Top 10 teams with the longest playoff streaks in NFL

As the NFL playoffs loom large, it's clear that some teams are a little more blessed than others: the New York Jets, for example, are working on a postseason drought that'll soon be old enough to see a PG-13 movie without their guardians being strongly cautioned.

The Detroit Lions celebrated their first win of the season...earned in dramatic fashion over the Minnesota Vikings...as if it was a Super Bowl clincher.

On the other hand, some teams have undoubtedly been playoff-privileged. SK takes a look at the longest postseason streaks in NFL history...

Which NFL teams have created downright historic streaks?

The Bills were a thorn in the Oilers' side during the streak (Photo: Getty)

#10-Houston Oilers (1987-93)

The Houston Oilers being a disappointment in the playoffs remains a tradition in modern North American sports...hello, Edmonton. While the Oilers rose from the drudgery of the post-Earl Campbell era in style (headlined in the early stages by Campbell's successor and Heisman winner Mike Rozier), heartbreak awaited.

Little more needs to be written about the famously lost 32-point lead in the 1991-92 Wild Card round in Buffalo, but they also missed out on an NFL semifinal appearance thanks to John Elway's 80-yard heroics the year before.

To make matters worse, the team's resurgence led to an increased demand in maintaining their Astrodome (their home stadium) home, which eventually spawned the a move to Nashville (and rebranding as the Titans).

#9-San Francisco 49ers (1992-98)

Talk of a tough act to follow: this streak, matching Houston's seven years, began in the shadow of one of the most notorious quarterback controversies in NFL history. USFL refugee and Tampa Bay washout Steve Young eventually won out, sending league legend Joe Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Young proved himself and then some, embarking on a Hall of Fame career that made a stop in Miami after the 1994-95 season, when the 49ers topped the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Heartbreak defined the end of the era: San Francisco had a legitimate chance to contend for another NFL title, but "The Catch II," a Terrell Owens score that allowed San Francisco to get past Green Bay in the 1998-99 Wild Card, gave way to a Garrison Hearst injury on the first play of the Divisional round against Atlanta.

Texas Stadium, seen shortly before its 2010 implosion, opened during the streak (Photo: Getty)

#8-Dallas Cowboys (1966-73)

Once the Cowboys got a taste of the NFL playoffs, they couldn't get enough. This streak began with Tom Landry earning Coach of the Year honors for guiding the cursed Cowboys to 10 wins in 1966.

Disappointment at the hands of the Green Bay Packers awaited in the first two years, the latter ending in the infamous Ice Bowl. The Cleveland Browns were also a snake in the Cowboys' boots, ousting Dallas over the next two years.

When the Cowboys finally broke through for an NFC title, they were the losers of the infamous Blunder Bowl in Super Bowl V, a game that saw 11 combined turnovers between Dallas and Baltimore. They would finally break through the following season with a win over the Miami Dolphins, in a defensive performance that stands to this day.

The three points yielded by Dallas stands as a Super Bowl record, only tied by another team to come on this list more than four decades later.

#7-Pittsubrgh Steelers (1972-79)

It seems downright absurd to call the Pittsburgh Steelers a cursed NFL franchise, but that certainly seemed to be the case as they entered their fourth decade of action during the 1970s. By then, Pittsburgh had partaken in a single postseason game, the 1947 Divisional playoffs.

Thanks to the efforts of the "Steel Curtain" defense and a high-octaine offense, they became the NFL's first four-championship dynasty, winning Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, and XIV. Though the streak has obviously long-ended, the Steelers have had only seven losing seasons since.

Jack Youngblood, seen in 2020, was an integral part of the Rams' divisional dynasty (Photo: Getty)

#6-Los Angeles Rams (1973-80)

The (then) Los Angeles Rams won seven consecutive division titles in the decade. Though their success was overshadowed by ongoing conference dynasties in Dallas and Minnesota, they became well-known for their defensive antics paced by future Hall-of-Famer Jack Youngblood.

They finally broke through in the final year of their conference monopoly, upsetting the Cowboys and holding off a pesky upstart team from Tampa Bay to advance to Super Bowl XIV.

Facing the aforementioned Steelers as double-digit underdogs, the double-digit underdog Rams surprisingly kept pace with the Steel Curtain and even took a lead into the fourth quarter with them. Alas, Pittsburgh flexed its muscle to eventually coast to a 31-19 win.

---

Also check out: San Francisco 49ers Playoff History, Appearances, Wins and more

---

The NFL's Top 5 Longest Playoff Streaks

#5-San Francisco 49ers (1983-90)

Even though Young established himself as a legend of the game after his departure, did you really not expect to see Montana linger on this list? This period also coincided with the rise of another arguable GOAT, Jerry Rice, who arrived as a first-round pick out of Mississippi Valley State in 1985.

San Francisco won three of its five Super Bowls during the streak, which included Rice's historic effort in Super Bowl XXIII (215 yards in a 20-16 win over Cincinnati) and the most one-sided effort in modern NFL championship memory the year after (55-10 over Elway and the Broncos).

#4-Green Bay Packers (2009-16)

Modern users seem to focus solely on the fact that Aaron Rodgers captured only one Super Bowl during this historic span, but he nonetheless established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the new century through these trials. Considering all the drama that Rodgers has reportedly worked through, the streak has become even more impressive as a result.

#3-Dallas Cowboys (1975-83)

Those who constantly whine over the Dallas Cowboys' unofficial moniker of "America's Team" and wonder why they're given national television treatment on a routine basis need look no further than the continuation of their playoff streak after a one-year absence.

It was, in fact, a losing effort that gained the Cowboys this title, as an NFL Films segment documenting their rise to Super Bowl XIII (a 35-31 loss to the aforementioned Steelers) is the party primarily responsible. Nonetheless, the Cowboys still managed to add another Lombardi Trophy to their case, topping the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.

#2-Indianapolis Colts (2002-10)

Football in Indianapolis was defined mostly by futility before Peyton Manning's arrival. By the turn of the century, the Colts had earned just a single playoff win since making their infamous midnight move out of Baltimore.

But Manning's arrival pushed the team into one of the greatest postseason mainstays of NFL history, a quest aided by the efforts of Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, Dwight Freeney and Reggie Wayne. The group reached their first Super Bowl since the aforementioned Blunder Bowl in 2006.

This one was far more memorable, as Manning put in an MVP performance to top the Chicago Bears.

Tom Brady (12) leads the Patriots' offense during their most recent NFL title in Super Bowl LIII (Photo: Getty)

#1-New England Patriots (2009-19)

Would it be an NFL postseason list if it didn't end with Tom Brady just barely beating out Peyton Manning in a legendary contest? Patriots detractors should thank their lucky stars that the team embarked on a bit of a gap year while prepping for the post-Brady era.

Had it not been for that, New England might be working on an active playoff streak, perhaps one of the most unbeatable records in NFL history.

This stretch yielded three of the Patriots' six championships (Super Bowls XLIX, LI, and LIII) and all 11 AFC East division titles awarded in that span.