Worst NFL Franchises Ever

The NFL is a storied sport, with teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers littering fans' memories with fame and glory. But what about the teams that are anti-New England in that they never or rarely obtain success? Which franchises are notorious for setting records... the bad kind? Here are some of the worst NFL franchises ever.

1. Cleveland Browns: The worst team of them all. The franchise went 0-16 last year and have gone 1-31 in their past two seasons. Art Modell moved the original franchise to Baltimore just when Cleveland was on the cusp of becoming Super Bowl contenders. Numerous quarterbacks have gone here and have had their careers die in Cleveland along with numerous coaches. Oh, and the Browns have never been to the Super Bowl and have the longest playoff drought in the NFL at the moment.
2. Detroit Lions: Like its fellow Rust Belt team, the Lions haven't seen much success on the field. Ever since Bobby Layne placed a hex on the team by saying the Lions will never win anything in 50 years in the 1950s, the Lions, well, haven't won anything in 50 years and beyond. In spite of having BOTH Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders on their teams (sadly, not at the same time), the Lions are the only NFC team to never make the Super Bowl. They also went 0-16 in 2008, being the first NFL team to ever do so. The Lions have been the equivalent of a broken down Ford on the side of the road (thanks, William Clay Ford).
3. Buffalo Bills: Did you know the Buffalo Bills made the Super Bowl four straight times from 1990 to 1993? Did you also know the Bills lost all four of those Super Bowls? From Scott Norwood's missed field goal to Tom Brady dominating the Bills constantly to the Music City Miracle, the Bills have endured what seems to be endless misery. At least Bills Mafia is fixated on bodyslamming someone through a flaming table rather than the Bills themselves.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The original winless team, the Buccaneers didn't win their first game until the 13th game of their second season. Think of the Buccaneers as the anti-Miami Dolphins of 1972 if you're a casual Floridian. Tampa Bay hasn't been to the playoffs since 2008, marking the longest postseason drought in the NFC.
5. New York Jets: There's a tale of two NFL franchises in the Big Apple. One is the New York Giants, who have won numerous championships and have produced defensive stalwarts such as Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor. The other actually was the first New York (technically, New Jersey, but still) football team to win the Super Bowl with Joe Namath's guarantee. However, it has been bad quarterback play and garnering media attention of the wrong variety (hello, Rex Ryan's foot fetish!) that has gotten the Jets to become an NFL laughingstock. At least the Jets have produced some elite defenses over the years.
6. Arizona Cardinals: This franchise has relocated four times, originally being the Morgan Athletic Club/Racine Normals in 1898 before eventually settling down in the desert. Despite having a Hall of Fame-worthy receiver in Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals haven't done much in their team history. Aside from a Super Bowl appearance where they narrowly lost to the Steelers, the Cardinals have found themselves near or at the bottom of either the NFC East or NFC West in specific seasons. Many blame Bill Bidwell for the team's misfortunes, which is reasonable considering the team's lack of success.
7. Cincinnati Bengals: When your team's best head coach is a guy who hasn't gotten past the wild card round of the NFL playoffs (and just lost to the Browns at home!), you know you have a mediocre franchise. Don't forget that owner Mike Brown has gotten the city of Cincinnati into stadium deals that are as bad as Skyline Chili. The team has had some notable characters on its team, namely Chad Johnson, Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, and Vontaze Burfict.
8. Los Angeles Chargers: The Chargers may have found success right now, but Los Angeles hasn't always been an awesome team despite having LaDainian Tomlinson, Dan Fouts, Antonio Gates, and Junior Seau. The team has had kickers choke in playoff games, notably Nate Kaeding, and got brutalized in their only Super Bowl appearance. Los Angeles also has an owner who was intent on moving the Chargers out of San Diego in Dean Spanos. Now San Diego only has the Padres to root for, which is unfortunate.
   

Dishonorable Mentions: New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars

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