Ranking the Most Outspoken Fanbases in the NFL
It's difficult to be outspoken if you can't back it up.
Fans who talk trash and like to brag about their teams are a lot more effective when their teams have been consistent winners. That's when the words cut the most and have the most meaning.
When fans from teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders spew venom about their competitors, it often has no meaning. All have been doormats in recent years, and while Oakland was once the winningest team in the NFL back in the 1970s and '80s, it has suffered 10 losses or more in 10 of the last 12 years.
Outspoken fans have a lot more credibility when their teams win, so it's no surprise to see the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at the top.
The 12th Man in Seattle consists of the loudest and most prolific fans in the NFL, and they give their team one of the greatest home-field advantages throughout the league. Patriots fans have never been shy during the era with Bill Belichick as head coach, and the Deflategate controversy has put a huge chip on the shoulders of the team and its fanbase.
In this piece, we look at the most outspoken fanbases in the NFL.
Warning: Links to Reddit contain NSFW language.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
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When the NFL decided to expand and put teams in Carolina and Jacksonville, there was quite a bit of surprise, especially with the choice of Jacksonville.
The state of Florida already had the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville seemed destined to land in the also-ran category when the NFL decided which cities would get NFL franchises.
But the league actually awarded Jacksonville an expansion franchise before Carolina because its decision-makers were impressed with the city's presentation in 1993.
The Jaguars selected Tom Coughlin as their first head coach, and they had remarkable early success, making the playoffs in four of their first five seasons, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game in their second year.
However, they have made the postseason just two times since the the 2000 season, and the Jaguars have had a difficult time sustaining interest over the last decade. They have been mentioned as possibly moving for several years. However, when Shahid Khan bought the team, he pledged to keep it in Jacksonville.
Fans are supportive to a point. But the Jaguars don't have a long history, and their fans are not very outspoken.
31. Tennessee Titans
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When Bud Adams decided he was going to take his Oilers out of Houston following the 1996 season and move them to Tennessee, it was a shocking development. The Oilers had been part of the original American Football League and had made their home in Houston since 1960.
But when Adams couldn't get a new stadium for his team, he decided to pack up and leave the Astrodome. The Oilers played in Memphis in 1997 and 1998 as the Tennessee Oilers, before moving cross-state to Nashville to become the Titans.
The fans are supportive of the team, and they are loud and passionate. But it does not seem that the Titans will ever mean as much to the area as country music or college sports.
The Titans have a modern and comfortable stadium in Nissan Stadium, but it seems like going to a Titans game is just another thing to do in the Honky Tonk.
30. St. Louis Rams
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St. Louis fans are far more loving and supportive when it comes to the baseball Cardinals than they are when it comes to the football Rams.
St. Louis may be the original carpet-bagging city when it comes to NFL football. It was home to Cardinals football from 1960 through 1987 after that franchise left the South Side of Chicago following the 1959 season.
While St. Louis fans were appreciative of having an NFL team and supported the Cardinals well when they were a playoff team and NFC East contenders under head coach Don Coryell in the early 1970s, they did not show much love for the team when it struggled to win games.
As a result, Bill Bidwill packed up his team and moved it to Arizona, where it became the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988.
Many St. Louis residents felt aggrieved, and when the Los Angeles Rams were unhappy with their stadium situation in Anaheim, California, owner Stan Kroenke moved them to St. Louis in time to play the 1995 season.
Shortly after their arrival, head coach Dick Vermeil built an explosive offensive team with Kurt Warner at quarterback, Marshall Faulk at running back and speedy Isaac Bruce at wide receiver. The Rams would win the Super Bowl following the 1999 season and remained a strong contender for several years.
However, the Rams have never held dominion in the area like the baseball Cardinals, and the franchise has been mentioned for a possible move back to Los Angeles.
That thought has drained much of the enthusiasm from the city's football fans.
