Why these NFL teams haven't won a Super Bowl in the last 25 years

Only 13 NFL teams won a Super Bowl in the past 25 years, dating back to the 2000 postseason. Capturing the Lombardi Trophy is already hard enough, and the dominance of two dynasties - the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs - made things more difficult for the rest of the league in that span.

As we reach the quarter mark of the 2000s, we look into what went wrong for the other 19 franchises trying to snap a long Super Bowl drought.

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ARI | ATL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DET | HOU | JAX | LAC | LV | MIA | MIN | NYJ | SF | TEN | WAS

Arizona Cardinals

Deepest run: SB XLIII runner-up
Biggest villain: Santonio Holmes

The Cardinals are one of 12 teams to have never won the Super Bowl. They didn't do much in the early 2000s but had a Cinderella run during the 2008 season, coming just seconds away from a championship. However, Arizona couldn't stop Ben Roethlisberger's game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII, and it hasn't won the NFC since. The Cardinals have made only one playoff appearance with quarterback Kyler Murray, losing the lone game.

Atlanta Falcons

Deepest run: SB LI runner-up
Biggest villain: Tom Brady

Falcons fans probably aren't ready to talk about it yet. Still, you know what happened: Atlanta had a 28-3 third-quarter lead before Brady's Patriots orchestrated a monumental overtime comeback to win the Super Bowl. The Falcons have only one playoff win since, and it's too early to say Michael Penix Jr. will follow the footsteps of Matt Ryan and Michael Vick and lead Atlanta into deep postseason runs.

Buffalo Bills

Deepest run: AFC title game
Biggest villain: Patrick Mahomes

The Bills haven't played in the Super Bowl since infamously losing four straight from 1991-94. Buffalo had the worst stretch in its history from 2000-16 but has made the playoffs six times and appeared in two AFC title bouts since drafting Josh Allen in '18. The Chiefs are the club's biggest rival, owning a 4-0 record against the Bills in the playoffs during the Mahomes era. Buffalo likely would've returned to the Big Game if it didn't have to go up against Kansas City as often.

Carolina Panthers

Deepest run: SB XXXVIII, 50 runner-up
Biggest villain: GOAT QBs

Carolina has yet to win a Super Bowl but has made two Big Game appearances in the last 25 years. However, the Panthers fell short against Brady's Patriots (2004) and Peyton Manning's Broncos ('16), with both teams getting help from excellent defenses. While Carolina is a few years away from becoming a contender, this is a make-or-break season ahead with Bryce Young under center.

Chicago Bears

Deepest run: SB XLI runner-up
Biggest villain: Their own QBs

Playoff success hasn't been a thing for the Bears, but they made two deep runs from 2007-11. Chicago's biggest problem was its QBs: Rex Grossman and Caleb Hanie threw costly pick-6s against Manning's Colts and Aaron Rodgers' Packers in the Super Bowl and NFC championship, respectively. There's hope that coach Ben Johnson will turn things around with Caleb Williams, though the passer's rookie year was challenging.

Cincinnati Bengals

Deepest run: SB LVI runner-up
Biggest villain: Cooper Kupp

Cincinnati didn't win a single postseason game from 2000-20 before things changed with Joe Burrow in town. The Bengals would've lifted their first Lombardi Trophy in 2022 if not for Kupp, who crowned his career year with a Super Bowl-winning touchdown for the Rams. Cincy missed the playoffs in the last two seasons, but it can make another deep run if Burrow has help.

Cleveland Browns

Deepest run: Divisional round
Biggest villain: Poor ownership

Whether it's a regretful coaching hire, a disappointing trade, or unnecessary contracts (or all of the above in some years), bad executive and front office decisions have limited the Browns to one postseason win since 2000. And it doesn't look like the franchise is even close to contending.

Dallas Cowboys

Deepest run: Divisional round
Biggest villain: Pressure

Dallas has produced several winning seasons in the 2000s, yet Jerry Jones' team can't get over the hump in the playoffs. Since their last Super Bowl title in 1996, the Cowboys haven't advanced past the divisional round and have gone one-and-done eight times. The club has often rostered some of football's biggest stars but hasn't been able to deliver under pressure in January.

Detroit Lions

Deepest run: NFC title game
Biggest villain: Lack of talent

The Lions had a hard time building competitive and talented teams for most of the past 25 years, hitting rock bottom in 2008 by infamously going 0-16. In recent years, Dan Campbell and Co. have helped the franchise turn things around and build a juggernaut.

