The 11 Teams Responsible For The Longest Playoff Losing Streaks In NFL History

Every NFL team heads into the season hoping to make the playoffs, and checking that box is an indication you’re doing something right. However, fans will still be disappointed if you aren’t able to get things done in the postseason, and that’s especially true when your squad earns a reputation for choking once it rolls around.

These are the teams that have had the most consecutive losses in the playoffs in NFL history

Making it to the playoffs is only half the battle when you’re an NFL team, as you’re subsequently tasked with trying to hold your own against the other franchises that earned the right to play for a championship.

Some players, coaches, and teams find themselves burdened with criticism for wilting in the spotlight due to their inability to get things done in the postseason, and those allegations ended up swirling around the squads responsible for the longest playoff losing streaks of all time.

Miami Dolphins: 6 (And Counting)

There are currently six teams that suffered exactly six straight losses in the playoffs at some point, and we’re going to start with the most recent and work our way back.

The Dolphins are one of two teams on this list with an active streak, and theirs began with a loss to the Raiders in the divisional round at the start of the millennium.

Miami returned to the playoffs in 2001 but fell to the Colts in the first round. They snapped a six-year drought in 2008 before another one-and-done showing, and their appearances in 2016, 2022, and 2023 have all ended in the same fashion.

Dallas Cowboys: 6

The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the span of four years in the first half of the 1990s, but the dynasty effectively came to an end when they lost in the second round of the playoffs in 1996.

Dallas suffered back-to-back first-round losses in 1998 and 1999, and they didn’t make the postseason for three years before once again failing to advance in 2003. They bounced back from another one-and-done in 2006 by securing a bye in 2007, but they were eliminated by the Giants (who went on to win the Super Bowl).

The streak was finally snapped in 2009, but the Cowboys saw their season end the following week.

Buffalo Bills: 6

There are only a couple of losing streaks on this list that spanned a longer stretch of time than the one Bills fans were forced to endure in the wake of the run where Buffalo fell in the Super Bowl four years in a row.

The team missed the playoffs the season after that infamous era wrapped up, but they got a win over the Dolphins during the 1995 season before being eliminated by the Steelers. They fell to the Jaguars the following year, missed the playoffs yet again, and returned two seasons in a row only to lose to the Dolphons and Titans.

Buffalo subsequently endured a 17-year playoff drought that came to a merciful end in 2017, but the Jaguars spoiled the fun once again. The pattern continued with a loss to the Texans in 2019, and the curse was finally lifted the following season with a run that started with a win over the Colts and ended with a loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

Minnesota Vikings: 6

We’ll follow up the streak that spanned the second-longest with the one that transpired in the shortest, which comes courtesy of the Vikings.

Minnesota saw the 1988 season end with a loss to the 49ers in the second round, and San Francisco was also responsible for sending them home after they earned a bye the following year.

The Vikings missed the playoffs two years in a row before returning in 1992, which marked the start of three one-and-dones in the same number of years. They once again lost in the wild card round in 1996, but they were able to advance by beating the Giants in 1997 before falling to (who else?) the 49ers.

Seattle Seahawks: 6

Seahawks fans were also forced to endure a lengthy stretch of disappointment that spanned two full decades, and it began with a loss to the Dolphins in the divisional round that brought the 1984 campaign to an end.

Seattle suffered back-to-back one-and-dones starting in 1987, and while they were able to snap a ten-year playoff drought that stretched until  1999, the Dolphins ensured the celebration was short-lived. They were once again eliminated in the first round on two consecutive occasions beginning in 2003, but they finally turned things around in 2005 with the run that ended with a loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

Cleveland Browns: 6

There aren’t many franchises that rival the Browns when it comes to the sheer amount of misery fans have been subjected to over the course of their existence, and that includes a lengthy stretch of postseason disappointment that can be traced back to a loss to the Vikings in the NFL Championship in 1969.

Cleveland missed the postseason in 1970 before returning in 1971, but they fell to the Colts before losing to the Dolphins the following year. They had to wait eight seasons to return before being swiftly eliminated yet again, and the pattern repeated itself in 1982 and 1985.

The Browns finally got a win over the Jets in 1986 to punch their ticket to the AFC Championship, but the Broncos prevailed in that contest.

New York Giants: 6

This is the only entry that entirely transpired before the AFL-NFL merger, and it began a year after the Giants won the NFL Championship in 1938.

New York lost the title game in 1939 and did the same in 1941. They missed out on the chance to play for one with a playoff loss in 1943, and suffered two more losses in the championship in 1944 and 1946. The streak was extended to six with another postseason loss in 1950, but they ended it by securing their fourth NFL Championship in 1956.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 7 (And Counting)

The Steelers headed into the 2025 playoffs as a member of the aforementioned group, but the second active streak on this list was extended to seven with a loss to the Texans in the wild card round.

Mike Tomlin has the dubious distinction of being the lone coach responsible for a streak that stretches back to a loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship in 2017, and this is the only entry where one skipper was at the helm for every single defeat (which now includes five one-and-dones in the span of six seasons beginning in 2020).

Kansas City Chiefs: 8

There are two teams that have lost exactly eight games in a row in the playoffs, and the Chiefs are the franchise that achieved that feat most recently.

This one also spanned exactly two decades and began when Kansas City lost to the Bills in the AFC Championship in 1993. They fell to the Dolphins in the first round the following year before losing to the Colts after securing a bye in 1995, and they were once again unable to take advantage of that theoretical edge when they fell to the Broncos in 1997.

History repeated itself in 2003, and three different coaches were at the helm for losses in the wild card round in 2006, 2010, and 2013. Andy Reid was patrolling the sidelines during that last one, and he was able to right the ship with a long-awaited win in 2015 before eventually ushering in a dynasty.

Cincinnati Bengals: 8

The last two teams on this list are tied when it comes to the streak that spanned the longest stretch of time, as the Bengals had a loss to the Raiders in the divisional round in 1990 that ushered in a period of pain that lasted for 25 years.

That defeat preceded a 14-year playoff drought, but Pittsburgh gave Cincinnati a very rude welcome when they finally returned to the playoffs in 2005. The Bengals punched their ticket to the postseason six times in the span of seven years starting in 2009 (including five straight appearances between 2011 and 2015), but every single one was one-and-done.

That led to another drought that lasted five years, and they ended the streak in dramatic fashion with a run that ended with a loss to the Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

Detroit Lions: 9

It’s somewhat appropriate that one of the four NFL teams that have never appeared in the Super Bowl is also responsible for the longest playoff losing streak in the history of the league, and this one also transpired over the course of 25 seasons.

It began exactly one year after the Bengals kicked theirs off, as the Lions lost to Washington in the AFC Championship in 1991. They had a number of chances over the remainder of the decade, as Detroit made the playoffs five times in the span of seven years starting in 1993 but lost in the wild card round every single time.

That run gave way to an 11-year playoff drought before three more first-round losses in 2011, 2014, and 2016, and the pain finally ended with a run to the NFC Championship under Dan Campbell in 2023.