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29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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There was something comical about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their early days. From their Orange Creamsicle uniforms to their outspoken head coach and leader, John McKay to their consistent losing, the Bucs were the NFL's version of the 1962 New York Mets.
They lost every game during their first season in 1976 and 12 more in their second before they finally won for the first time. When McKay was asked about the execution of his team's offense following an early defeat, his response was classic: "I'm all in favor of it."
Bucs fans had to have a lot of patience in the early going, and they have needed that patience throughout much of their history. They have gone through long stretches of losing years and have not had a lot to cheer about.
However, when the Bucs have been good, the fanbase has had a rather defiant attitude about it. That group had a lot to talk about in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Former head coach Tony Dungy built one of the game's best defenses, and the Bucs became a formidable team.
After Dungy left, Jon Gruden came in and led the Bucs to a 12-4 record in 2002 that saw them beat the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.
Bucs fans were ecstatic, and while they were hoping they could repeat that success, they have never been able to come close.
They have lost 10 or more games in three of the last four seasons, and Tampa Bay fans are hoping head coach Lovie Smith can lead the team back to prominence. Until that happens, Bucs fans will almost certainly maintain a low profile.
28. San Diego Chargers
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Like all the teams that got their start in the American Football League, there is a certain defiance and pride Chargers fans feel in their team.
They know their team came from humble beginnings in a league that few took seriously in its early days, and it built something special.
While the Chargers have never won a Super Bowl and have only been to the game just once in their history, they have had some memorable teams that often featured brilliant and explosive offensive talent.
Head coach Sid Gillman had one of the most innovative minds in the history of football, and he built an AFL championship team in 1963 that some believe could have competed with the best the NFL had to offer.
As the years went by, quarterbacks such as John Hadl, Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers have driven some of the most explosive offenses the game has known.
Chargers fans have been known for their raucous support, but in recent seasons they've turned the volume level down.
Qualcomm Stadium is small and old by NFL standards, and the Spanos family has been unable to secure a new stadium for the team in San Diego. Chargers relocation point man Mark Fabiani confirmed on The Mighty 1090 AM that San Diego would be applying for relocation to Los Angeles (h/t CBSSports.com's John Breech).
One of the reasons the Chargers have filed is that they want to get into the Los Angeles market, and they know the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams also want to go there.
"At this point, yes, because there's no sign that the other team or teams are not going to file," Fabiani said to The Mighty 1090 AM. "Everyone assumes all three teams will file, and in that case we can't afford to lose our market in Los Angeles and Orange County."
27. Indianapolis Colts
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It's hard for longtime NFL fans to forget the way Indianapolis got its NFL franchise.
In the winter of 1984, Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay had grown frustrated. He was not skilled at the political process and he had been unable to get a commitment for a new stadium in Baltimore for the beloved Colts. Irsay was a bombastic and tempestuous man who was given to fits of temper, and he had a difficult time with the media and negotiating with public officials.
So, as the snow started to fall and nightfall came to Baltimore on March 28, 1984, he called the moving trucks and transported his team from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the dark of night.
The Colts have called Indianapolis home ever since.
The fans in Indianapolis have supported the team well and with pride. They have also been quite lucky because they saw the majority of Peyton Manning's Hall of Fame career, and they have also been able to see a young quarterback with superstar potential develop before their eyes.
Andrew Luck has not reached the pinnacle yet, but he has a chance to get there.
Indiana sports fans may be better known for their love of basketball, but the Colts have been a part of the city's heart for more than 30 years.
Fans are tough, demanding and supportive of their Colts, but they are also quite thoughtful, as evidenced by this Reddit chain.
26. Cincinnati Bengals
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The Cincinnati Bengals have lived in the shadow of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds throughout their history.
While Bengals fans love and support their team, it can never be anything more than second in the eyes of many Queen City residents, since the Reds are the oldest professional sports franchise in the United States.
There is also a feeling of "what might have been" for many Bengals fans.The team had an impressive start under founder/owner Paul Brown, but when one of the greatest minds in the history of the game decided to retire, he did the franchise unquestionable harm.
