These Teams Have Gone the Longest Without a Playoff Win

The New York Giants are one of the great NFL franchises, with four Super Bowls and four NFL Championships in the pre-Super Bowl era. With quarterback Eli Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2008 and 2012. Since then, New York only made the postseason once, losing to the Green Bay Packers 38-13 after the 2016 season.

Texas Rangers fans had to wait 35 years for their first postseason appearance and 50 years for their first series win. Texas won its first series in 2010 and even advanced to the World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants. The Rangers won the 2011 AL Championship Series over the Detroit Tigers before going on to lose a heartbreaker to the St. Louis Cardinals. They have not won a postseason series since, losing the 2012 AL Wild Card game and making first round exits in 2015 and 2016.

The Dallas Mavericks were playoff mainstays during the Dirk Nowitzki era, making the postseason 15 times from 2001-2016. The Mavs finally won their first title in 2011, taking down the favored Miami Heat – but they have not won a playoff series since. After that title, Dallas made the playoffs four of the next five seasons, but their stars were aging out of their prime, and the Mavs lost in the first round each time. After a three-year playoff drought, the Mavs made the 2020 and 2021 postseasons, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round both times.

Since pulling off one of the all-time great upsets in Super Bowl III, postseason success has been scarce for the New York Jets. The franchise has a scant total of 12 playoff wins in its 62-year history. The Jets made back-to-back AFC Championship game appearances under coach Rex Ryan in 2010 and 2011, losing both times. New York have not made the postseason since and seem to be a ways away from making it back, going 4-13 in 2021.

The Chicago Bears last won a postseason game after the 2010 season, knocking off the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round before losing to their rivals, the Green Bay Packers, in the NFC Conference Championship game. The Bears have made the playoffs twice since, in 2018 and 2020, losing in the Wild Card game both times, including the infamous “Double Doink” missed field goal game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 139 seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies have made just 14 postseason appearances, winning two World Series. The Phillies made five straight postseasons from 2007-2011, winning the 2008 World Series. Philadelphia lost the 2009 World Series and won their opening round matchup in 2010, before being defeated in the NLCS by the eventual-champion San Francisco Giants. In 2011, the team lost in the opening round and has not been back to the postseason since.

The late 2000s Orlando Magic were a powerhouse. With center Dwight Howard, the team made the 2009 finals and made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010, where they lost to the Boston Celtics. Orlando made back-to-back first round playoff exits in 2011 and 2012, and Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic missed the postseason the next six straight seasons, before again losing in the first round in 2019 and 2020. Orlando’s next playoff series win could be a long way off — halfway through the 2021-2022 season, Orlando is the NBA’s worst team.

Despite having four of the last eight AL MVPs, the Los Angeles Angels have not won a playoff series since 2009. That season, LA won their opening matchup against the Boston Red Sox but lost in the ALCS to the New York Yankees, who would go on to win the World Series. Since then, the Angels have made the playoffs just once, suffering a sweep in the 2014 ALDS to the Kansas City Royals.

The Detroit Pistons made the NBA playoffs eight times in a row from 2002-2009, winning the 2004 NBA Finals. The last time they won a playoff series was in the second round of the 2008 NBA playoffs, when they defeated the Orlando Magic, before losing to the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals. The team lost in the first round in 2009 and didn’t make it back to the postseason until 2016, when they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Detroit made the 2019 playoffs as well, only to be swept again, this time by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Buffalo Sabres fans have endured decades of postseason disappointment, losing in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1975 and 1999. In more recent years, the Sabres have made early playoff exits – if they made the postseason at all. Buffalo’s last playoff success came in the 2007 Conference Semi-Finals against the New York Rangers, but they would go on to lose to the Ottawa Senators in the conference finals. Buffalo made first-round exits in 2010 and 2011, and the team has not made the playoffs since.

The Washington Football Team is one of the most successful franchises, with three Super Bowls and two titles from the earlier era. Yet, it has been over 16 years since the last time the team won a playoff game, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round in 2006. Washington has earned a postseason spot four times since but lost in the opening game each time.

The Chicago White Sox have not won a playoff series since their World Series triumph in 2005. The South Siders are no strangers to playoff woes – that 2005 team snapped an 87-year championship drought. Since then, the White Sox lost in the 2008 ALDS, the 2020 Wild Card round, and the 2021 ALDS – though the team has assembled a core of young stars that appears poised to contend for titles.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the NHL’s most successful teams with 13 Stanley Cups. Yet they have not made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2004, when they beat the Ottawa Senators in seven games but lost in the next round to the Philadelphia Flyers. Toronto was unable to capitalize on any momentum from the season, as the NHL’s 2004-2005 season was canceled due to a lock out.

