They are bonded by football futility for now, but surely not forever. Right?
Cleveland, Detroit, Houston and Jacksonville — the NFL’s final four, if you will — are the last remaining teams to never make a Super Bowl. They’re far from favorites yet still in contention to end their droughts as the playoffs near.
The Browns (11-5) and Lions (11-5) have clinched postseason berths. The Texans (9-7) and Jaguars (9-7) can join them with victories this weekend.
“It’s great for all four of those franchises,” said retired NFL cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who spent nine of his 15 professional seasons with Houston. “They’re on the verge and they’re not going away. They’re all young teams with young talent. It’s only a matter of time.”
The Browns, Lions and Jaguars have been close before, all of them reaching conference championship games in different decades and losing in stomach-churning fashion.
Here’s a look at a few defining failures for the NFL’s final four:
CLEVELAND BROWNS
Of the four, the Browns have come the closest to ending their misery. That’s hardly any consolation for Bernie Kosar.
“It’s only taken me 30 years to get over it,” Cleveland’s former quarterback said.
Led by Kosar and an underrated defense, the Browns got to three AFC Championships in four seasons (1986-89) but lost to the Denver Broncos each time. The first two losses came in soul-crushing fashion and are immortalized with nicknames: “ The Drive “ and “ The Fumble.”
The third was another loss, only not as painful.
On Jan. 11, 1987, the Browns, who last won an NFL title in 1964, were minutes away from their first Super Bowl trip when Broncos quarterback John Elway got the ball at Denver’s 2-yard line.
DETROIT LIONS
Former Lions kicker Eddie Murray played a key role in one of Detroit’s many postseason shortcomings.
In the 1983 NFC divisional round, Murray made three field goals before missing one late as San Francisco held on to win 24-23 after taking advantage of Gary Danielson’s five interceptions.
“Not being able to make that kick at the end of the game was gut-wrenching not only for myself, but the team,” Murray said. “We were the best team on the field that day and we were really good on both sides of the ball that year, but mistakes killed us against the 49ers.”
Murray, with star teammate Barry Sanders carrying the load, got closer in 1991. They beat Dallas in the divisional round only to get trounced by juggernaut Washington in the NFC title game.
HOUSTON TEXANS
Joseph won six AFC South titles during his time in Houston, so getting to the playoffs was never a problem. Advancing to the conference championship was another story.
Joseph immediately pointed to 2011 — Houston’s first foray into the postseason — as his most painful reminder of what could have been. The Texans were 7-3 after 10 games and looked like the AFC’s best team.
But Matt Schaub suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot executing a quarterback sneak at Tampa Bay and missed the rest of the season.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Hall of Fame left tackle Tony Boselli has witnessed all three of Jacksonville’s chances to make the big game. He was on the field for one, on the sideline for another and in the radio booth for the most recent.
Each one ended in heartache for Boselli.
More than two decades before Tom Brady connected on a third-and-18 play and Myles Jack was ruled down — plays that have haunted the Jaguars for six years already — Boselli endured the most agonizing of the franchise’s playoff losses. MARK LONG, JACKSONVILLE, Fla., MDT/AP
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