AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs
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Going into the 2021 season, there were 12 teams in the NFL that still had yet to win a Super Bowl, but that list could be down to 11 if the Cincinnati Bengals can somehow upset the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 13. at SoFi Stadium. 

Of the 12 teams that still have yet to win the NFL's biggest game, the Bengals are one of just five that have made it to the Super Bowl multiple times without winning. Before this year, the Bengals had made the Super Bowl twice and each time, they lost a heartbreaker. 

At the end of the 1981 season, the Bengals faced the 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. At halftime, the 49ers were leading 20-0 and it looked like the game was going to be a blowout, but the Bengals fought their way back. After cutting the lead to 20-7, the Bengals had a chance to make it 20-14 late in the third quarter, but they got stopped while trying to score from the one-yard line. 

The 49ers ended up winning 26-21 and if San Francisco doesn't make that goal-line stand, it's very possible that the Bengals would have ended up winning. 

In Super Bowl XXIII, the Bengals came even closer to a win. With just over three minutes left to play, Jim Breech hit a 40-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 16-13 lead. To win their first Lombardi Trophy, all they had to do was stop Joe Montana, which is much easier said than done. Of course, they didn't end up getting that trophy and that's because Montana ended up driving the 49ers 92 yards for a touchdown. 

The Bengals have come painstakingly close to ending their Super Bowl drought, but in each game, they came up a few plays short. 

Here's a look at the 11 other teams who have never won a Super Bowl. The teams are listed by the amount of Super Bowl appearances they've made: 

Buffalo Bills: 0-4 

Super Bowl XXV: Giants 20-19 over Bills
Super Bowl XXVI: Washington 37-24 over Bills
Super Bowl XXVII: Cowboys 52-17 over Bills
Super Bowl XXVIII: Cowboys 30-13 over Bills

The Bills are the only team in NFL history to play in four straight Super Bowls and unfortunately for Bills fans, they lost them all. From 1990 to 1993, the Bills had one of the best offenses in the AFC, which allowed them to dominate the conference. Of the four Super Bowl losses, the most painful was definitely the first one. In Super Bowl XXV, the Bills lost to the Giants 20-19 after Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right on the final play of the game. 

After that one-point loss, the Bills would lose their next three Super Bowls by an average of 13.3 points per game. 

Minnesota Vikings: 0-4

Super Bowl IV: Chiefs 23-7 over Vikings
Super Bowl VIII: Dolphins 24-7 over Vikings
Super Bowl IX: Steelers 16-6 over Vikings
Super Bowl XI: Raiders 32-14 over Vikings

It's been so long since the Vikings have been to a Super Bowl that it's easy to forget how dominant Minnesota was during the early history of the NFL. The Vikings played in four of the first 11 Super Bowls, but ended up losing them all. Unlike the Bills, none of Minnesota's losses were very close with the Vikings losing each game by double-digits. 

The Vikings have been back to the NFC title game a total of SIX TIMES since their last Super Bowl loss, but they haven't been able to get over the hump. 

Atlanta Falcons: 0-2

Super Bowl XXXII: Broncos 34-19 over Falcons
Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34-28 over Falcons (OT)

If the Falcons had been able to hold on to a 28-3 lead, they wouldn't be on this list, but as we all know, they weren't able to hold on to that lead against Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2016. That loss probably should've been Atlanta's second Super Bowl appearance over the past 10 years, but they blew a 17-0 lead to the 49ers in the NFC title game following the 2012 season. 

Carolina Panthers: 0-2

Super Bowl XXXVIII: Patriots 32-29 over Panthers
Super Bowl 50: Broncos 24-10 over Panthers

In just their eighth season of existence, the Panthers shocked the NFL by making it all the way to the Super Bowl and it looked like they might actually win, but then Adam Vinatieri hit a 41-yard field goal in the final seconds to give the Patriots the win. 

In 2015, the Panthers had arguably the best team in the NFL during the regular season, going 15-1, but their offense got shut down by the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. 

Arizona Cardinals: 0-1

Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27-23 over Cardinals

Thanks to Kurt Warner, the Cardinals came out of nowhere in 2008 to win the NFC West. Not only did they win the division, but they also made it to the Super Bowl AND THEY ALMOST WON. With 45 seconds left, the Cardinals were leading the Steelers 23-20, but then Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes did this. 

The Cards did get back to the NFC title game in 2015, but they would lose to the Panthers. 

Tennessee Titans: 0-1

Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23-16 over Titans

In one of the wildest Super Bowls of all-time, the underdog Titans almost shocked the Greatest Show on Turf, but they came up one-yard short. On the final play of the game, Steve McNair hit Kevin Dyson with a pass across the middle, but Dyson was unable to score after being tackled by Mike Jones. 

Since that loss, the Titans have been back to the AFC title game twice, but they've gone 0-2 in those games. 

Los Angeles Chargers: 0-1
Super Bowl XXIX: 49ers 49-26 over Chargers

The Chargers' only Super Bowl appearance was a blowout from start to finish with the 49ers jumping out to a 28-10 halftime lead and then coasting from there. Since making it to this game in 1994, the Chargers haven't really come close to getting back with only one AFC title game appearance since then. 

Never made the Super Bowl: Part I

Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions

These two teams are lumped together because they've both existed for the entire Super Bowl era, but they've still never made it to the NFL's biggest game. Going into the 2021 season, the Bengals had the longest drought without making it to a conference title game, but now that honor belongs to these two teams. 

The Browns haven't been to an AFC Championship since 1989, which is the NFL's longest drought without a conference title game appearance. As for the Lions, they haven't been to the NFC Championship since 1991, which is tied with Washington for the longest drought in the NFC. That NFC title game appearance is the only one the Lions have made in the Super Bowl era. 

On the Browns' end, things have been slightly more painful for them. They've been to five conference title games in the Super Bowl era and two of those ended with painful losses at the hands of the Broncos. in 1986, the Browns lost after John Elway led the Broncos on "The Drive" to beat Cleveland in the AFC title game.

In the 1987 AFC title game, Earnest Byner fumbled at the one-yard line with 1:12 left to play in a game where the Browns were trailing 38-31. The Browns have been on the cusp of the Super Bowl, but they just haven't been able to get over the hump. 

Never made the Super Bowl: Part II

Jacksonville Jaguars 
Houston Texans

It's hard to judge the Jaguars and Texans for not winning a Super Bowl and that's because they haven't existed for that long. The Jags, who were an expansion team in 1995, have been to the AFC title game three times in 26 seasons, but they've still never been to a Super Bowl. 

As for the Texans, they're the only NFL team that has never even made it to a conference title game. Since their expansion year in 2002, the Texans have made the playoffs six times, but they've never made it past the divisional round. Forget the Super Bowl, the closest they came to just an AFC title game appearance was in 2019 when they blew a 24-0 lead to the Chiefs in a 51-31 divisional round loss.