Brown coached the team from its first season in 1968 until he decided to retire after the 1975 season. He had a young, brilliant assistant on his staff named Bill Walsh, and many thought he would be tapped to lead the team.
But Brown surprised much of the football world by naming older assistant coach Bill "Tiger" Johnson as the new head coach. Walsh walked away from the Bengals hurt and angered, and he would go on to coach the San Francisco 49ers and build one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport.
Walsh's Niners won their first Super Bowl following the 1981 season, and it was delicious revenge for him as San Francisco beat Cincinnati in the Super Bowl.
The two teams would meet for the title again seven years later, and once again Cincinnati came up short. Both losses were close games, and the Bengals have not been back since.
While they are a winning team now, they went through an awful run in the 1990s and early 2000s in which they suffered double-digit losses in nine of 12 seasons.
Fans are still frustrated because head coach Marvin Lewis has led his team to the playoffs six times, but it has never even won the Wild Card Game.
Bengals fans are thrilled with a brilliant start in 2015 (6-0, first in AFC North), but they won't truly buy in until they see postseason victories.
25. Atlanta Falcons
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Atlanta sports fans often have a reputation for a lack of passion when it comes to their teams.
When the Atlanta Braves were winning division titles in the 1990s and the early part of the 2000s with one of the most consistent teams baseball has ever seen, they were never known for drawing full-house crowds.
The city has lost two professional hockey teams, and the NBA's Atlanta Hawks have regularly been in the bottom half of the league's attendance charts.
Fans in Georgia tend to love college football and NASCAR, but they also love their Falcons. They give their team a spirited home-field advantage when they are playing at the Georgia Dome and Atlanta is playing well.
However, when the Falcons struggled as they did in 2013 and 2014, the fans of the Dirty Birds can lose a bit of their enthusiasm.
The team was never better than it was in 1998, when it went 14-2 in the regular season and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. The Falcons lost that game to John Elway and the Denver Broncos, and they have not been back since.
Falcons fans are waiting for another opportunity, and they are hoping new head coach Dan Quinn can make it happen sooner rather than later. This Reddit thread shows that Falcons fans usually take a calm and reasonable approach and tend not to go off the deep end.
24. Carolina Panthers
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The Carolina Panthers have been a huge hit since they played their first season in 1995.
They opened that season with a shockingly good 7-9 record, and they dropped the expansion label the following season. The Panthers went 12-4 under head coach Dom Capers and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where the Green Bay Packers beat them.
Since that time, Panthers fans have had high expectations for their team, and they have rewarded it with loud, lusty support.
Carolina has not always been able to fulfill its fans hopes, but they are thrilled with what they are seeing this year as head coach Ron Rivera's team has gotten out of the gate in extraordinary fashion (6-0, first in NFC South).
The Panthers have traditionally had a tough defense and an offense that does just enough. That's certainly the pattern this year, and fans are hoping the team can get back to the Super Bowl for the second time in its history.
23. Houston Texans
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When the story of professional football is told in Houston, it does not begin with the Texans, who have been competing since 2002, when the league awarded owner Bob McNair an expansion team.
No, the story begins with the American Football League and the Houston Oilers. They were owned by the late Bud Adams, who had made his fortune in the Texas oil fields. Adams was good friends with Lamar Hunt, and when the AFL founder told him in 1959 that he was starting a new professional football league to compete with the NFL, Adams was happy to join him.
The Oilers played their first few years in hot and cramped Jeppesen Stadium, and they were one of the AFL's best teams. After a brief run at Rice Stadium, they moved into the Houston Astrodome, and while they enjoyed a stadium that was called the "Eighth Wonder of the World," the team was never quite good enough to win a championship or even get to the Super Bowl.
But Houston fans loved their Oilers, and when they hired Bum Phillips as their head coach and drafted power running back Earl Campbell, the love affair between the fans and the Oilers was in full bloom.
