Super Bowl Sunday thoughts: are the Bills the best franchise to never win the SB?

[zow2]

The Bills of course had some great years in the mid-1960's and won the AFL Championship twice and came within one win of playing in Super Bowl 1.  They had some good teams in the early 70's with Saban and early 80's with Chuck Knox but lost in the Divisional rounds.  Then they had that great run from 1988 through the late 90's making the playoffs 10 out of 12 years and crushing us with 4 Super Bowl losses and 1 AFC Championship loss.   Now they are back in another "golden era" making the playoffs 5 of the last 6 years with Allen, McDermott and Co.  The last three years in particular the Bills have been a dominant team in the NFL if you analyze the numbers and should have more to show for it.

 

All that being said, are the Buffalo Bills the most accomplished NFL franchise to never win the Super Bowl?  how about Minnesota or Cincinnati? or anyone else?

 

 

[Beast]

Minnesota, I would imagine, has a better overall winning percentage so we can’t be considered better than they are.

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

Paul Brown most likely gets a lot of credit for one of the greats all time for football.  And since so much of that was with the Browns…I would say the Browns are up there too for Best Franchise to not have won.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

 🤔 best loser… the superbowl of moral victories 😂 

[Bill from NYC]

Yes, by far. The Bills Team that lost wide right was clearly superior to the Giants. They were outcoached. Our coaches just did not rate with Parcells and Bellichick. Period.

 

This will be on of my few posts where I do not add "jmo."   

1 hour ago, Beast said:

Minnesota, I would imagine, has a better overall winning percentage so we can’t be considered better than they are.

Minnesota was beat by a fairly good to big margin in every Super Bowl except when Pittsburgh beat them 16-6. That said, the Vikes could not move the ball and were overmatched against the Steel Curtain.

[Mr. WEO]

18 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

Yes, by far. The Bills Team that lost wide right was clearly superior to the Giants. They were outcoached. Our coaches just did not rate with Parcells and Bellichick. Period.

 

This will be on of my few posts where I do not add "jmo."   

Minnesota was beat by a fairly good to big margin in every Super Bowl except when Pittsburgh beat them 16-6. That said, the Vikes could not move the ball and were overmatched against the Steel Curtain.

 

Bills got lit up in 3 of 4 SBs.  So if not record, what's the tie breaker?

[Let's Go Buffalo]

Sure....but hopefully not for long!

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

3 hours ago, RalphWilson'sNewWar said:

Paul Brown most likely gets a lot of credit for one of the greats all time for football.  And since so much of that was with the Browns…I would say the Browns are up there too for Best Franchise to not have won.

 

I thought of Browns too, but they did win some NFL championships pre-SB era as did Bills won a couple.  Once SB era started, browns never won again and Paul Brown was also gone so kind of torn on whether they are good choice or not.

 

So in light of that will also go with Vikings

[BillsPride12]

The 1990 Bills are definitely one of the best teams that didn't win a Super Bowl....that should have been our year 😭

[LABILLBACKER]

Numbers say Vikings 1 and Buffalo 2

Vikings 21 playoff wins

Bills 17 playoff wins

Both teams 0-4

....tired of not finishing....

[Dr.Sack]

I’d say in the AFC Bills and Vikings for NFC.
 

Bills - 6 AFC Champions Games, 0-4 in the Big One. 
 

Vikings - 9 NFC Championship Games, 0-4. 

 

In comparison the Patriots have been to 15 AFC Championships and are 6-5 in Super Bowl. 

The 49ers 18 conf championship games, 5-2. 

 

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

Chargers were pretty good in the Shottenheimer Philip Rivers era

[1st&ten]

4 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Yes, by far. The Bills Team that lost wide right was clearly superior to the Giants. They were outcoached. Our coaches just did not rate with Parcells and Bellichick. Period.

 

This will be on of my few posts where I do not add "jmo."   

Minnesota was beat by a fairly good to big margin in every Super Bowl except when Pittsburgh beat them 16-6. That said, the Vikes could not move the ball and were overmatched against the Steel Curtain.

I agree with this, also the Cowboy teams were some of the strongest teams ever due to the Herschel Walker trade which allowed them to stockpile a wealth of young & talented players.

