Who has the longest all-time playoff game win drought in the NFL?
There have been some long and painful non-playoff game winning streaks in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals almost made it four decades without winning a playoff game, lasting from 1960 to 1998, when they went to the Super Bowl with a surprise NFC Championship win over the Minnesota Vikings. The New Orleans Saints had a 33 year fallow period, but the Detroit Lions have had the worse of it.
The Michigan franchise didn’t make the playoffs for 31 years from 1960 to 1991, and then, after a win with Barry Sanders, have gone a further 30 years, with their playoff game win drought set to reach it’s previous high if they fail to make the post season this year.
Check out the longest all-time playoff game win droughts below:
Longest All-Time NFL Playoff Game Win Droughts
| Team | Years | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 38 | 1960 | 1998 |
| New Orleans Saints | 33 | 1967 | 2000 |
| Detroit Lions | 31 | 1960 | 1991 |
| Detroit Lions | 30 | 1992 | – |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 30 | 1991 | 2021 |
| Cleveland Browns | 25 | 1995 | 2020 |
| Buffalo Bills | 24 | 1996 | 2020 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 23 | 1972 | 1995 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 21 | 1994 | 2015 |
| New York Giants | 21 | 1960 | 1981 |
| Miami Dolphins | 21 | 2001 | – |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 21 | 1970 | 1991 |
| Chicago Bears | 20 | 1964 | 1984 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 20 | 1985 | 2005 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 19 | 2003 | – |
| New England Patriots | 19 | 1966 | 1985 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 18 | 1961 | 1979 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17 | 1980 | 1997 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17 | 2003 | 2020 |
| Cleveland Browns | 16 | 1970 | 1986 |
| Washington Commanders | 16 | 2006 | – |
| Buffalo Bills | 15 | 1966 | 1981 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 14 | 1960 | 1974 |
| Green Bay Packers | 14 | 1968 | 1982 |
| San Diego Chargers | 14 | 1966 | 1980 |
More playoff questions:
Who has the longest all-time NFL Playoffs drought?
The New Orleans Saints didn’t make the playoffs for 20 consecutive seasons between the 1967 and 1987 seasons, the longest all-time playoffs drought.
What is the longest active NFL Playoff drought?
The New York Jets haven’t made the playoffs in over a decade, last playing in the post-season after the 2011 season, the longest active NFL playoff drought.
What’s the longest an NFL team has gone without winning a playoff game?
The Detroit Lions haven’t won a playoff game since 1992, which is over 30 years, the longest active playoff win drought in the NFL. View all playoff win droughts here.
What’s the longest an NFL team has gone without winning a playoff game all-time?
The Arizona Cardinals had the longest ever playoff win game drought with 38 years, between 1960 and 1998.