It stayed at a high level for many years, but when Adams could not get the modern stadium he wanted from the city fathers, he bailed on Houston.
Fans were heartbroken, and they remained that way until Houston was awarded an expansion franchise. The Texans made steady progress for years, but when they were expected to make a run in the AFC in 2013 after two consecutive playoff seasons, the bottom fell out in a 2-14 year.
The Texans rebounded with a 9-7 season in 2014, but they have gotten off to a slow start, and fans no longer know what to expect from this team.
Houston fans were burned when the Oilers left, but they have supported the Texans well and should for many more years.
22. Detroit Lions
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The 1950s was a heady time to be a Detroit Lions fan. The team won three NFL Championships with the great Bobby Layne at quarterback, and times were glorious. The last of those championships came in 1957, when they blew out the Cleveland Browns 59-14.
The Detroit Lions have not won another championship since.
How bad have things been for Detroit? In the Super Bowl era, they have played in just one NFC Championship Game following the 1991 season. Head coach Wayne Fontes' Lions were blown out 41-10 by the Washington Redskins.
Fans have known a lot of misery, but they have stuck by their team.They have seen incredibly exciting players like Barry Sanders, Heman Moore and Calvin Johnson, but winning seasons have been hard to come by.
The Lions made it to the playoffs last year and were arguably one referee's call away from winning the Wild Card Game and advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
However, they fell short, and they started the 2015 season with five straight losses.
Lions fans will always back their team, but they wish there was more to roar about.
21. Minnesota Vikings
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It didn't take long for the Minnesota Vikings to establish themselves in the NFL and become a championship contender.
The Vikings became an expansion franchise in 1961, and they went through the usual growing pains. But while they were losing early on, they were accumulating excellent defensive players like Carl Eller, Allen Page and Jim Marshall, and by the latter part of the decade, they were a legitimate NFL power.
The Vikings won the 1969 NFL Championship, but they lost the last AFL-NFL Super Bowl following the 1969 season to the Kansas City Chiefs.
That began a pattern for the Vikings under head coach Bud Grant. They earned a place in four Super Bowls between 1969 and 1976, but they lost them all.
Vikings fans can probably take some comfort that those last three losses to the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders were to three of the best teams of their era, but that's cold comfort.
In the early years, the Vikings played at the open-air Metropolitan Stadium, and their fans took pride that they had a remarkably tough team that played in brutal winter elements.
The team seemed to lose much of its identity when it moved into the Metrodome, and its fans sensed that. Now that the Vikings are back outdoors again, the fans are hoping the team will recapture its "He-Man" image under head coach Mike Zimmer's leadership.
The Vikings fans have a lot of swagger, but it has been dormant for years. They are waiting to unleash it.
20. Arizona Cardinals
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The Arizona Cardinals are a team that has had a difficult time establishing itself for the great majority of their existence.
From their initial season in 1920 through 1959, they were the No. 2 team in Chicago behind George Halas' popular Chicago Bears.
Tired of being second-class citizens in the Windy City, the Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960, and while they had several good seasons through their last year there in 1987, they were always No. 2 in that town behind the baseball Cardinals.
Owner Bill Bidwill packed up the team and took them to the Southwest where they became the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988 before becoming the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.
It took years for the Cardinals to establish themselves, but since they went to the Super Bowl following the 2008 season, it's been a different story.
The Cardinals have had a hardcore rabid following since then, and their fans have high expectations, as shown in this Reddit chain.
Their fans are loud, raucous and make it difficult for the visitors to get a play call in.
19. Miami Dolphins
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There was a time that going down to the Orange Bowl and playing the Miami Dolphins was one of an NFL team's most intimidating assignments.
Not only did the Dolphins have an exeptional team from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, but they also had hardcore fans who could make life miserable for opponents. On top of that, the team took advantage of the heat and humidity to sap the visitors' strength.
