For just the second time ever, the Detroit Lions were on the doorstep of the Super Bowl.
The Lions held a 17-point halftime lead in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday but collapsed in the second half, falling 34-31 to the San Francisco 49ers.
With their halftime lead, it was the closest the Lions had ever come to reaching the Super Bowl. The team's only other appearance in the conference title game came in the 1991 season, when they were crushed by Washington 41-10.
The Lions remain one of just four NFL teams to have never reached the Super Bowl.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
Now that the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have punched their tickets to Super Bowl LVIII, here's a look at the teams who have never made -- or won -- a Super Bowl.
How many NFL teams have never made the Super Bowl?
The Lions are one of four franchises that have yet to make it to the Big Game, along with the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cleveland and Jacksonville have each lost three times in the AFC Championship Game while Houston has never made it beyond the divisional round since the franchise's inaugural 2002 season.
How many NFL teams have never won the Super Bowl?
Cleveland, Detroit, Houston and Jacksonville are among 12 teams that have never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, joined by the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans.
Which NFL teams have the most Super Bowl losses without a win?
The Bills and Vikings have both come up one win shy of a first Super Bowl title four times, more than any other title-less team. The Bengals are 0-3 in the Super Bowl, while the Falcons and Panthers have each suffered two defeats in the Big Game.
The Cardinals, Chargers and Titans all lost their lone Super Bowl appearance.
