Teams With Most Super Bowl Appearances

The Super Bowl is undoubtedly the biggest event in the NFL season, and perhaps one of the biggest yearly events in the world. Of the 32 existing NFL teams, all but four have appeared in the Big Game at least once, but which teams have appeared in the Super Bowl the most? Read on to learn all about how many times each NFL team has appeared in the Super Bowl, and more about the teams with the most appearances.

Super Bowl Appearances by Team

Across the NFL, 28 out of the current 32 teams have reached the Super Bowl at least once, making it through the playoffs and their respective Conference Championship Game to get a shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Many of these 28 teams, however, have appeared in the Big Game multiple times, and one team holds the record for the most Super Bowl appearances of all time, with 11.

The number of times each NFL team has appeared in the Super Bowl are listed below:

Team With The Most Super Bowl Appearances

The New England Patriots are the NFL team with the most Super Bowl appearances of all time, having shown up in the Big Game 11 times since they were founded in November of 1959. Surprisingly enough, the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances are almost exclusively from the past 20 years, with their only appearances prior to 2000 coming in 1986 (Super Bowl XX) and 1997 (Super Bowl XXXI).

The nine remaining Super Bowl appearances the Patriots have managed can largely be attributed to the work of two men: Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Head coach Bill Belichick took command of the New England squad in 2000, and the very same year, quarterback Tom Brady was drafted with the 199th pick in the NFL Draft. In 2001, Tom Brady stepped up to replace Patriots’ starter Drew Bledsoe after he was injured, and the rest is history. Together, Brady and Belichick crafted a dominant streak of Super Bowl wins and appearances, appearing in the following championship games:

1. Super Bowl XXXVI (2001): Defeated the St. Louis Rams 20-17
2. Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003): Defeated the Carolina Panthers 32-29
3. Super Bowl XXXIX (2004): Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21
4. Super Bowl XLII (2008): Lost to the New York Giants 17-14
5. Super Bowl XLVI (2012): Lost to the New York Giants 21-17
6. Super Bowl XLIX (2015): Defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24
7. Super Bowl LI (2017): Defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 (OT)
8. Super Bowl LII (2018): Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 41-33
9. Super Bowl LIII (2019): Defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3

The Patriots’ dominant Super Bowl era included many wild endings, losses, and comebacks, including two Super Bowls won by field goals, a devastating loss due to the infamous David Tyree “Helmet Catch” of 2008, Malcolm Butler’s game-clinching interception on the goal line in 2015, and the record-setting Patriots comeback from a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons in 2017.

Teams with 8 Super Bowl Appearances

Though the Patriots are far and away the most dominant Super Bowl team, many other NFL  squads are right on their heels in terms of appearances. The following teams have appeared in the Super Bowl eight times in their history:

The Pittsburgh Steelers have appeared in eight Super Bowls and won six. The six Super Bowls they won were in 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 2006, and 2009, while the two they lost were in 1996 and 2011.

The Dallas Cowboys have appeared in eight Super Bowls and won five. The five Super Bowls they won were in 1972, 1978, 1993, 1994, and 1996, while the three they lost were in 1971, 1976, and 1979. 

The Denver Broncos have appeared in eight Super Bowls and won three. The three Super Bowls they won were in 1998, 1999, and 2016, while the five they lost were in 1978, 1987, 1988, 1990, and 2014.

Teams with 7 Super Bowl Appearances

Currently, one NFL team has appeared in seven Super Bowls. The San Francisco 49ers have appeared in seven Super Bowls and won five. The five Super Bowls they won were in 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, and 1995, while the two they lost were in 2013 and 2020. 

Teams with 5 Super Bowl Appearances

Five NFL teams have appeared in the Super Bowl a total of five times. These teams are as follows:

The New York Giants have appeared in five Super Bowls and won four. The four Super Bowls they won were in 1987, 1991, 2008, and 2012, while the one they lost was in 2001. 

The Washington Commanders have appeared in five Super Bowls and won three. The three Super Bowls they won were in 1983, 1988, and 1992, while the two they lost were in 1973 and 1984. 

The Las Vegas Raiders have appeared in five Super Bowls and won three. The three Super Bowls they won were in 1977, 1981, and 1984, while the two they lost were in 1968 and 2003. 

The Los Angeles Rams have appeared in five Super Bowls and won two. The two Super Bowls they won were in 2000 and 2022, while the three they lost were in 1980, 2002, and 2019.

The Miami Dolphins have appeared in five Super Bowls and won two. The two Super Bowls they won were in 1973 and 1974, while the three they lost were in 1972, 1983, and 1985. 

The Kansas City Chiefs have appeared in five Super Bowls and won three of them. They won their first Super Bowl in 1970 and their most recent in 2023. The years they lost in the Super Bowl were 1967 and 2021. The Chiefs reached the Super Bowl for a fifth time in 2023, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on February 12th, 2023.

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