Those days are long ago. The Dolphins haven't had much consistency since the start of the 2002 season. They have been to the postseason just once since then. Sun Life Stadium lacks the intimidating characteristics that were found in the Orange Bowl.
Somehow, that draining South Florida sun seems to impact the Dolphins as much as their opponents.
But Dolphins fans have their memories—or at least their fathers' memories. The Dolphins went 17-0-0 in 1972 and became the only undefeated Super Bowl champions in NFL history; they also won the Super Bowl again the following year.
Fans have been waiting for a return to glory for a long time, and they will make life difficult for opponents once that happens.
18. Buffalo Bills
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The Buffalo Bills are another proud American Football League heritage franchise that helped put Western New York on the map for big-time professional sports.
After the Bills started playing, the NHL and the NBA came to Buffalo about 10 years later. The Buffalo Sabres have long been an NHL fixture, but the Buffalo Braves did not last long in the NBA before eventually becoming the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bills fans have never waned in their support for their team, but they long for the days when the Bills dominated the AFC and went to four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s.
Quarterback Jim Kelly, defensive end Bruce Smith and head coach Marv Levy led the Bills.
"The Bills fans always showed their knowledge of the game and their appreciation for us," Levy told me in an interview. "The players fed off their support, and the fans fed off the players. It was a mutually beneficial relationship."
The Bills have been ordinary in recent years and haven't been to the playoffs since 1999. New Bills coach Rex Ryan has not been shy about his plans to turn the team around, but this Reddit chain indicates Bills fans are a lot more interested in results than coaching platitudes.
17. Oakland Raiders
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There was a time when going to play the Raiders was just about the most intimidating sports assignment. The Raiders had built a powerful team in the late 1960s, and they remained near the top of the food chain through the mid-1980s.
Al Davis had built a powerful and exciting team that head coaches like John Madden and Tom Flores handled adroitly, and the fans appreciated clutch players like Ken Stabler, Clarence Davis, Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch who almost never disappointed them.
Fans were enamored with this team that went by the philosophy of "Just Win, Baby." They tried to help their team with crazy and bizarre costumes that were meant to intimidate opponents.
The Raiders have struggled for a long time, losing 10 games or more in 10 of the last 12 full seasons. Still, Raiders fans support their team in a demonstrative style, even though they know the Raiders could leave Oakland in the future.
16. Dallas Cowboys
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The Dallas Cowboys name has a magical ring to it. The Cowboys became "America's Team" when Tom Landry was coaching them, and the Cowboys won consistently under his leadership.
That did not always mean winning the Super Bowl, and that was a huge issue for the team until the Cowboys finally brought home the Lombardi Trophy following the 1977 season, as they had been known as a team that couldn't win the big one prior to beating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII by a 27-10 margin.
It was Landry's presence that drove this team to excellence, and fans stood a bit taller and cheered a bit louder when he coached this franchise.
After the Cowboys went through a dip in the late 1980s and Jerry Jones became the owner, he was intent on rebuilding the franchise. While he unceremoniously fired the only head coach the team had ever known in 1989, he was able to turn the team around after he hired Jimmy Johnson to coach the team and rebuild the franchise.
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years in the mid-1990s, but they have not won any since then. Many had high hopes at the start of the season that this could be the year that Cowboys get back to the Super Bowl, but early-season injuries to wide receiver Dez Bryant and quarterback Tony Romo have forced Cowboys fans to slow their roll.
They are hoping Bryant can get back shortly, and their Reddit pages feature a number of articles talking about his potential return.
Once Bryant and Romo return to the lineup, Cowboys fans will cheer louder and harder than they have to this point in the season, making AT&T Stadium a much-tougher venue for visitors to play winning football.
15. San Francisco 49ers
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The perception of San Francisco as a genteel and sophisticated city is getting blown up by the actions of some fans of the city's football team.
While it is certain the violent actions are of the few and not the many, fights and fan violence have become a regular part of the story accompanying 49ers home games in recent years.
This is not the full story when it comes to 49ers fans, but these actions are staining their legacy.
