As the 2008 NFL season approaches, I get giddier and giddier as each day goes by. Training camp is just around the corner, and there is plenty of reading material back on the Internet regarding teams, players, predictions, and rankings.
I stumbled upon the 2007 Sports Illustrated's “Toughest Places to Play” list. In order, from one to 10, they had the following: Chiefs, Pats, Colts, Broncos, Seahawks, Steelers, Bears, Packers, Eagles, and Vikings.
I didn’t agree with it, so I came up with my own.
The factors I considered are, in no particular order: how successful the team has been at their home stadium since 2002, the exterior elements that have an effect (weather, dome noise, etc), the knowledge and enthusiasm of the fans, the tradition and history, and what places I wouldn’t want to play as an opponent in a must win situation.
1. New England Patriots (39-9) It kills me to put the Patriots atop yet another list, but you can’t argue their success at home. Three times in the past six years, they have won all eight home games, and they have not lost more than three in any season dating back to 2002. The cold weather in November and December, paired with very knowledgeable New England fanbase, makes it extremely difficult to win a game up there.
2. Seattle Seahawks (37-11) Qwest Field has to be one of the greatest designs when it comes to making a venue intimidating. It has gotten so loud at Qwest, teams have often accused Seattle of using false means of generating noise. The fans are made part of the team by the infamous 12th-man flag that is waved before each game. In short, it’s not a fun place for an opponent to play.
3. Indianapolis Colts (39-9) Why are they ranked third despite having an identical record to the Patriots? Is this another way for a writer to spurn the Colts? No. While the Colts' dome environment makes it very hard to hear and communicate, they can’t be No 1 on this list considering their last home game was a playoff loss. Great environment nonetheless.
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4. Pittsburgh Steelers (34-13-1) First thought that comes to mind when you think Pittsburgh? Black-and-gold-donning fans pressed together, cold breaths coming out of each, a sea of terrible towels waving vehemently. That’s Pittsburgh. Oh, and it’s also pretty loud there.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (31-17) They pelted Santa Claus with snowballs, jailed some of their excessively rowdy fans, and are not hospitable (threaten, harass, assault to name a few) to opponents' fans. Would Philly have it any other way? I think not.
6. Denver Broncos (34-14) The high altitude isn’t the only thing that makes it hard for opponents to win in Denver. The teams have been successful and their rivalries are very intense. Nothing like hard-hitting football on a cold December night, a mile high on a mountain with 76,100 on hand.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (33-15) Yes, I know they only won two games last year at home and lost six. That is why they are not higher up. Why are they as high as seven you ask?
Because when you try to play a game in front of 79,400 people in red shirts that make it look like you’re in a bowl of blood, it’s hard to focus. As lousy as the Chiefs’ teams have been of late, they have still won more than twice as many games at home than lost.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (30-18) This may come as a surprise to many, but the Jaguars are a very good team at home. They have won six out of eight games in each of their last three seasons. Though they are still a relatively new team that lacks the tradition and history of many of the aforementioned clubs, they don’t let you beat them in their own backyard; plain and simple.
9. Green Bay Packers (30-18) People will be angry that I have the Packers so low on a list, given the rich history of Lambeau Field. There is no doubt that Lambeau is a place you don’t want to play late in the season or in the playoffs. However, their solid armor was dented first when Michael Vick (remember him?) beat them in Green Bay, and then last year when the New York Giants defeated the Pack in the NFC Championship game.
I’ve got to dock them points for that. They’ve also lost four or more games three of the past six seasons at home.
10. Minnesota Vikings (29-19) What? The Vikings? Yes, and as lousy as they have been over the last six years, they still have won more games at home than the former NFC Champion Chicago Bears have won at Soldier Field.
The Vikings have had a losing record at the Metrodome only once since 2002, and with a season full of high aspirations in 2008, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vikings win seven out of eight at home.
