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Teams with the Most Super Bowl Losses in NFL History

  • The New England Patriots share the records for most Super Bowl wins and losses.
  • The Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings are both 0-4 in Super Bowls.
  • The most frequently played Super Bowl matchup is between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys.

 

Getting to the Super Bowl is no easy task. Some NFL greats have never stepped on the field in the biggest game of the year. However, there might not be a pain like a loss in the Super Bowl.

Teams with the Most Super Bowl Losses in NFL History
The Vince Lombardy trophy and an autographed helmet -Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

Just imagine how it feels to lose four or even five times on professional football’s biggest stage.

When looking at the teams with the most Super Bowl losses, the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have experienced the frustration of falling in the Super Bowl five times each. At least they have combined to win nine Super Bowl titles. It is a different story with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills, as both franchises are winless in four trips to the Super Bowl. The Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams each have three Super Bowl losses.

Let’s examine the franchises that came up short most often in the Super Bowl, including teams that came up short when listed by the NFL lines as favorites.

 

Looking at the NFL Leaders in Super Bowl Losses

1. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most NFL titles. All six Super Bowl titles with all of them happened with Bill Belichick as the head coach and Tom Brady as the starting quarterback.

The Patriots are also tied for the record with five Super Bowl losses. The first one occurred after the 1985 season when the Patriots ran into the buzzsaw known as the Chicago Bears’ 46 defense, with the Bears rolling to the 46-10 victory.

Twelve seasons later, the Patriots were a little more competitive but still lost to Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI.

New England lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII (when looking to complete an undefeated season) and Super Bowl XLVII. Following the 2018 season, the Patriots fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 41-33.

 

2. Denver Broncos

Denver made a surprising run to Super Bowl XII before falling to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10 at the Louisiana Superdome. It would be nearly 10 years before the Broncos return to the Super Bowl. Denver lost to the New York Giants 39-10 in Super Bowl XXI and then never had a chance the following year against the Washington Redskins.

Denver made it three Super Bowl losses in four years when the Broncos returned to the Louisiana Superdome and were on the wrong end of a 55-10 final against the San Francisco 49ers.

Denver did win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII. The most recent loss in the Super Bowl was to Seattle following the 2013 season, 43-8. Two years later, Denver won the franchise’s third Super Bowl title.

 

3. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7 in Super Bowl IV, the final Super Bowl before the AFL-NFL merger. The Vikings represented the NFC in the Super Bowls following the 1973, 1974, and 1976 seasons. Things did not go well, with the Vikings losing to Miami 24-7 and 16-6 to the Pittsburgh Steelers to become the first franchise to lose in back-to-back Super Bowls.

Minnesota’s most recent trip to the Super Bowl came in Super Bowl XI when the Oakland Raiders cruised to the 32-14 win to drop Minnesota’s record in Super Bowls to 0-4. Is it good or bad news that Minnesota hasn’t tied the record for being the team with the most Super Bowl losses since it hasn’t returned to the NFL title game.

 

4. Buffalo Bills

Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, and Cornelius Bennett made history by leading the Buffalo Bills to an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

Buffalo made more history by losing all four of those games. It began with the most famous missed field goal in NFL history when Scott Norwood was wide right on a 47-yard field goal that would have given the Bills the win in Super Bowl XXV. Washington added to Buffalo’s misery the following season with a 37-24 win. Buffalo was overwhelmed by the Dallas Cowboys in a 52-17 loss in Super Bowl XXVII and then lost to the Cowboys again 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVII.

 

How Many NFL Teams Have Played in the Super Bowl In Their Home Stadium?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, 2021, by a score of 31-9. It was quarterback Tom Brady’s seventh Super Bowl title. However, the Buccaneers’ stars came on defense, as Tampa Bay took advantage of injuries to both of the Chiefs’ starting offensive tackles to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl.

 

How Many Times Have Teams Met in More Than One Super Bowl

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys own the record by meeting in the Super Bowl three times. The Steelers won Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII, with the Cowboys winning Super Bowl XXX.

The Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins split Super Bowl victories. San Francisco topped Cincinnati in two Super Bowls. It was the same story with the Cowboys meeting up with the Bills, the Giants upsetting the Patriots twice, and Kansas City getting the best of the 49ers in a pair of Super Bowls.

New England and Philadelphia met twice in the Super Bowl. The Patriots won in Super Bowl XXXIX, and Philadelphia celebrated its first Super Bowl title at Super Bowl LII. The Patriots are 2-0 against the Rams in Super Bowls.

 

Where Are The Next Few Super Bowls Being Played?

Super Bowl LIX will be on Feb. 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The next two Super Bowls will be in California, with Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood as Super Bowl LXI’s site.

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