The 49ers became one of the greatest teams in NFL history under the leadership of head coach Bill Walsh in the 1980s. The 49ers won three Super Bowls under Walsh and two more under George Seifert.
Joe Montana and Steve Young have quarterbacked the Niners, and an argument can be made that Montana is the best quarterback the game has ever seen, and the Montana-Young one-two punch is also the best in league history.
Fights and violence not withstanding, the Niners' fans are knowledgeable, supportive and know how to make life miserable for opponents. That level of intelligence and backing should be their story.
However, unless this trend of violence stops, the actions of a few individuals will continue to hurt the reputation of 49ers fans.
14. Chicago Bears
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The Chicago Bears have a magical name in the NFL, but it is one that has not been associated with championships and winning since 1946. That year, the Bears won the seventh title in their history.
In the ensuing 69 seasons, the Bears have won two championships.
They won the NFL Championship in 1963, thanks in large part to a bone-rattling defense, a powerful tight end named Mike Ditka and a feisty head coach in George "Papa Bear" Halas.
Twenty-two seasons later, Ditka was on the sidelines as the Bears put together one of the best one-season NFL Championship teams in league history.
The 1985 Chicago Bears were a tough, physical and marauding bunch that dominated the regular season with a 15-1 record and a postseason run that included shutouts over the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams before a one-sided destruction of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
The Bears have disappointed their fans in the ensuing years, but they remain strong and supportive. However, they are also growing impatient. The Bears went through disastrous seasons in 2013 and 2014, and the team cleaned out the front office and the coaching staff early in 2015.
The Bears brought in veteran head coach John Fox to restore the team's competitive nature, but Bears fans are skeptical.
ESPN Chicago talk-show host Jonathan Hood told me his listeners are skeptical about the team's future. "I think the fans want to believe in Fox, but they have seen a lot of bad football," Hood explained. "They are taking a wait-and-see attitude about whether he can turn this team around. That's fair, and you can't blame them."
13. New York Giants
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The New York Giants' legacy goes back to the 1925 season.
Their proud history is the backbone of the franchise, and Giants fans are knowledgeable about the team, its accomplishments and the league itself.
The Giants were one of the NFL's best teams in the 1950s, as they won the 1956 title and also played in the NFL Championship Game in 1958 and '59. It was during those strong runs in the 1950s that the Giants fans came up with the "Defense, Defense" chant that showed a sophistication and an appreciation for stopping the opponent.
Other fans around the league and in other sports have since adopted that chant or variations of it, but it was the Giants fans who originated it.
Giants fans are sharp, appreciative and demanding of their team. They take great pride in Super Bowl wins over the New England Patriots following the 2007 and 2011 seasons, but that's simply not good enough.
Giants fans want more, and they don't hesitate to let head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning know that .500 or better is simply not good enough.
They want a fifth Super Bowl title, and they want it soon.
12. New York Jets
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The last thing New York Giants fans would want to see is their team being ranked behind the Jets in any area.
But when it comes to fan support, we give the Jets just the smallest of edges over their in-stadium rivals.
Jets fans are just as supportive about their team as Giants fans are about their team, but Jets fans have had more difficult times and less glory. Giants fans have seen their team win four Super Bowl titles, but Jets fans have seen their team win just one.
That victory, in Super Bowl III, came in January 1969, and what a triumph it was. That game may have been one of the most important in the history of professional football.
The Jets were the American Football League champions in 1968, having beaten powerful Kansas City in the playoffs and having got the best of Oakland in the league's title game.
However, nobody expected them to have a legitimate chance of beating the NFL's Baltimore Colts. Oddsmakers installed the Colts as 18-point favorites in the game, as the Southeast Missourian noted.
Legendary quarterback Joe Namath would have none of it, as he guaranteed a victory when he was goaded by a Baltimore fan. Namath backed up his words in the most effective manner as the Jets registered a 16-7 upset.
