The Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, who square off in Sunday’s second wild-card game, have a lot in common this time of year.

If history plays out as it has the last 47 years, neither the Eagles nor the Vikings will win their last game of the season once again. Philadelphia hasn’t won an NFL title since 1960, and Minnesota has never won a league championship or Super Bowl since joining the NFL in 1961.

Only two current NFL teams have gone longer than 47 seasons without a league crown: the Detroit Lions, who have a title-free run of 51 years, and the Arizona Cardinals, who have gone 60 years since their last NFL championship. Like the Eagles and Vikings, the Cardinals still have a chance to end their futility streak in 2008, after defeating the Atlanta Falcons in a wild-card game on Saturday.

The Lions and Cardinals have struggled for decades, but more has been expected from the Eagles and Vikes. They’ve been contenders for long periods of time, but winning the Big One has escaped them. Among all NFL clubs since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, no team has won more regular-season games than the Eagles and Vikes without winning a Super Bowl.

Most Regular-Season Wins, 1970-2008, With No Super Bowl Win

Vikings. . . . . . . .343
Eagles. . . . . . . . 304
Chiefs. . . . . . . . 294
Oilers/Titans. . . .293

In the last decade, no team has more regular-season wins without a Super Bowl victory than the Eagles (92). In those 10 seasons, which include 2008, the Eagles and Vikings have combined to play in 11 postseasons but have just one Super Bowl appearance to show for it: Philadelphia’s 24-21 loss to New England in Super Bowl 39. It marked the second Super Bowl defeat for the Eagles. The Vikings have lost four times in the championship game, most recently 31 years ago in Super Bowl 11.

Heading into Sunday’s showdown, the Eagles and Vikings have one other thing in common. They have a history of recent success in playoff openers. Philadelphia, with seven postseason appearances in the last decade, has the longest active winning streak in playoff openers. Minnesota, winner of four playoff berths in the last 10 years, has been nearly as successful in the first game.

Active Streaks – Most Consecutive Wins in Playoff Openers

Eagles. . . . . 6
Patriots. . . . 6
Vikings. . . . .5

Eagles coach Andy Reid hasn’t lost a playoff opener in his 10-year tenure. The last time the two teams lost the first game of a postseason was 1996.

One of those streaks will end on Sunday, with the winner still in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. For what it's worth, the Eagles have won both postseason meetings between the two teams -- in 1981 and 2005.

It may appear that neither team has a realistic chance to appear in this year’s Super Bowl, but both the Eagles and Vikings have lost just once in the last five weeks. A win on Sunday might go a long way for one of these hard-luck franchises.