Sunday, December 31, 2017

Most Playoff Appearances -- NFL Teams, 1920-2017

The Buffalo Bills clinched a Playoff berth today. The last time they did that was in 1999. They were the last major league sports team to have not made the Playoffs in the 21st Century -- although their last Playoff game was the game of January 8, 2000 against the Tennessee Titans known as the Music City Miracle.

Now, the teams with the longest droughts are: MLB, Seattle Mariners, 2001; NFL, Cleveland Browns, 2002 (they completed the NFL's 2nd 0-16 season today); NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves, 2004; NHL, Carolina Hurricanes, 2009.

On this list, ties are broken by more NFL Championships (not just most Super Bowls), then more NFL Championship Game (including Super Bowl), appearances, then more Conference Championship Game appearances, then more Division Championships, then by fewer seasons of play. This also includes NFL Championships won in the pre-Playoff era, 1920-31:

1 Green Bay Packers 35
2 New York Giants 33
3 Dallas Cowboys 32
4 Pittsburgh Steelers 31, including this season
5 Minnesota Vikings 29, including this season
6 Cleveland Browns 28
Rams combined 28
7 Chicago Bears 27
Colts combined 27
8 San Francisco 49ers 26
9 New England Patriots 25, including this season
10 Philadelphia Eagles 25, including this season
11 Washington Redskins 24
12 Miami Dolphins 23
13 Denver Broncos 22
Raiders combined 22
14 Los Angeles Rams 22, including this season
Oilers/Titans combined 22
15 Kansas City Chiefs 20, including this season
16 Detroit Lions 18
17 Buffalo Bills 18, including this season
Chargers combined 18
18 Indianapolis Colts 17
19 Seattle Seahawks 16
20 Oakland Raiders 15
21 New York Jets 14
22 Atlanta Falcons 14, including this season
23 Cincinnati Bengals 14
24 New Orleans Saints 11, including this season
25 Baltimore Ravens 10
26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
Cardinals combined 10
27 Carolina Panthers 8, including this season
28 Tennessee Titans 7, including this season
29 Jacksonville Jaguars 7, including this season
30 Arizona Cardinals 5
31 Houston Texans 4
32 Los Angeles Chargers 1 (1960)

*

Of course, some context is needed. Of course, "most times made Playoffs" is weighted toward the older teams. So how about percentage?

The 1st column to the right of the team's name is the number of times they've made the Playoffs. The next is their number of seasons. The last is, on the average, every how many years they make the Playoffs.

1 Dallas Cowboys 32 58 1.81
2 Minnesota Vikings 29 57 1.97
3 Baltimore Ravens 10 22 2.20
4 Miami Dolphins 23 52 2.26
5 New England Patriots 25 58 2.32
6 Cleveland Browns 28 72 2.57
7 Seattle Seahawks 16 42 2.63
8 Indianapolis Colts (combined) 27 71 2.63
9 Denver Broncos 22 58 2.64
10 Oakland Raiders (combined) 22 58 2.64
11 Tennessee Titans (combined) 22 58 2.64
12 Pittsburgh Steelers 31 85 2.74
13 San Francisco 49ers 26 72 2.77
14 Green Bay Packers 35 97 2.77
15 New York Giants 33 93 2.82
16 Carolina Panthers 8 23 2.88
17 Los Angeles Rams (combined) 28 81 2.89
18 Kansas City Chiefs 20 58 2.90
19 Buffalo Bills 18 58 3.22
20 Los Angeles Chargers (combined) 18 58 3.22
21 Jacksonville Jaguars 7 23 3.29
22 Philadelphia Eagles 25 85 3.40
23 Cincinnati Bengals 14 50 3.57
24 Washington Redskins 24 86 3.58
25 Chicago Bears 27 98 3.63
26 Atlanta Falcons 14 52 3.71
27 Houston Texans 4 16 4.00
28 New York Jets 14 58 4.14
29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 42 4.20
30 New Orleans Saints 11 51 4.64
31 Detroit Lions 18 84 4.67
32 Arizona Cardinals (combined) 10 98 9.80

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