That game gave the AFL credibility. It also gave the Jets fans hope that their team was capable of accomplishing the nearly impossible.
While they have never repeated that success, the Jets fans have never given up hope.
They also have the distinctive "J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets Jets!" chant that gives them a singular identity around the NFL.
11. Cleveland Browns
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Cleveland Browns fans have been tested time and time again, but there is little doubt how much this team's fanbase loves its team.
The Browns have been drawing raucous and supportive crowds since the team first began playing in the All-America Football Conference in 1946. The Browns dominated that league, winning the title from 1946 through 1949, but when the Browns and other AAFC teams were absorbed into the NFL in 1950, it was expected the superior competition would pummel them.
That script was not delivered to head coach Paul Brown and his players. The Browns won the championship in their first year in the NFL and also won three titles total in their first six years.
The Browns won their last title in 1964 with a team that included Jim Brown at the running back spot. Many consider him to be the greatest player in NFL history.
The Browns have had close calls since then, including back-to-back last-minute losses to the Denver Broncos in the 1986 and '87 AFC Championship games.
However, Browns fans faced their greatest heartache when owner Art Modell moved the team out of Cleveland following the 1995 season and took them to Baltimore where they became the Ravens.
It was a brutal move because it was obvious to all that the Browns were among the most beloved team in all of pro sports. Only the moves of the Brooklyn Dodgers (to Los Angeles) and the Baltimore Colts (to Indianapolis) can compare with the Browns' departure from Cleveland.
The NFL realized a wrong had been committed, so they gave the city an expansion franchise that began play in 1999. However, it wasn't just an expansion team. The "new" Cleveland Browns were allowed to possess the history of the old Cleveland Browns.
It helped right a painful wrong, and it would not have been done if Browns fans were not so passionate and outspoken about their team.
10. Baltimore Ravens
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When it comes to evaluating a fanbase's passion and support, it's hard to find a better legacy than that of Baltimore football fans.
They are full-throated, knowledgeable and hungry to see the Ravens win games and championships, but that's not the whole story.
Many of the fans who fill up M&T Bank Stadium are the same fans who used to fill old Memorial Stadium to support the Baltimore Colts. When that team left Baltimore in the dead of night in March 1984, it ripped the heart of the city out.
Baltimore may be the home of crab cakes, the Orioles and the city where Babe Ruth was born, but it is a football town. Baltimore football fans' passion was portrayed to the hilt in the 1982 movie Diner, when Eddie (played by Steve Guttenberg) wouldn't marry his fiance Elyse (Sharon Ziman) unless she passed a test on the Colts' history.
The city's soul was ripped out when Robert Irsay moved the team to Indianapolis, and while the Ravens ultimately filled that void, there was no NFL football in Baltimore from 1984 until 1996.
Baltimore football fans have been through the worst kind of pain, but there is no denying their support, dedication to and love of their sport and team.
9. Kansas City Chiefs
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If there's one stadium around the NFL that combines the best of the NFL with the best of college football, it's Kansas City. Going to a Chiefs game has been a huge event for decades, and it's clear how much Kansas City fans love and support their team.
The Chiefs are one of the most significant franchises in the history of football, but it has been a long time since they manifested that importance with their play on the field.
The late Lamar Hunt, the founder of the American Football League, owned the Chiefs. They started off as the Dallas Texans and moved to Kansas City prior to the 1963 season.
Hunt had been seeking an NFL franchise, but when the league wouldn't give him one, he started his own league. Shortly after the AFL's plans to start play in 1960 were announced, the NFL awarded an expansion franchise to Dallas, and while Hunt could have competed in that city for years, he took the team to Kansas City where the Chiefs became one of the AFL's flagship franchises.
The Chiefs played in the first Super Bowl against Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers and returned to the game in Super Bowl IV where they disposed of a powerful Minnesota Vikings team in the last game ever played by an AFL team.
