a team that regularly falls short in January and has slowly bled talent elsewhere. The Bills have made a significant but curious change at head coach, but that doesn't alter the fact that they'll again lack draft and real-world capital this offseason. 

The Bottom Line: Allen alone gives the Bills a strong shot at eventually breaking through and leading the team its first Super Bowl appearance since 1993, but his supporting cast isn't likely to become any stronger. The Bills may be due like the Lions, but the path remains far from clear considering the progress made by division-rival New England in 2025.