NFL Playoffs - Longest Active Playoff Droughts

Currently, no team has missed the playoffs in more consecutive seasons than the New York Jets (14).

Longest Active NFL Playoff Droughts

The table below lists the 18 teams that missed the playoffs in 2024. The list is sorted by the length of each team's active playoff drought.

Franchise# of seasons
New York Jets14
Atlanta Falcons7
Carolina Panthers7
New Orleans Saints4
Indianapolis Colts4
Chicago Bears4
Tennessee Titans3
Las Vegas Raiders3
New England Patriots3
Arizona Cardinals3
Cincinnati Bengals2
Jacksonville Jaguars2
New York Giants2
Seattle Seahawks2
Dallas Cowboys1
San Francisco 49ers1
Miami Dolphins1
Cleveland Browns1

Longest Active NFL Playoff Streaks

Due to NFL parity, it's difficult to sustain success year after year, but the Kansas City Chiefs have reached a decade-long active playoff streak.

Here are the 14 teams that made the 2024-25 postseason, and the list is sorted by longest active streaks of playoff-bound NFL teams:

Franchise# of seasons
Kansas City Chiefs10
Buffalo Bills6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers5
Philadelphia Eagles4
Baltimore Ravens3
Houston Texans2
Detroit Lions2
Green Bay Packers2
Los Angeles Rams2
Pittsburgh Steelers2
Denver Broncos1
Washington Commanders1
Minnesota Vikings1
Los Angeles Chargers1