These are the NFL’s most heartbroken fanbases

These are the NFL’s most heartbroken fanbasesplaceholder image
These are the NFL’s most heartbroken fanbases
Some NFL fans have mastered the art of suffering: year after year, they show up, cheer loudly, and dare to hope, only to be met with crushing disappointment. But which fanbases truly have it the worst?

A new study by Fantasy MMAdness has revealed the most heartbroken teams in the league, combining cold, hard stats with raw fan emotion.

By blending on-field performance with online fan sentiment, the study determined which teams have left their supporters feeling the most let down. The analysis looked at Super Bowl wins and runner-up finishes, playoff appearances, and playoff victories to paint a picture of a team’s historical and recent success, or lack thereof. Crucially, the study also examined thousands of emotionally charged Reddit posts from the past six months, focusing on fan reactions to disappointing games and seasons.

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To ensure fairness across all teams, each of the five factors was indexed from 0 to 100. These scores were then weighted to reflect their impact on fan heartbreak: Super Bowl wins (10%), Super Bowl runner-up finishes (25%), playoff wins (15%), playoff appearances (10%), and negative Reddit commentary (40%). Reddit data was scraped from official team subreddits, using keywords like “I’m done,” “fire the coach,” and “worst team ever” to track spikes in fan frustration. Together, these elements produced a final heartbreak score out of 100, revealing the ten NFL fanbases currently suffering the most.

At number one are the New Orleans Saints. They have only 14 playoff appearances and 10 wins, which is low compared to consistent contenders. Even with a Super Bowl win, the 133 frustrated Reddit comments show that recent playoff exits still weigh heavily on fans.

Second are the Carolina Panthers. They have no Super Bowl wins, only 8 playoff appearances, and just 9 playoff victories. Their 177 disappointed comments reflect a fanbase drained by years of unfulfilled potential.

The Cleveland Browns take third. They have 26 playoff appearances and 17 wins but have never reached a Super Bowl. With 3 runner-up finishes and 234 fan comments full of frustration, Browns fans remain loyal despite constant setbacks.

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In fourth place are the Baltimore Ravens. They boast 2 Super Bowl wins and 18 playoff victories but have only 16 playoff appearances. With 4 runner-up finishes and 250 angry comments, the expectations around this team have clearly turned to pressure.

Fifth are the Arizona Cardinals. They have never won a Super Bowl and have just 11 playoff appearances with 7 wins. Their 2 runner-up finishes and 294 disappointed comments reveal how long fans have waited for real success.

The Tennessee Titans rank sixth. They have 25 playoff appearances and 17 wins but still no championship. The infamous one-yard-short Super Bowl loss still lingers, and 223 comments show the ongoing emotional fatigue.

Seventh are the Jacksonville Jaguars. With only 8 playoff appearances and 8 wins, they are among the least accomplished teams. Yet their 354 disappointed comments suggest their fans feel every loss sharply, perhaps because hope rarely comes around.

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Eighth are the Houston Texans. They have just 8 playoff appearances and 6 wins. Despite being one of the NFL’s youngest franchises, they had 367 disappointed comments, showing how quickly frustration has piled up.

Ninth are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have 2 Super Bowl wins but only 15 playoff appearances and 12 wins overall. With 325 emotional comments, fans seem to view recent success as a blip in an otherwise difficult history.

Rounding out the top ten are the Los Angeles Chargers. They have 21 playoff appearances and 12 wins. With 359 disappointed comments, their fanbase has grown used to sudden collapses and missed expectations.

Full ranking:

Rank Team Superbowl Wins Superbowl Runner Up Playoff Wins Playoff Appearances Disappointed Comments Total Score
1 New Orleans Saints 1 0 10 14 133 94.45
2 Carolina Panthers 0 0 9 8 177 82.87
3 Cleveland Browns 0 3 17 26 234 75.55
4 Baltimore Ravens 2 4 18 16 250 73.11
5 Arizona Cardinals 0 2 7 11 294 72.40
6 Tennessee Titans 0 1 17 25 223 72.33
7 Jacksonville Jaguars 0 0 8 8 354 70.11
8 Houston Texans 0 1 6 8 367 69.31
9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 0 12 15 325 66.35
10 Los Angeles Chargers 0 0 12 21 359 63.15
11 Detroit Lions 0 2 9 20 416 57.38
12 New York Jets 1 0 12 14 413 56.82
13 Atlanta Falcons 0 3 10 14 365 55.69
14 Washington Commanders 0 0 25 26 384 52.24
15 Cincinnati Bengals 0 0 10 16 359 50.78
16 Indianapolis Colts 1 0 23 29 345 50.56
17 Las Vegas Raiders 0 0 25 23 408 50.13
18 Los Angeles Rams 1 2 27 33 296 48.79
19 Seattle Seahawks 1 2 17 20 366 48.64
20 Chicago Bears 1 1 17 27 433 42.44
21 Dallas Cowboys 5 2 36 36 224 41.44
22 Pittsburgh Steelers 6 2 36 35 270 39.09
23 Kansas City Chiefs 4 3 26 27 352 33.97
24 Buffalo Bills 0 5 21 24 401 32.52
25 New York Giants 4 1 25 33 436 31.34
26 Miami Dolphins 2 3 20 25 428 30.75
27 Minnesota Vikings 0 4 21 32 421 27.14
28 Philadelphia Eagles 2 3 29 31 420 25.64
29 Denver Broncos 3 3 23 23 379 24.84
30 Green Bay Packers 4 0 37 37 434 24.77
31 San Francisco 49ers 5 3 39 29 438 14.43
32 New England Patriots 6 5 37 28 414 7.16
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