The New York Knicks reversed the curse by winning their first NBA Championship in 53 years, snapping one of the longest championship droughts in the entire NBA. There were only four other teams in the entire league that had gone longer without winning a championship, but after Saturday’s win, the Knicks can now take their name off that list.

With the Knicks ending their historic drought, it got me thinking about if there are any NFL teams that could end their championship drought this season. I’m not talking about someone like the New England Patriots who haven’t won since 2018. I mean a team that’s gone the better part of the 2000s without bringing home a title.

These five teams have put their fanbases through hell, but have a good shot at finally bringing a title back to their city in 2026.

1. Buffalo Bills

Last Super Bowl Win: N/A

Last Super Bowl Appearance: 1994

The Buffalo Bills have been in Super Bowl contention every year for the past seven years, but always come up just short. It feels like eventually they’re going to have their time, but if that time’s going to come, it’s going to have to be soon.

The Bills had a down year in 2025 and still managed to make the AFC Divisional Round, go on the road to Denver and nearly take down the 1-seed in the AFC. If it weren’t for a controversial interception call in overtime, they very well could’ve gone to the AFC Championship and possibly even the Super Bowl.

Josh Allen has been carrying this offense for years, but now he finally has some real weapons. James Cook is coming off a career year where he led the league in rushing, the Bills traded for D.J. Moore to be their WR1, and Buffalo drafted Skyler Bell to add another weapon on the outside. With Joe Brady still calling plays, there’s no reason this offense shouldn’t be one of the best in the league.

Defensively, though, things still aren’t perfect. The Bills had one of the worst rush defenses in the league last year, and didn’t do a whole lot to change that. They brought in a couple of pass rushers in Bradley Chubb and T.J. Parker, but they didn’t make an impact signing or draft an impact player at defensive tackle or linebacker.

The Bills should be better than they were in 2025, so I expect them to be right back at the top of the AFC and contending for the Super Bowl again in 2026.

2. Houston Texans

Last Super Bowl Win: N/A

Last Super Bowl Appearance: N/A

The Houston Texans have only been a team for 25 years, but they still haven’t even made it to the Super Bowl yet. They haven’t even made it to the AFC Championship game, making them the only franchise in the NFL to never make a conference championship. But if things go right this year, that could change.

Unlike Buffalo, the Texans have an elite defense and a suspect offense. Defensively, it all starts up front. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are two of the best edge rushers in the NFL, but they also have Sheldon Rankins and Kayden McDonald who can do damage from the inside.

Houston also has a very strong linebacker and defensive back room. Henry To’oTo’o and Azeez Al-Shaair may not be household names, but they’re the leaders of this defense. And on the backend, Derek Stingley leads an elite secondary with guys like Jalen Pitre, Reed Blankenship, Calen Bullock and Kamari Lassiter.

Houston had the best defense in the entire NFL last season, but their offense really let them down. In the playoffs, C.J. Stroud tossed four interceptions in a 28-16 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round. To make matters worse, Stroud also turned the ball over three times in the Wild Card Round, but Houston’s defense was able to hold Pittsburgh to six points so it didn’t matter.

If Stroud and Co. can take care of the football and just be an average offense in 2026, they could very well bring home the Lombardi Trophy this season. But as of right now, that seems to be a big ask.

3. Chicago Bears

Last Super Bowl Win: 1986

Last Super Bowl Appearance: 2007

The Chicago Bears are always the butt of Super Bowl drought jokes, because they haven’t won one in 40 years, but outside of 2007, this year is their best shot since 1986 to win it all.

The Bears are much more like the Bills than the Texans. They had an elite offense last season, but their defense wasn’t up to snuff. Well, after some big additions this offseason, we’ll see if that changes.

Caleb Williams is entering his third NFL season, and is coming off a very impressive 2025 campaign, where he was one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the entire league. He helped the Bears overcome multiple fourth quarter comebacks, and nearly took down the Los Angeles Rams to advance to the NFC Championship game. They fell short in the end, but everyone remembers that miracle play he made to send it to overtime.

But offense isn’t the concern for Chicago. It’s their defense.

Last year, the Bears ranked 23rd in scoring defense, giving up 24.3 points per game. They really needed to get better on that side of the ball this offseason, and they invested heavily in it, bringing in guys like Dillon Thieneman, Coby Bryant and Devin Bush. I would’ve liked to have seen them add some more pass rush help, but these additions will make the backend of their defense much better.

If Chicago can finish with a top-12 scoring defense, their offense is good enough to give them a chance to win it all. We’ll see if 2025 was a fluke or just the beginning of their Super Bowl window.

4. Detroit Lions

Last Super Bowl Win: N/A

Last Super Bowl Appearance: N/A

The Detroit Lions are one of four teams to never even appear in a Super Bowl, but in recent years, they’ve gotten closer than ever. In 2024, the Lions finished 15-2 and earned the 1-seed in the NFC, but were bounced by rookie Jayden Daniels after their defense gave up 45 points. They then followed that up with a disappointing 2025 season, where they missed the playoffs, but the pieces are there for them to make a deep playoff run this year.

Offensively, there aren’t many teams better than Detroit. Jared Goff is one of the most underrated players in the entire league and has the most passing yards of any quarterback over the last four seasons. Out wide, he’s throwing to the best slot receiver in the league in Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he also has a 1,000-yard speedster in Jameson Williams (not to mention Sam LaPorta at tight end). Then in the backfield, he has one of the most dynamic runners in the entire league in Jahmyr Gibbs.

Defensively, I like Detroit’s roster. Up front they have Aidan Hutchinson and Derrick Moore, two elite pass rushers, and one of the best young linebackers in the game in Jack Campbell. They also have a solid secondary with guys like Terrion Arnold, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch and Keith Abney II, but they were decimated by injuries last year, which was a big reason why they missed the playoffs.

If they can stay healthy, there’s no reason the Lions shouldn’t be in contention for the 1-seed in the NFC. That’s how talented this roster is.

5. Dallas Cowboys

Last Super Bowl Win: 1996

Last Super Bowl Appearance: 1996

Dallas Cowboys fans always declared that this year is their year, but 2026 might actually be their year (it probably won’t, but you never know).

Let’s start with the good: their offense is fantastic. Dak Prescott constantly gets overlooked despite putting up huge numbers year after year. CeeDee Lamb has always been great, but now he has a consistent WR2 to go along with him in George Pickens. Dallas also has one of the best safety blankets in the league with Jake Ferguson at tight end. And now they have their first true RB1 since Ezekiel Elliott with Javonte Williams. This offense is going to score a ton of points, but their defense needs to step it up this year.

The Cowboys had arguably the worst defense in the NFL last season, but they’ve made some drastic changes to that side of the ball this offseason. It really started last season when they traded for Quinnen Williams, but they followed it up by adding Rashan Gary, Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham, Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson this offseason. All of those guys are going to get good playing time and will instantly make this defense better.

Do I think Dallas’s defense is good enough to win a Super Bowl this year? Probably not, but if this offense is as good as it was last year, there’s a chance.