After that season, Toronto failed to make the playoffs until 2013, when they lost in the first round again. The Leafs have made early postseason exits in each of the last five seasons from 2017-2021.

Since their debut season in the 1989-1990 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have made the playoffs just nine times – eight of which ended in first round exits. After seven consecutive opening round losses from 1997-2003, the T-Wolves won their first and second round matchups in 2004, making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the L.A. Lakers. After that, the team fell apart and didn’t make it back to the playoffs until 2018, where they again lost in the first round.

The Sacramento Kings are the only NBA team that has not even made the playoffs in the last decade, much less won a postseason series. Since moving to California in 1985, the Kings have had 10 playoff appearances – 1986, 1996, and 1999-2006. The Kings advanced as far as the Conference Finals in 2002 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Sacramento lost that series, though referee Tim Donaghy alleged the outcome was fixed to favor L.A. Sacramento’s last series win came in 2004 against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The Kings lost in the first round in 2005 and 2006 and have not made the postseason since.

The Las Vegas Raiders have not won a playoff game in nearly two decades. Their last win was a 41-24 drubbing of the Tennessee Titans to earn a spot in Super Bowl XXXVII. They would lose that Super Bowl 48-21 to former coach Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the team failed to make the playoffs for over a decade. The Raiders made it back to the playoffs in 2017 but lost in the Wild Card round with their two top QBs out injured. After the 2021 season, the Raiders faced another team with a significant postseason drought – the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals prevailed 26-19, thanks to a late interception from Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr.

The Minnesota Twins have made the playoffs nine times since 2000, yet they have just one series win to show for it – the 2002 ALDS. They would go on to lose in the next round. Minnesota lost in the ALDS in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2019. The Twins also lost in the Wild Card round in 2017 and 2020.

In 10 playoff appearances, the Charlotte Hornets have yet to make it past the second round. Charlotte did make the postseason seven times from 1993-2002, losing in the first round three times, and losing in the second round the other four. The Hornets’ most recent series win was in 2002 against the Orlando Magic. Since then, Charlotte’s three playoff appearances in 2010, 2014, and 2016 all ended in first round defeats.

In 45 seasons, the Seattle Mariners have made the playoffs just four times, all of which came in a seven-year stretch. After 18 barren seasons to start the franchise, Seattle made their first postseason in 1995, winning the ALDS over the New York Yankees, then losing in the ALCS to the Cleveland Indians. The Mariners lost in the ALDS in 1997 and then made back-to-back postseason appearances in 2000 and 2001, losing in the ALCS both times. The 2001 Mariners won 116 regular season games, tied for the most in a single season in MLB history, but lost to the Yankees in five games in the ALCS.

The Miami Dolphins made the playoffs seven times in the 1990s with Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino. The franchise appeared to be on solid footing following his retirement in 2000, going 11-5 and winning their opening playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts that season. But that is still Miami’s most recent playoff victory. The Dolphins made it back to the playoffs in the 2001, 2008, and 2016 seasons, losing in the Wild Card round each time.

The last time the Florida Panthers advanced out of the first round of the playoffs was also the first time, in 1996. The expansion franchise debuted in the 1993-1994 season and first made the playoffs in 1996, advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Colorado Avalanche. Florida has been mostly hapless since, making the playoffs in 1997, 2000, 2012, 2016, and 2021. They lost in the first round each time. As of January 2022, the Panthers were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, so a series win could be around the corner.

The Cincinnati Reds are one of just eight teams with at least five World Series pennants in their history. Yet this proud franchise hasn’t won a postseason series in over two decades. After winning the 1990 World Series, Cincy’s next postseason appearance came in 1995, when they swept the Dodgers in the NLDS but were swept in the NLCS by the Atlanta Braves. The Reds didn’t make the postseason again until 2010, when they lost in the NLDS. They also lost the 2012 NLDS and in the 2013 and 2020 Wild Card rounds.

In their 92-season history, the Detroit Lions have had just seven playoff wins – six of which came before 1960. The Lions’ lone Super Bowl era playoff win came against the Dallas Cowboys in 1992. In the 30 seasons since, the Lions have actually made eight playoff appearances but lost in the opening round all eight times. Detroit has some work to do to get back to the postseason. The team has finished under .500 each of the last four seasons.