List of NFL franchise post-season droughts
Active team droughts -- AFC/NFC Championship game appearance droughts
Table:
Drought Reference [1]

Seasons

Team

Last appearance
in Conference Championship Game

Result

35
Cincinnati Bengals ^
1988 AFC
Won vs. Buffalo

32
Washington Redskins ^
1991 NFC
Won vs. Detroit

32
Detroit Lions ^
1991 NFC
Lost vs. Washington

31 [a]
Cleveland Browns ^
1989 AFC
Lost vs. Denver

31
Miami Dolphins ^
1992 AFC
Lost vs. Buffalo

30
Buffalo Bills ^
1993 AFC
Won vs. Kansas City

28
Dallas Cowboys ^
1995 NFC
Won vs. Green Bay

22
Houston Texans ^
1985Never
y —

21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2002 NFC
Won vs. Philadelphia

21
Las Vegas Raiders ^[b]
2002 AFC
Won vs. Tennessee

16
Los Angeles Chargers †[c]
2007 AFC
Lost vs. New England

13
New York Jets
2010 AFC
Lost vs. Pittsburgh

13
Chicago Bears
2010 NFC
Lost vs. Green Bay

12
New York Giants
2011 NFC
Won vs. San Francisco

11
Baltimore Ravens ↑
2012 AFC
Won vs. New England

9
Indianapolis Colts
2014 AFC
Lost vs. New England

9
Seattle Seahawks
2014 NFC
Won vs. Green Bay

8
Denver Broncos
2015 AFC
Won vs. New England

8
Arizona Cardinals
2015 NFC
Lost vs. Carolina

8
Carolina Panthers
2015 NFC
Won vs. Arizona

By analysing the table and the article excerpts listed below.

Solve the question: Which team was the runners-up during the season that the team formerly known as the Boston Braves won the championship the last ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

