The 'Super Bowl Cinderellas'

By Chris Lawton

The Super Bowl Cinderellas are the teams always on the outside. The ones who every year are wondering what it would be like to go to the big dance. Their fans have waited plenty of time for championship success. Even Conference Championship success.

Sure, there are 12 teams who have never won a Super Bowl. Including the Buffalo Bills who still have a chance to do something about that if only they can get past the Chiefs!  

There are twelve teams that have never won the Super Bowl in total. But eight of those teams have been, but always come up empty. At least they have a conference title to point to.  The Arizona Cardinals, LA Chargers, and Tennessee Titans are all 0-1. The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons are 0-2 in the big game. The Cincinnati Bengals have played every appearance close but are 0-3 in the Super Bowl. Whilst the greatest Super Bowl suffering has come for the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills. Both are 0-4 at the Big Dance, the latter even doing it in consecutive seasons (1990-1994).

Yet there are four teams who can only dream of this sort of suffering. Four teams whose fans have never even experienced the idea of their team being at the show – the Super Bowl Cinderellas.

How Long Have They Been Waiting?

Being a Super Bowl Cinderella is one thing. But how long have the fans of each of these outsiders been waiting? How long as each franchise suffered?

Let’s look and delve a little deeper into the 4 teams still waiting to knock on the door of the room holding the Lombardi trophy.

Houston Texans

Embed from Getty Images

First Year: 2002. Seasons without a Super Bowl appearance: 23

The Texans, who played out their first season in 2002 have an all-time record of 162-209-1. They have played in 14 playoff games going 6-8 in that time.

The furthest they have gone in the playoffs is to lose Divisional Round games in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023 & 2024.

Two- and a-bit decades after their expansion season they finished in 2023 10-7 before losing in the Divisional round and 10-7 in 2024 before losing in the Divisional round. Their fans will be hoping CJ Stroud and co can take the next step.

At least they can point to 10 winning seasons. Plus, their fans have had the shortest wait of any of the Super Bowl Cinderellas.

Jacksonville Jaguars

First Year: 1995. Seasons without a Super Bowl appearance: 30

The Jaguars who played out their first season in 1995 have an all-time record of 202-282. They are 8-8 in the playoffs.

The furthest they have gone in the playoffs is to lose in the AFC Championship Game in 1996, 1999 & 2017.

After a 4-12 expansion season the Jaguars went 45-19 over 4 seasons and made 2 AFC title game appearances.

Their last AFC title game in 2017 was a heartbreaking loss away at the Patriots. Since then, after which they were terrible going 15-50 over the next 4 seasons.

However, they made it back to the playoffs in 2022 after a 9-8 season and made it to the Divisional round before losing to the Chiefs. Another 9-8 season followed, but this year they were 4-13 and looked about as far from being a Super Bowl contender as they ever have done. 

Cleveland Browns

Embed from Getty Images

First Year: 1946. Seasons without a Super Bowl appearance: 59Seasons since a Championship: 60

The Browns who played their first season in the AAFC have an all-time record of 527-566-11 in the NFL regular season. As well as going 12-22 in the postseason.

Their opening years were incredibly successful. They finished their first season as AAFC champions following a 12-2 season. In fact they won every AAFC Championship (4), going 47-4-3 in the process and having a perfect season along the way. Proving that was no fluke they would appear in 7 of 8 NFL title games between 1950 and 1957 picking up three NFL titles as they did so.

The Browns last NFL title – a 27-0 romp over the Baltimore Colts occurred just two years prior to the Super Bowl era.

During the Super Bowl era these wannabees have made the 1969 NFL title game (pre cursor to the NFCCG), and the 1986, 1987 & 1989 AFC Championship games). Their fans were heartily sick of the Denver Broncos in the 1980’s as they were the obstacle they could not pass every time they were one game away from the Super Bowl.

Following a run from 2003-2019 where they failed to make the playoffs, and recorded a winless season, the Browns made it as far as the Divisional Round following an 11-5 2020 season. They also made it to the Wild Card round following an 11-6 season in 2023.

Like the Jaguars however, 2024 saw the Browns offer little to no hope to their fans of breaking their Super Bowl appearance duck as they finished an anaemic 3-14.

Detroit Lions

First Year: 1930. Seasons without a Super Bowl appearance: 59Seasons since a Championship: 67

The Lions played their first year as the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930 finishing 5-6-3. They have an all-time record of 606-709-34. As well as a playoff record of 9-15.

The Lions won NFL titles in 1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957. In the Super Bowl era however they have only really come close to the title game twice.

In 1991 a 12-4 Lions team progressed to the NFC Championship Game. Where they were upended 41-10 in Washington. I’m not sure their fans ever felt there was a chance of them going to the Super Bowl in that one either! Much more recently, in 2023 a 12-5 Lions team went to the NFC Championship Game and lost a thriller 34-31 in San Francisco to the 49ers.

The Lions did not record a postseason win since that game until 2023. They had some down seasons over that span (including going 0-16 in 2008) as well as notching 8 Wild Card defeats.

Much more recently, in 2023 a 12-5 Lions team went to the NFC Championship Game and lost a thriller 34-31 in San Francisco to the 49ers. Although perhaps 2024 hurts even more for Detroit fans as they finished 15-2 and the top seed in the NFC only to fall in the Divisional round.

Of all the teams vying to make their first Super Bowl appearance, the Lions have come the closest these past two seasons. Now Lions fans will be hoping they can build on that and that their window of opportunity is not closing.

The Super Bowl Cinderellas - Where To Now?

One of the things the NFL prides itself on is parity. On ‘any given Sunday’ any team could beat another. You should be able to draft your way out of a downward spiral. The salary cap should make things an even playing field. Free Agency should give you an opportunity to bring in fresh talent.

And yet. Here we are going into the 59th Super Bowl and four teams, – the Steelers, Patriots, 49ers and Cowboys have 22 wins and 35 Super Bowl appearances, (60% of all the Super Bowl games), between them. Meanwhile Kansas City are vying for a ‘threepeat’ and are one game away from their 5th Super Bowl appearance in six years.

 All While the four teams here haven’t even crossed the threshold of the big game. Who will be the first to scratch their name off this list? We don’t know, but it will be fun being there when they do – especially for their long-suffering fans.

CHRIS LAWTON

CFL ANALYST

Chris originally started following the NFL with the ‘first wave’ of fans when it was shown on Channel 4 in the 1980’s. He has been a keen supporter of the Miami Dolphins since 1983. Chris first encountered the CFL in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the Canadian game. He has been writing about the CFL 2017. Chris has a degree in history, postgraduate degree in librarianship and can be found on twitter as @CFLfanUK

5/5