I know there will be many fans furious as to why I left their teams off the list, starting with Chicago. Quite frankly, they haven’t been as good at home as the others on this list have. When you think Chicago, you think of cold weather and hard-hitting football.
You also think of low-scoring wins. Still, the Bears have lost 20 at home, something no one else on this list has done.
As far as the Dallas fans go, you have a legitimate gripe because the Cowboys have an identical home record since 2002 as the Vikings. However, the Dallas teams have been better than the Vikings' teams.
It’s a lot easier to show up and cheer for your squad when they are competitive. If both teams were of equal caliber, and if I was an opponent, the place I would rather play is Dallas. Minnesota gets too loud and intimidating when the Vikings have a good squad. Texas Stadium just isn’t up to par.
Let the bashing of this list begin.
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2 months ago
Nice research.
2 months ago
Good article, can't argue about Texas Stadium these days, but hopefully the new stadium will bring a change to that!!
In Texas Stadium, in my opinion, seem so quiet when I watch them on TV.
from 2 months ago
Thanks David. Yeah you would think Dallas would be louder than it is, especially since you see the Cowboys on National TV so much.
from 2 months ago
David,
It is quiet, i've been to three cowboys games the last 3 years and the loudest they got was when they were booing drew bledsoe haha.
2 months ago
Good stuff.
2 months ago
good article, very well put, agreed with all.
2 months ago
I hate the Raiders and their team currently sucks, but very few can claim the level of obsessiveness that comes with being Raiderfan on gameday at McAffee Coliseum.
from 2 months ago
I thought of Oakland early on when I was compiling this list. They have got great fans but here is a depressing Stat for the Raider Nation: 19-29 at home since 2002, and only 13 home wins since 2003.
If Oakland could have even gone .500 in that span, I might have snuck them in at the 10 spot.
2 months ago
Shaun while I think your article is pretty much dead on, I really do believe that the Raiders should have made the list. granted, as you mentioned Oakland did only go 19-29 since 02 but what is their overall statistic? should that come into account? because if you ask any team where its tough to win many of them will say Oakland because the fans are so passionate. but I am not knocking your choices as they were good ones. again great article I enjoyed it.
from 2 months ago
Thanks Sergio.. Believe me, I really wanted to put Oakland up there but I simply couldn't. I know their fans are great but how hard can it be to win in Oakland when teams are 29-19 there in the past six years?
2 months ago
New England is tough to win cuz the team not the fans.
2 months ago
That can be said of any team with a great home record. It's a mix of team talent, fans, and environment. The Pats have lost more on the road than at home.
2 months ago
i think alot of these places have more to do with their team's talent and success; and not their venues and fans.
imo, i think KC and NO are tough places to play but their records probably don't indicate it.
either way, it was a fun read.
from 2 months ago
Couldnt agree more
from 2 months ago
Right but that can be said about any team who has a good record at home. You can't say someone has a good homefield advantage if they lose there more than they win, regardless of how enthusiastic there fans are. Team talent, fans and environment combined are the components of a tough homefield.
2 months ago
the teams that are showing up are teams that are good in general. If a team wins a lot of games, they will win a lot of games for home. It would be interesting to find a way to weight the record at home -- maybe compare it to the road record. Find who has the biggest difference in win percentage from road to home. Or who has opponents with biggest difference in win percentage. It would require more work but would be less biased I think. Good article though --- I think you might find Seattle to jump the Patriots if you use a different measuring stick.
from 2 months ago
Brett.. Great points but note that four out of the ten teams on the list didn't even make the playoffs last season. The bottom-feeding teams never have a good homefield advantage; otherwise they wouldn't be in the cellar of the league. Your suggestion for researching win percentages at home vs the road is a good one and I'll look into that.
2 months ago
i would have said put colts at number two. then i saw who was actually there and i said nevermind lol. seattle is a pain.
2 months ago
Good list. Seattle built their stadium to be very noisy. I also read somehwere that their fans are the closest to the field of any stadium in the NFL.