The Cincinnati Bengals franchise was founded in 1968 as a member of the West division of the American Football League ( AFL ) . The Bengals joined the National Football League ( NFL ) as a result of the AFL-NFL merger prior to 1970 . This list documents the franchise 's completed seasons from 1968 to present , including postseason records and results from postseason games . The Bengals have played over 750 games in their history , including two conference championships , eight division championships , and 12 playoff appearances . The franchise has experienced several extended periods of success in their history . These periods came from 1981 to 1990 when the Bengals qualified for the playoffs four times and played in two Super Bowls , and from 2009 to the present . However , during a 14-year span - 1991 to 2004 - the Bengals did not qualify for the playoffs . During this time , the franchise had nine seasons with 10 or more losses , and three of those seasons the franchise had the league 's worst record . Since 2005 the Bengals have been more successful , posting seven winning seasons , three division titles and seven wild card playoff berths ( including a streak of five consecutive playoff seasons , a first in franchise history ) .
The National Football League playoffs for the 1988 season began on December 24 , 1988 . The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII , 20-16 , on January 22 , 1989 , at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami , Florida .
This article is a list of seasons completed by the Washington Redskins American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Redskins ' franchise from 1932 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . The Redskins franchise was founded as the Boston Braves , named after the local baseball franchise . The team changed its name to the Redskins in 1933 and moved to Washington , D.C. in 1937 . The Redskins have played over 1,000 games . In those games , the club won five professional American football championships including two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls . The franchise captured ten NFL divisional titles and six NFL conference championships . The Redskins won the 1937 and 1942 Championship games , as well as Super Bowl XVII , XXII , and XXVI . They also played in and lost the 1936 , 1940 , 1943 , and 1945 Championship games , as well as Super Bowl VII and XVIII . They have made 24 postseason appearances , and have an overall postseason record of 23 wins and 19 losses . Only five teams have appeared in more Super Bowls than the Redskins : the New England Patriots ( eleven ) , the Dallas Cowboys , Pittsburgh Steelers , Denver Broncos ( eight ) , and San Francisco 49ers ( six ) ; the Redskins ' five appearances are tied with the Oakland Raiders , Miami Dolphins , New York Giants and Green Bay Packers . All of the Redskins ' league titles were attained during two ten-year spans .
The National Football League playoffs for the 1991 season began on December 28 , 1991 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Washington Redskins defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI , 37-24 , on January 26 , 1992 , at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis , Minnesota .
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit , Michigan . The Lions compete in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a member club of the league 's National Football Conference ( NFC ) North division . The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit . Originally based in Portsmouth , Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans , the team began play in 1928 as an independent professional team . The 2015 season was their 88th in the NFL . The Lions have won four NFL championships , tied for 9th overall in total championships amongst all 32 NFL franchises ; although the last was in 1957 , which gives the club the second-longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals . The Lions were the first franchise to finish a full ( non-strike shortened ) regular season with no wins or ties since the move to sixteen season games in 1978 , going 0-16 during the 2008 NFL season . They are also one of four current teams , and the only one in the NFC , to have never played in the Super Bowl .
The Cleveland Browns were a charter member club of the All-America Football Conference ( AAFC ) when the league was founded in 1946 . From 1946 to 1949 , the Browns won each of the leagues four championships . While the National Football League ( NFL ) does not recognize the Browns AAFC championships , the Pro Football Hall of Fame does recognize the teams championships , which is reflected in this list . When the AAFC folded in 1949 , the Browns were absorbed into the NFL in 1950 . The Browns went on to win three NFL championships , nearly dominating the NFL in the 1950s , and won one more NFL championship in 1964 . The team has yet to appear in a Super Bowl , however . Overall , the team has won eight championships : four in the AAFC , and four in the NFL . In 1995 , then-Browns owner Art Modell made the decision to move the team from Cleveland , Ohio to Baltimore , Maryland . An agreement between the city of Cleveland and the NFL kept the teams history , name and colors in Cleveland , while Modells new team would be regarded as an expansion team . The Baltimore Ravens would begin play in 1996 , and the Browns would return to the league in 1999 . For record-keeping purposes , the Browns are considered to have suspended operations from 1996 to 1998 , which is reflected in this list . In 2017 , the Cleveland Browns became the second team in NFL history to suffer an 0-16 record .
