Way back in the day, I ranked NFL teams from 1 to 32 on how much I like them. I thought about doing an updated list, but I realized it makes more sense just to group teams together based on what I think of them. So, I grouped them into as few tiers as I could, which is 7. I'll explain my rationale as to why each team is in each tier. I'll also rank the tiers from favorite group to least favorite. Generally, teams in a higher tier I will like more than teams in a lower tier, but not always.
1. My all-time #1 favorite team and always will be:
Seattle Seahawks
Being from the Seattle area and being the son of a huge Seahawks fan since their inception, I will always be a Seahawks fan, and they will always be #1 in my heart. I'll always be a 12, and I'll always bleed blue and green.
2. The Lovable Losers Tier
Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars
Detroit Lions
Buffalo Bills
Houston Texans
I could probably count the number of playoff wins in the past 15-20 years between all these teams on one hand. The teams in this tier tend to lose more than they win, and I have a soft spot for them. Being a fan of a lovable loser in baseball (The Mariners), I can relate to fans of these teams. Whenever these teams have a rare bit of success, I tend to root for them. The Browns, Bills, and Texans have had recent "success", but who knows how long it will last for each of them.
3. The Lovable Winners Tier
Kansas City Chiefs
New Orleans Saints
I tried to get more teams in this tier, but I couldn't. I also couldn't put either of them anywhere else. Unless either of these teams beat my Seahawks bad in the playoffs, I don't see me disliking them anytime soon. The Chiefs have great fans and with Patrick Mahomes, they should be fun to watch for a long time. And I've had a soft spot for the Saints since they had to deal with Hurricane Katrina. Drew Brees may be retiring soon, which may cause me to move them to another tier.
4. The "At Least You're Usually Entertaining to Watch" Tier
Dallas Cowboys
Las Vegas Raiders
Baltimore Ravens
Philadelphia Eagles
Atlanta Falcons
I don't really care either way if these teams win or lose, but for the most part the NFL is better when these teams win, because they are usually entertaining teams to watch. The Cowboys are "America's Team" and have a huge fanbase. The Raiders have the Black Hole and are one of the NFL's most storied franchises. The Ravens either have an exciting offense, dominating defense, or both. The Eagles are always well coached and are usually a good-all around team. And the Falcons usually have a high-flying offense, whether it be through the air or ground.
5. The Has Beens
Denver Broncos
Minnesota Vikings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Indianapolis Colts
Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins
These are all teams that I used to like more than I do now. None are having quite the success they used to. Denver in the late 90's was when I first liked them, and I even (sort of) rooted for them in the early 2010's, except of course when they played my Hawks. The Vikings in the early 2000's were fun to watch with Culpepper, Moss, and Carter. The Bucs in the early 2000's had an amazing defense. The Colts with Peyton Manning were always fun to watch. The Bears had a dominating defense in the mid 2000's, and the Dolphins in the late 90's (and even for a brief period in the mid 2000s) were pretty good.
6. The "You Suck and I Don't Have Sympathy for You" Tier
Arizona Cardinals
Washington Football Team
Cincinnati Bengals
New York Giants
New York Jets
Los Angeles Chargers
This is like the lovable losers, except I don't have sympathy for when these teams lose. Arizona's in the Seahawk's division, so no further explanation needed there. Washington has a terrible owner. Cincinnati just has never appealed to me. The two New York teams are questionably run at best at the top, and the Chargers shouldn't have moved from San Diego.
7. The "I Love to Watch You Lose Even If It's Rare" Tier
Tennessee Titans
Carolina Panthers
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots
My most hated tier. The teams that (despite my wishes) still usually have success. I can't even really explain why I dislike the Titans, except perhaps that my Hawks usually lose to them. The Panthers have been a "rival" of the Hawks for a while, plus I have no reason to root for them. The Packers have been a rival for the Hawks as well, beating us a few times. The Rams and Niners should be self-explanatory. The Steelers beat the Hawks in Super Bowl XL, and the Patriots beat the Hawks in Super Bowl XLIX. I will never forgive those two teams for that.
I can see some changes happening. If Buffalo has long term success with Josh Allen, they could move to the Lovable Winners tier. I could see some of the Has Beens moving up to another tier if they become more exciting to watch or have more success. But this is how I feel right now, and I'm sticking to it.
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