Houston Texans

Deepest run: Divisional round
Biggest villain: Chiefs

The Texans played their first NFL season in 2002 and faced early challenges as an expansion team. Houston has now been to the playoffs several times but has been sent home by Kansas City on three occasions. The Texans have never advanced past the postseason's second round, holding a 0-5 record in divisional-round matchups.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Deepest run: AFC title game
Biggest villain: Patriots

The Jaguars reached the playoffs only four times since the 2000 season, and three of those runs ended against the Patriots, including a 2018 loss with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Over the past two decades, Jacksonville has struggled to find consistency at quarterback and on the sidelines.

Los Angeles Chargers

Deepest run: AFC title game
Biggest villain: Bad luck

Strong Chargers teams made several postseason appearances in the Philip Rivers era, but a combination of things resulted in fluky losses. Kicker Nate Kaeding had costly misses in 2005 and '10, and injuries limited Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates in 2008-09. Competing in the AFC with New England and Pittsburgh made things harder. When the Chargers were seemingly ready to eliminate the Patriots, Marlon McCree fumbled while trying to return a Brady interception. L.A. is 0-2 in the playoffs with Justin Herbert, including a 2023 loss to Jacksonville after blowing a 27-0 lead.

Las Vegas Raiders

Deepest run: SB XXXVII runner-up
Biggest villain: The draft

The Raiders had an impressive run in the early 2000s, reaching the AFC title game, divisional round (the "Tuck Rule Game"), and Super Bowl in three straight seasons. However, that success has waned. Hampered by constant coaching turnover and repeated failures in the draft, the team has struggled to remain competitive since. No franchise has been as bad as the Raiders in adding first-round studs.

Miami Dolphins

Deepest run: Wild-card round
Biggest villain: Coaching

Forget the Super Bowl, Miami hasn't won a playoff game since 2001, and there are several reasons behind the drought. The Dolphins didn't really have a QB plan after Dan Marino retired in 2000, but their biggest problem was the number of bad head coaching hires (11 sideline bosses since '04, including interim jobs, is too many). Additionally, the competition in the AFC has been extremely tough for decades. Now that it looks like Miami has found a good coach-quarterback tandem with Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa, bad injury luck has hit the organization.

Minnesota Vikings

Deepest run: NFC title game
Biggest villain: Football gods

There always seems to be something in the Vikings' way, regardless of who their QB or coach is. Whether it's a stupid penalty, a costly late interception, a short field-goal miss in freezing temperatures, or facing a red-hot backup QB, Minnesota hasn't been able to overcome its biggest playoff challenges. A little luck wouldn't hurt; the Vikings won 14 games last year and still finished second in their division. It looks like they're on the right track, though.

New York Jets

Deepest run: AFC title game
Biggest villain: Powerhouses

The Jets last made the playoffs in the 2010 campaign, but they appeared in the postseason often before their long drought began. The problem for New York was that it repeatedly had to go up against the AFC's biggest powerhouses of the 2000s. The Steelers, Patriots, and Colts eliminated the Jets four times (twice in the AFC title game) between 2005-11.

San Francisco 49ers

Deepest run: SB XLVII, LIV, LVIII runner-up
Biggest villain: Patrick Mahomes

The 49ers have enjoyed great seasons since 2000, three of which led to Super Bowl appearances (2013, '20, and '24), including two against the Chiefs. San Francisco held fourth-quarter leads over K.C. on both occasions but couldn't stop Mahomes and Co.

Tennessee Titans

Deepest run: SB XXXIV runner-up
Biggest villain: The 1-yard line

Tennessee has recorded multiple deep postseason runs in the past 25 years, but its best campaign came when it faced the St. Louis Rams in the 2000 Super Bowl. That matchup is best remembered for its final play after the Rams stopped the Titans at the 1-yard line as time expired to secure a 23-16 triumph.

Washington Commanders

Deepest run: NFC title game
Biggest villain: Seahawks

Out of six playoff trips since 2006, Washington was eliminated by Seattle in three (2006, '08, and 13). But the team's postseason struggles are also tied to the franchise's previous ownership issues, coaching failures, and QB problems of the past decade. It's no coincidence that the Commanders, who underwent major culture changes, posted their best playoff run in recent memory after landing Jayden Daniels in 2024.