The National Football League playoffs for the 1989 season began on December 31 , 1989 . The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV , 55-10 , on January 28 , 1990 , at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana . This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format . The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season . This season featured only three teams that failed to make the previous season 's postseason . The New York Giants , who were eliminated on the final day of the 1988 season , rebounded to win a division title , while the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers recovered from disappointing seasons .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Miami Dolphins American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Dolphins franchise from 1966 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . Although the Miami Dolphins were not successful before joining the NFL , from 1970 when they played their first season after the AFL-NFL merger until 2001 they were one of the most successful teams in the league , playing in the postseason on 22 occasions over those 32 years and winning 335 and tying two of 528 games for an overall win percentage of 63.6 . Early in this period the Dolphins won their only two Super Bowls in consecutive seasons , in the process achieving the only modern-day perfect season in any major professional sports league during only their third year in the NFL . Much of this success was orchestrated by coach Don Shula who joined the team in 1970 and stayed with them until his retirement in 1995 . After Shula retired in 1995 , the Dolphins remained a force for six years under successors Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt , but since 2002 and especially since 2004 have fallen on harder times , reaching the postseason only twice in the twelve seasons since , and during the mid-2000s , briefly intensified the Dolphins-Patriots rivalry , when Nick Saban , a former Bill Belichick assistant was hired as the Dolphins head coach in 2005 and when he nearly signed quarterback Drew Brees with the Dolphins the following year . In 2007 , if not for their overtime victory over the Baltimore Ravens , would 've suffered an imperfect season , a year before the Detroit Lions became the first team to go winless since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule . That same season , the Dolphins became the first team in NFL history to win their division following a 1-15 season , and as of 2018 , marked the last non-Patriot division title in the AFC East . For complete team history , see History of the Miami Dolphins .
The National Football League playoffs for the 1992 season began on January 2 , 1993 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII , 52-17 , on January 31 , at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena , California .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Buffalo Bills American football franchise . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Bills ' franchise from 1960 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . The Bills finished their most recent season ( 2019 ) with a record of ten wins and six losses .
The National Football League playoffs for the 1993 season began on January 8 , 1994 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII , 30-13 , on January 30 , at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta , Georgia . Since the 1993 regular season was conducted over 18 weeks ( two byes per team ) , the traditional bye week between the conference championship games and Super Bowl was removed .
This article is a list of known as the Dallas Cowboys American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Cowboys ' franchise from 1960 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . The Cowboys franchise was founded in 1960 as an expansion team . The team has earned 33 postseason appearances , most in the NFL , the longest consecutive streak of winning seasons with 20 , the second-most appearances in the NFC Championship Game ( 14 , behind the San Francisco 49ers ' 15 ) and the second-most Super Bowl appearances ( 8 with the Denver Broncos and Steelers ) . The Cowboys have played for 10 NFL Championships and have won 5 , all five being Super Bowls . The Cowboys won Super Bowls VI , XII , XXVII , XXVIII and XXX . They also played in and lost Super Bowls V , X , and XIII . The franchise has experienced two major periods of continued success in their history . The first period of success came from 1966-1985 when the Cowboys played in the postseason 18 times . During this period , they played in two NFL Championships and five Super Bowls , winning two of them , winning a total of 20 playoff games . The second period of success was between 1991-1996 when the Cowboys captured five straight NFC East Division titles and won three Super Bowls going 12-3 in the postseason . Outside of these two periods of success , the Cowboys have experienced short periods of failure in their history .
The National Football League playoffs for the 1995 season began on December 30 , 1995 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX , 27-17 , on January 28 , 1996 , at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe , Arizona .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Houston Texans American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Texans ' franchise from 2002 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . The team currently has seven winning seasons , two 8-8 seasons , and eight losing seasons . The Texans clinched their first playoff berth and AFC South title on December 11 , 2011 by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 20-19 .
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League . The league went back to an even number of teams , expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans ; the league has since remained static with 32 teams since . The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions , four teams in each . Also , the Chicago Bears played their home games in 2002 in Champaign , Illinois at Memorial Stadium because of the reconstruction of Soldier Field . The NFL title was eventually won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII , at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California on January 26 , 2003 .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , an American football franchise based in Tampa , Florida . The Buccaneers are members of the South division in the National Football Conference ( NFC ) of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' franchise from 1976 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . The Buccaneers first joined the NFL in 1976 as members of the AFC West . The following year , they moved to the NFC Central . The Tampa Bay expansion franchise was originally awarded to Tom McCloskey , a construction company owner from Philadelphia . It soon became apparent that McCloskey had financial problems , so the NFL found a replacement in Hugh Culverhouse . They were purchased by Malcolm Glazer in 1995 for $ 192 million , following Culverhouse 's death . The front office staff of the team includes Bryan Glazer , Edward Glazer , and Joel Glazer . The Buccaneers ' only Super Bowl championship was won in Super Bowl XXXVII , at the conclusion of the 2002 season . This was the teams ' only Super Bowl appearance , having reached the NFC conference championship on two other occasions . The Buccaneers have been divisional champions six times , three of them in the NFC Central and the other three in NFC South .