[Bill from NYC]

2 minutes ago, 1st&ten said:

I agree with this, also the Cowboy teams were some of the strongest teams ever due to the Herschel Walker trade which allowed them to stockpile a wealth of young & talented players.

Absolutely! Players such as Erik Williams and Leon Lett were unstoppable. Emmit Smith ran behind one of the best offensive lines of all time and their passing game was also great. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

6 hours ago, Beast said:

Minnesota, I would imagine, has a better overall winning percentage so we can’t be considered better than they are.

My first thought immediately upon reading this, but I have to go w/ the 07 Pats, they were stream rolling everyone until the SB. Randy Moss Being on 2 of the top scoring offenses of all time (at the time) is a good argument for being best ever WR. 
 

Edit: I misinterpreted the post. Thought OP was asking who best team was who didn’t win Super Bowl that year.

Edited February 12, 2023 by ChronicAndKnuckles

[Success]

32 minutes ago, 1st&ten said:

I agree with this, also the Cowboy teams were some of the strongest teams ever due to the Herschel Walker trade which allowed them to stockpile a wealth of young & talented players.

 

I blame Minnesota often for the fact that we don't have at least one ring. They gave those teams to Dallas.

 

One of the worst trades in the history of sports.

 

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

3 hours ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

I thought of Browns too, but they did win some NFL championships pre-SB era as did Bills won a couple.  Once SB era started, browns never won again and Paul Brown was also gone so kind of torn on whether they are good choice or not.

 

So in light of that will also go with Vikings

Oh!  I thought it was franchise in the history of football not the NFL.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

2 hours ago, RalphWilson'sNewWar said:

Oh!  I thought it was franchise in the history of football not the NFL.

 

Well I meant NFL just that was before AFL was also around.  They were the champions of entire league as was no SB back then.  Basically they won the last game of the season that they played 4 times

[Ethan in Cleveland]

7 hours ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

Chargers were pretty good in the Shottenheimer Philip Rivers era

And in the Fouts Coryell era

[Buffalo Super Fan]

No the Minnesota Vikings especially with that new Vikings stadium along with beautiful Minneapolis St Paul is everything you wish Buffalo Niagara Falls was as a area if we didn’t have such poor leadership political and our business leaders are some of the most shortsighted and most corrupt leaders in America. No area gave away all their advantages like Buffalo Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls Niagara County should be a major city in itself with a 1 plus million people if our leaders weren’t so shortsighted and corrupt don’t forget corrupt. Buffalo Erie County should have 2 million plus at least. You have 3 or 4 million metro your a sports player with all five majors and Power 5 for UB and Big East Conference for Canisius, St Bonaventure and Niagara. Some of the professional teams would likely be in Niagara Falls. Like Buffalo has the Buffalo Braves, Canisius, St Bonaventure and Buffalo Bisons MLB along with UB Bulls football, basketball and the Buffalo Bills as an example hypothetically. Then hypothetically Niagara Falls has Buffalo Sabres hockey along with Niagara basketball Big East Conference and Buffalo MLS soccer stadium. We are definitely in a league by ourselves for being shortsighted business wise definitely. I have witnessed for 55 years and counting. You need money and population not maintaining that is just dumb and shortsighted.
 

Buffalo is going no where to really improve our Western New York area just maintaining the Buffalo Bills like that even matters with Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane still employed after the Super Bowl tonight you realize the Buffalo Bills aren’t winning anything with those two bums in charge. The Buffalo Bills offensive line sucks that is Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane fault the Philadelphia Eagles coach had his team in the Super Bowl in his second season. Sean McDermott is on year five next season he needs to be fired and Brandon Beane sucks he needs to be fired and no I don’t trust the process with these two bums in my opinion. Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[ganesh]

11 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Absolutely! Players such as Erik Williams and Leon Lett were unstoppable. Emmit Smith ran behind one of the best offensive lines of all time and their passing game was also great. 

That team was built pre-free-agency.  I am not sure if they could stock piled that type of talent in FA.  In fact, the Cowboys deteriorated once they started losing their stars in FA.  

[newcam2012]

13 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Numbers say Vikings 1 and Buffalo 2

Vikings 21 playoff wins

Bills 17 playoff wins

Both teams 0-4

....tired of not finishing....

Me too. Tired of hearing next year and we are close or not that far away.