Heinz Field in Pittsburgh does get loud, but it would be louder without the open end. Three Rivers Stadium, now that was a loud stadium.
HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!
from 2 months ago
Never been, but apparently RFK Stadium was also pretty damn loud back when it was the home of the Redskins (another circular/enclosed stadium that trapped the sound)
from about 1 month ago
Yeah Ryan, Washington lost homefield advantage when they moved to FedEx Field. It's no where near the same atmosphere as RFK.
2 months ago
The Broncos, Chiefs, and Eagles have all been very good teams and consistently in the playoffs since 2002. The Vikings would be the only real suprise -- they have never been a bad team though. Let me know what you find if you do look more into it!!
2 months ago
What about the Ravens? I haven't done the research, but even in down years, they tend to win at home.
For example, the year they went 6-10, their worst season since their first year in Baltimore, they were 6-2 at home, although to be fair, 0-8 on the road. I couldn't find the research, so I have no backup for the whole time span, but I would appreciate it if you'd give me your thoughts. Thanks!
from 2 months ago
Brendan,
You make an excellent point and I had a tough time leaving them off the list. The Ravens have won 34 games since 2002, which definitely warrants them being on the list somewhere between 8-10; but I just couldn't knock Green Bay or Minnesota off. Maybe they should have been 10th with GB and Minn at 8 and 9 and Jax not on at all? It's a really tough choice but thanks for the great point.
2 months ago
Detroit is by far the toughest place to win in the NFL over the last 10 years..... at least for the Lions! HA! Go BEARS!
from 2 months ago
Hilarious! When I read "Detroit is by far the toughest place...", I was about to flag the comment as offensive. haha kidding.
2 months ago
Lists that talk about toughest places to play are always interesting to look at because almost always the teams that are atop these lists are great teams anyway. The Patriots stadium isn't a tough place to play, the freakin Patriots are tough anywhere. Same with the Steelers, Seahawks, Colts, etc.
You have to look at places like Arrowhead. The Chiefs haven't had a ton of success, but their home record is really good. That's a tough place to play. Playing at places like New England, Indianapolis, Seattle, etc are tough places to play because those are really good teams to begin with.
2 months ago
i think this is a very accurate list. however, i agree with justin. reliant stadium is not so much tough to play in as it is tough because the pats are amazing.
2 months ago
The New Lucas Oil...watch out baby!!!
2 months ago
Shouldn't the Chiefs get dropped two spots since their fans are no longer allowed to stand up at games?
2 months ago
I was going to give you hell for having Lambeau so low, and dang, you defended it well. Nice job!
And Seattle is a ^$%# to play in...it rivals Autzen (crowd noise and closeness to the field) in Eugene, Oregon for a hostile place to play.
Super Read...five stars!
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Lisa... Believe me, putting Lambeu anywhere outside of the top 5 was tough given the rich history and tradition. But they've just been good there as of recent years; not great.
And yes, Seattle is awful to play in. I know this first hand as my Redskins have lost their twice in the playoffs in recent years!
about 1 month ago
the chargers are 34-14 at home since 2002 how are ad 27-5 since 2004 how are they not on the list?
from about 1 month ago
You're right Jordan. San Diego is right there but their fans haven't made a name for themselves yet as an intimidating force. That's my only knock on them.
about 1 month ago
I'm not sure why everyone keeps saying the stadium isn't hard to win in, the team is tought to beat. The point is all these teams have better records at home than on the road therefore they have a clear homefield advantage which means its harder to win in that stadium.
about 1 month ago
Great research! Home field advantage! Some fans are completely nuts! I was in downtown Pittsburg on vacation the other day and forgot to take my Browns shirt off! Wow! These people really love their team. I hope they don't cry when the Browns come in and spank the Steelers this year!
from about 1 month ago
Browns spank the Steelers? Thanks, I needed a good laugh.
about 1 month ago
Yeah it's very easy to win in Philadelphia. Do you have any idea what you're talking about? Seriously?
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