Which team has the longest playoff drought in NFL history?
On Saturday night, the Cincinnati Bengals snapped a 31-year postseason victory drought when they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 26-19 in the wild-card playoff round.
With the win by the @Bengals today, the longest current droughts by any major North American men's pro sports team without advancing in playoffs (i.e. win game in NFL, round in other sports) belong to the Detroit Lions (last in Jan. 1992) and Cincinnati Reds (last in Oct. 1995). https://t.co/ZaybMH5HDL
Before Saturday night’s victory, the Bengals' last postseason win came all the way back on 6 January 1991, when they beat the Houston Oilers 41-14, in an AFC wild-card game.
With their victory on Saturday night, the Bengals no longer hold the embarrassing title as the team with the longest postseason drought. That dubious honor now belongs to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions have the longest playoff drought in the NFL
The Lions' last postseason victory came all the way back on 5 January 1992, when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-6. The Lions have made eight postseason appearances since their last victory in 1992 and lost every single time. Detroit won their last division title in 1993, and they have made seven other appearances as a wild-card team.
Only the Cleveland Browns have fewer appearances in the last 30 years than the Lions, making the postseason just three times (1994, 2002 and 2020) but registering only two victories (one in 1994 and another in 2020.)
Detroit’s last postseason appearance came in 2016. The Lions faced the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round and lost 28-6 on 7 January 2017. In their 2014 wild card matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, the Lions fell short, falling to the Cowboys 24-20 on 4 January 2015. Their first postseason appearance in the 2000s was against the New Orleans Saints, where they lost 45-28 on 7 January 2012.
The Lions kicked off the 90s with a postseason win, their most recent win against the Cowboys. The following week, Detroit fell to the Washington Redskins 41-10. That would be their last victory in the last 30 years in the postseason. The Lions made the playoffs the next five out of nine years in the 90s, with no victories.
Detroit’s 30-year playoff drought is not only the longest drought in the NFL, it’s the longest drought of any major North American men’s pro sports team. The second-longest drought of any major North American sports team comes in baseball, with the Cincinnati Reds picking up their last win in the playoffs in October 1995.
If the Lions were to miraculously pick up a postseason win within a year or two, or before the Miami Dolphins, they would become the next team to earn the title of the team with the longest playoff drought in the NFL.
Two of the teams with the longest NFL playoff droughts will meet on Saturday afternoon https://t.co/9dLSA17hHs
Also check out: Philadelphia Eagles Playoff History, Appearances, Wins and more