Why the Jaguars Will Hope to Break Out of Super Bowl's Dirty Dozen List

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- 12 teams. The NFL's dirty dozen.

These are the 12 teams that, each year, are hoping to start their seasons with a journey. A journey that will break them out of the group they are currently a part of: the 12 teams that have yet to win a Super Bowl.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars have come close before, appearing in AFC Championship Games on three different occasions. The Jaguars have never punched their ticket to the grand stage, though, and as a result are a part of the NFL's dozen franchises that have yet to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

NFL's Dozen

Of the 12 teams that have not won a Super Bowl (Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Minnesota Vikings), perhaps no team will have a better chance to break their bad luck than the Jaguars.

jacksonville jaguar — Jacksonville Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, left and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen watch warm up before an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars are fresh off a 13-4 season and an AFC South title, and they are surely on the upswing in terms of their momentum entering the 2026 offseason. The Jaguars will likely be the favorites for many in the AFC South, and Liam Coen's squad will have a true contending window open.

With that said, it sure does feel like this year was perhaps the Jaguars' greatest missed Super Bowl opportunity yet. The Jaguars didn't win a playoff game, but it is tough to say they would not have had a shot at running the table if a play or two went differently against the Buffalo Bills.

But the Jaguars are one of the most recent teams to enter the league as an expansion team, giving them a smaller window than most. Only the Texans have a smaller window, though most of the AFC South has struggled to make Super Bowl noise as only the Titans and Indianapolis Colts have even made the Super Bowl.

"Like the Panthers, the Jaguars entered the league in 1995. And, like Carolina, Jacksonville went to its conference title game in ’96, losing to the Patriots at old Foxboro Stadium. Three years later, the Jaguars returned to that stage as a 14–2 juggernaut, but lost to the Titans, the only team to beat them all season," SI's Matt Verderame said.

tony bosell — Former Jaguars Head Coach Tom Coughlin, left, talks with his former offensive lineman and now Jacksonville Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli during an NFL training camp session ten at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Since the 1999 campaign, Jacksonville has only returned to the AFC title game once (2017), doing so in Cinderella fashion with a great defense and Blake Bortles leading the offense. Unfortunately for Jags fans, they lost 24–20 to New England, thwarting their latest Super Bowl bid.

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