NFL Playoffs - Longest Active Playoff Droughts

Currently, no team has missed the playoffs in more consecutive seasons than the New York Jets (15).

Longest Active NFL Playoff Droughts

The table below lists the 18 teams that missed the playoffs in 2025. The list is sorted by the length of each team's active playoff drought.

Franchise# of seasons
New York Jets15
Atlanta Falcons8
New Orleans Saints5
Indianapolis Colts5
Tennessee Titans4
Las Vegas Raiders4
Arizona Cardinals4
Cincinnati Bengals3
New York Giants3
Dallas Cowboys2
Miami Dolphins2
Cleveland Browns2
Baltimore Ravens1
Detroit Lions1
Kansas City Chiefs1
Minnesota Vikings1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1
Washington Commanders1

Longest Active NFL Playoff Streaks

With the Kansas City Chiefs ending their decade-long playoff streak, it's now the Buffalo Bills who have the longest active playoff streak (seven years).

Here are the 14 teams that made the 2025-26 postseason, and the list is sorted by longest active streaks of playoff-bound NFL teams:

Franchise# of seasons
Buffalo Bills7
Philadelphia Eagles5
Houston Texans3
Green Bay Packers3
Los Angeles Rams3
Pittsburgh Steelers3
Denver Broncos2
Los Angeles Chargers2
Carolina Panthers1
Chicago Bears1
Jacksonville Jaguars1
New England Patriots1
San Francisco 49ers1
Seattle Seahawks1