The National Football League ( NFL ) playoffs for the 2002 season began on January 4 , 2003 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII , 48-21 , on January 26 , at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California . Prior to the 2002-03 season , the league realigned its teams into eight divisions ( four in each conference ) . Thus , the 12-team playoff format was modified . The league still abides by this updated system today :
This is a list of seasons completed by the Las Vegas Raiders American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Raiders ' franchise from 1960 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches .
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football franchise based in the Greater Los Angeles Area . The Chargers compete in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a member club of the league 's American Football Conference ( AFC ) West division . The club was founded in 1959 by Barron Hilton and played the 1960 season in Los Angeles as part of the American Football League ( AFL ) . In the next season , the Chargers moved to San Diego . In 2017 , the Chargers relocated back to the Los Angeles area . The franchise has experienced three major periods of success . The first was from 1960 to 1965 , when the Chargers were AFL West champions five times and AFL champions once . The second was from 1978 to 1982 , when the Chargers had winning seasons ( seasons with more wins than losses ) in each of these years , and won three consecutive division championships for the second time in franchise history . The most recent accomplishments range from 2004 to 2009 , with the franchise reaching the playoffs five times in six years . Their only Super Bowl appearance was in 1994 . The Chargers have experienced three notable periods of decline . Between 1970 and 1977 , the Chargers never won more games than they lost as part of a 13-year period without playing in the postseason , including four consecutive years last in their division from 1972 to 1975 , in which year they bottomed out before two late wins avoided the NFL 's first 0-14 season .
The National Football League playoffs for the 2007 season began on January 5 , 2008 . The postseason tournament concluded with the New York Giants defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII , 17-14 , on February 3 , at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale , Arizona .
This is a list of seasons completed by the New York Jets , formerly the New York Titans , an American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Jets ' franchise from 1960 to the present , including postseason records and league awards for individual players or head coaches . The Titans were a part of the inaugural season of the American Football League ( AFL ) in 1960 . In 1963 , the Titans changed their name to the Jets after a change in ownership . The New York Jets have won one National Football League championship in Super Bowl III . In their 53-year history , they have an overall regular season record of 373 wins , 439 losses , and 8 ties . They have made 14 postseason appearances , and have an overall postseason record of 12 wins and 13 losses .
The National Football League playoffs for the 2010 season began on January 8 , 2011 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV , 31-25 , on February 6 , at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington , Texas . This was the first Super Bowl in which the NFC representative was a # 6 seed , and only the second time one has made the Super Bowl ( the previous being the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL ) . This was only the second postseason in NFL history that included a team with a losing record , and the first to occur with a full regular season . The Seattle Seahawks won their division with a 7-9 record , as all four teams in the NFC West had losing seasons in 2010 . Only the 1982-83 NFL playoffs , following the strike-shortened 1982 , had previously included teams with losing records ( under a modified 16-team tournament , with eight from each conference , the 1982 Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions qualified with records of 4-5 ) . Six days after winning the division , the Seahawks defeated the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints to become the first playoff team with a losing record to win in the postseason . In the opening wildcard round of the playoffs , three of the four home teams had fewer wins than the away team . The exception was the Green Bay Packers-Philadelphia Eagles match , where both were 10-6 ( the Packers had defeated the Eagles in Week 1 of the season , but were on the road because they were the wild card team ) . But away teams finished 6-4 this playoff season for wins . This was the second time since the 1979 NFL season where neither of the number one playoff seeds advanced to their conference 's respective championship game , the other time being in the 2008-09 NFL playoffs . Also , had the New York Jets also won their conference championship game it would have been the first # 6 vs # 6 seed in Super Bowl history .
The Chicago Bears franchise was founded as the Decatur Staleys , a charter member of the American Professional Football Association ( APFA ) . The team moved to Chicago , Illinois , in 1921 and changed its name to the Bears in 1922 , the same year the APFA changed its name to the National Football League ( NFL ) . This list documents the franchise 's completed seasons from 1920 to present , including postseason records and results from postseason games . The Chicago Bears have played over 1,000 games in their history , and have had eight NFL Championships victories and one Super Bowl win . The Bears ' nine championships are the second most by any team in NFL history . The franchise has captured 18 NFL divisional titles and four NFL conference championships . The Bears have also recorded more regular season victories than any other NFL franchise . The franchise has experienced three major periods of continued success in their history . The first period of success came from 1932 to 1946 when the Bears won six NFL Championships . In this period the Bears participated in the first National Football League playoff game , the first NFL Championship Game , and become the American football sports dynasty of the 1940s . The Bears played in four straight NFL Championship Games between 1940 and 1943 , winning three of them , including an NFL record 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in 1940 . The second period of success was between 1984 and 1991 when the Bears captured six NFC Central Division titles in eight years and won Super Bowl XX .
