Which NFL teams have never played in a Super Bowl?

The Detroit Lions could hardly have come much closer to making history in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Sunday. The Lions looked all set to take part in their first ever Super Bowl after roaring into a 24-7 halftime lead in Santa Clara, with NFL Next Gen Stats giving them a 90.4% chance of winning the game at that point. But the 49ers raced out of the traps in the third quarter and won a whopping 27 consecutive points, producing the biggest comeback in NFC Conference championship history as they ran out 34-31 winners.

How many teams have played in the Super Bowl? How many have won it?

For the Lions, the hoodoo agonisingly continues. The Super Bowl has decided the NFL champion each year since 1966, when the Green Bay Packers won the first edition against the Kansas City Chiefs in Los Angeles in January 1967. All in all, 28 different teams have taken part in the championship game, which has seen 20 different winners.

12 of the NFL’s current 32 teams have yet to win their first Super Bowl, but spare a thought for the four who have yet to even experience the end-of-season showpiece game. The Lions looked to have finally, finally reached the promised land, only to have it snatched away from them in the cruellest of fashions.

Lions and Browns still waiting for championship game appearance

Founded in 1930, the year they joined the NFL, Detroit did have some early success in the 1930s and 1950s, which has dried up since the Super Bowl format was introduced. Not only have the Lions never reached the season decider, this year they featured in only their second ever NFC Championship Game, suffering they same fate as in the first, which they lost to the Washington Redskins in 1991.

Does that make them the team with the worst all-time NFL record? As harsh as it sounds, there is a strong argument for it, although the Cleveland Browns haven’t fared too much better. They also joined the NFL in 1950 and, like the Lions, won championships before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Since then, though, they haven’t played a single Super Bowl, losing three AFC Championships Games in four years in the late 1980s.

Expansion teams Jaguars and Texans dreaming of first Super Bowl

Two other teams are still waiting for their first taste of the final game, although their circumstances are somewhat different. The Jacksonville Jaguars have also been defeated in a hat-trick of AFC Championship Games (1996, 1999, 2017) but only joined the NFL in 1995. They are, in fact, the youngest NFL expansion team ever to appear in a Conference Championship, which they achieved in just their second season.

The Houston Texans complete the list and, in addition, are the only NFL team who have never played in Conference Championship game. We can perhaps cut them a little slack, however, as they are league’s youngest expansion team, joining in 2002. They have made it to the Divisional playoffs on five occasions since then, including this year, when they were comfortably beaten by the Baltimore Ravens.

The Lions’ tamers, the 49ers, will now take on the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, at Super Bowl LVIII. Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada will host the end-of-season finale on Sunday 11 February 2024.