The New York Giants are an American football team based in East Rutherford , New Jersey . They are a member of the National Football League ( NFL ) and play in the NFL 's National Football Conference ( NFC ) East division . In 95 completed seasons , the franchise has won eight NFL championships , including four Super Bowl victories . The Giants have won more than 600 games and appeared in the NFL playoffs 32 times . Though the Giants play home games in East Rutherford , they draw fans from throughout the New York metropolitan area . In 2010 , the team began playing in MetLife Stadium , formerly New Meadowlands Stadium . After Tim Mara paid $ 500 for the franchise , the Giants joined the NFL in the 1925 season and won their first championship two years later . In 1934 , the team won its second title , defeating the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship Game . The Giants won another championship four years later , and made four appearances in the NFL Championship Game from 1939 to 1946 , losing each time . New York won its fourth NFL title in 1956 , with a 47-7 win over the Bears in the championship game . From 1958 to 1963 , the Giants reached the NFL Championship Game five times , but were defeated on each occasion . Following the 1963 season , the franchise did not return to the playoffs until 1981 , only finishing .500 or better five times during the postseason drought .
The National Football League playoffs for the 2011 season began on January 7 , 2012 . The postseason tournament concluded with the New York Giants defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI , 21-17 , on February 5 , at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis . The Detroit Lions and Houston Texans both made team history with their clinching of playoff spots . The Lions had not been to the playoffs since 1999 while the Texans , who entered the league in 2002 , had never made the playoffs in their nine-season history . The Buffalo Bills , who were eliminated from playoff contention for the twelfth straight year then , were the only team that had not made the playoffs in the 21st century ( and would not do so again until 2017 ) . This team was tied with the Lions for the overall longest failure streak entering the season ( the Bills had also not made the playoffs since qualifying as a wild card in 1999 where they were defeated by the Tennessee Titans ) . Unless otherwise noted , all times listed are Eastern Standard Time ( UTC−05 )
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football franchise based in Baltimore , Maryland . They are a member club of the American Football Conference ( AFC ) North division in the National Football League ( NFL ) ; from 1996 to 2001 , they played in the AFC Central . The team began play in the 1996 season as a result of former Cleveland Browns team owner Art Modell 's decision to move the Browns to Baltimore . The Ravens have won two Super Bowl championships in franchise history : in 2000 , when the team defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV ; and in 2012 , when the team defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII . As of 2019 [ update ] they are the only team to reach the Super Bowl more than once and win each time . Until their defeat by the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII , the 49ers were the only team to never lose in the Super Bowl with multiple appearances .
The National Football League playoffs for the 2012 season began on January 5 , 2013 . The postseason tournament concluded with the Baltimore Ravens defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII , 34-31 , on February 3 , at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana . All teams in both conferences won at least 10 games , the first time since 2005 . Unless otherwise noted , all times listed are Eastern Standard Time ( UTC-05 )
The Indianapolis Colts , formerly the Baltimore Colts , are an American football team playing in the National Football League ( NFL ) . This list documents the season-by-season records of the Colts franchise from 1953 to present , including postseason records and league awards for individual players or head coaches . In 1953 , a Baltimore-based group led by Carroll Rosenbloom gained the rights to a new Baltimore franchise . Rosenbloom was granted an NFL team , and was awarded the holdings of the defunct Dallas Texans organization . The new team was named the Colts after the previous team that folded after the 1950 NFL season . After 31 seasons in Baltimore , Colts owner Robert Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis , Indiana . The Colts have won two Super Bowl championships ( Super Bowl V and Super Bowl XLI ) . They also played in and lost Super Bowl III and Super Bowl XLIV . Before the AFL and NFL merged in 1970 , they won three NFL Championships ( 1958 , 1959 , and 1968 ) . By winning Super Bowl XLI the Colts became the first team that played its home games in a domed stadium to win a Super Bowl held in an outdoor stadium . After the Colts owner Jim Irsay hired Tony Dungy in 2002 , the Colts made the playoffs for nine straight seasons . They won five straight AFC South titles from 2003 to 2007 and had seven consecutive seasons of 12 or more victories from 2003 to 2009 , the first time that has been achieved in the NFL 's 90-year history .
The National Football League playoffs for the 2014 season began on January 3 , 2015 . The postseason tournament concluded with the New England Patriots defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX , 28-24 , on February 1 , at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale , Arizona .
This article is a compilation of the list of seasons completed by the Seattle Seahawks American football franchise of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Seahawks ' franchise from 1976 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches . As of the end of the 2018 NFL season , the Seahawks have 23 winning seasons , 17 losing seasons , and 4 seasons where they finished 8-8 . With a 35-6 Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens on December 13 during the 2015 season , not only did the Seahawks improved to 8-5 at that point in the season , but the Seahawks ' all-time franchise regular season win-loss record improved to 313-312-0 ; this marked the first time ever in team history that the Seahawks have had an overall winning regular season win-loss record ( a win-loss record above .500 ) . Since re-joining the National Football Conference in 2002 , the Seahawks have compiled a record of 156-115-1 ( as of the end of the 2018 season ) . Also since then , the Seahawks have had only four losing seasons ( all between 2008 and 2011 ) , although their 2010 team won the Western division title , despite finishing with a 7-9 record . Counting their inaugural 1976 season , where they finished 2-12 , Seattle 's overall record as an NFC franchise is 158-127-1 . The Seahawks are the one of four North American men 's professional sports teams that have played in Seattle with an all-time winning record , after the Seattle Metropolitans ( the first American team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917 , folded in 1924 ) , the Seattle SuperSonics ( who relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder in the summer of 2008 ) , and the Seattle Sounders FC ( established in 2007 as an expansion franchise , currently active ) . Therefore , the Seahawks are currently one of two active North American men 's professional sports team located in Seattle with an overall winning record . On October 23 , 2016 , the Seahawks played the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium and the game ended in a 6-6 tie after OT , which was the first time this ever happened in franchise history .
The Denver Broncos are an American football franchise based in Denver , Colorado . Founded by Bob Howsam on August 14 , 1959 , the team was one of the founder members of the American Football League ( AFL ) , which began in 1960 , before merging with the National Football League ( NFL ) ahead of the 1970 season , when the Broncos became part of the American Football Conference ( AFC ) West division ; they have been in the same division ever since . As of the end of the 2019 season , Denver has completed 60 seasons ( playing in over 950 combined regular season and playoff games ) , and has appeared in eight Super Bowls ; although they lost in each of their first four Super Bowl appearances , they have since won three of them , including Super Bowl 50 . The franchise has experienced three major periods of success . The first was from 1976 to 1981 , when the Broncos did not have a losing season ( a season when the team has more losses than wins ) , and won two AFC West division titles , and one AFC championship . The second began in 1983 and ended in 1998 . During this period , the Broncos had just two losing seasons , were AFC champions five times and were Super Bowl champions for two consecutive years . This second period of success is best remembered for John Elway being the team 's quarterback . The most recent run of success began in 2011 , lasting until their victory in Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season . The five-year stretch was primarily spearheaded by the 2012 free agent acquisition of the then four-time League MVP former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning , and included five AFC West titles , two AFC championships , as well as the Super Bowl . From their inaugural season in 1960 until 1975 , they did not make either the AFL playoffs or NFL playoffs and had just two winning seasons . The Broncos were the only charter AFL franchise to never have a winning season during the AFL 's 10 years of existence ( although the team finished at 7-7 in 1962 ) , with their first winning season not occurring until 1973 , their fourth year as a member of the NFL 's AFC .
The National Football League playoffs for the 2015 season began on January 9 , 2016 . The postseason tournament concluded with Super Bowl 50 , on February 7 , when the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers at Levi 's Stadium in Santa Clara , California . For this year only , the Super Bowl decided not to use a Roman numeral ( L ) and instead used the standard numerals 50 . According to Jaime Weston , the league 's vice president of brand and creative , the primary reason was that the league 's graphic designers had difficulty designing a suitable , aesthetically pleasing logo with only the Roman numeral L .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Arizona Cardinals . The Cardinals are an American football franchise competing as a member of the West division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The list documents the season-by-season records of the Cardinals ' franchise from 1920 to present , including postseason records , and league awards for individual players or head coaches .
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte , North Carolina . The team was founded in 1993 , when , along with the Jacksonville Jaguars , they were accepted into the National Football League ( NFL ) as an expansion team . The Panthers are owned by David Tepper . The Carolina Panthers began play in 1995 , and spent their first 7 seasons in the NFC West division , making it to the NFC Championship game in 1996 , which was only their 2nd year as a football franchise . In 2002 , the Panthers were moved to the NFC South after the NFL realigned their divisions due to the Houston Texans joining the league as an expansion team . Over their 20 seasons in the NFL , the Panthers have played in over 300 games , winning 6 division titles ( one in the NFC West and five in the NFC South ) and reaching the NFL playoffs 8 times . The Panthers have never had back-to-back winning seasons , but recorded their first back-to-back-to-back playoff seasons in 2013 and 2014 , becoming the first team in the history of the NFC South to win consecutive division titles in the process . They won a third consecutive division title in 2015 , finishing with a league-best 15-1 record and securing homefield advantage in the playoffs for the first time in team history . The team 's worst regular season record was 2001 , where they finished 1-15 , worst in the league for that season ; although they won their first game , they lost each of the remaining 15 . Their best regular season record was accomplished in 2015 , when they finished 15-1 . The team has reached the Super Bowl twice ; in 2003 , when they lost Super Bowl XXXVIII 29-32 to the New England Patriots , and 2015 , when they lost Super Bowl 50 10-24 to the Denver Broncos . Overall , the team has recorded 7 winning seasons , 14 losing seasons , and three 8-8 seasons ; they have reached the playoffs 8 times .