All of the original AFL teams have a certain defiance and originality to them, and none more so than the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have never returned to the big game since Super Bowl IV, and while their fans have long since grown impatient with the results, they have never stopped supporting their team in a loud, convincing and, at times, overwhelming manner.
8. Washington Redskins
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Grown men dressed in Hogette costumes.
A full stadium singing "Hail to the Redskins."
Derisive cheers that opponents pretend not to hear but can sear the receipients' souls.
These are all typical of Washington Redskins fans, who may love and enjoy football as much as any NFL fanbase.
Redskins fans have endured many difficult years, but there was great promise in 1969 when they lured Vince Lombardi back to the sidelines. The Redskins had endured 13 straight non-winning seasons prior to Lombardi's hiring, and he immediately got results, producing a 7-5-2 season.
But, unfortunately Lombardi died from cancer, and the team slid back into obscurity in 1970 without him. However, they hired George Allen in 1971, and the team immediately got back on track.
Allen's "Over the Hill Gang" challenged and regularly got the best of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. Their fans recognized a team that might not have always been able to match the league's top teams in talent, but it often outfought and outthought them.
The Redskins fans were treated to a full-effort team under Allen and later Joe Gibbs, and they have demanded that type of football for decades.
They have not always received it and are not afraid to let their feelings be known. After losing to the Jets in Week 6, this Reddit chain indicates the fans' frustration, but it also underscores the importance this team holds in the nation's capital.
7. New Orleans Saints
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The Saints are struggling right now, but throughout most of the past decade, they were an NFC South contender.
In any game played at the Superdome, it seemed like the combination of the prolific New Orleans offense and the sound machine that is the team's home crowd creates a swirling vortex that makes it nearly impossible for visiting teams to concentrate for 60 minutes.
Saints fans have always been loud, but when the team returned home to the Superdome in 2006 for a Monday night game against the Atlanta Falcons, the noise level and support was off the charts.
Drew Brees has played a huge role in giving the Saints a huge home-field advantage. His pregame chanting and swaying ritual works his teammates and fans into a frenzy.
The Saints have been to the playoffs in five of the last nine years, and the key to that success has been an offense that could light up the scoreboard in nearly every home game. While that may no longer be the case, this Reddit chain shows that fans are still expecting a big-time offense and are unwilling to accept any excuses.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
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Over the years, much has been made out of the Eagles fans booing and throwing snowballs at Santa Claus.
It's all true, and while it seems heartless on the surface, it's an indication that Eagles fans have never put up with mediocre performances—never simply accepting them.
When they booed Santa Claus at the end of the 1968 season, the Eagles were finishing a miserable season, but one that had seen them win two late games. Those victories had taken them out of the running for the No. 1 pick in the draft, which would have allowed them to draft superstar running back O.J. Simpson from USC.
With that as a backdrop, more than a foot of snow welcomed Eagles fans when they arrived at Franklin Field for their season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles traditionally had Santa march down the running track that surrounded the football field, but when the scheduled Santa did not show up, team officials recruited a 19-year-old fan who had showed up to the game in a sad-looking Santa suit to take his place.
The appearance was quite pitiful, and the fans were not amused and chorused him with boos and snowballs.
That example demonstrates how Eagles fans have never put up with mediocrity, and they never will. They have booed their own players, but they can be vicious when it comes to their opponents, particularly the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Redskins.
Hollywood doesn't always get it right, but it portrayed Eagles fans with heart, soul and passion in Invincible (2006) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012).
Eagles fans may hold their team to a high standard, but they have as much pride as any fanbase in the league, considering their last championship came in 1960.
5. Green Bay Packers
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The Green Bay Packers may be from the smallest city to house a professional sports team in the United States, but Packers fans are not going to back down at any point.
When it comes to football knowledge and standing up for their team, Green Bay fans are at the top of the list.
They also can make a case for being the toughest group, because of the brutal winter-weather conditions they regularly have to endure.
The Packers fans' greatest legacy is the famous Ice Bowl Championship Game played Dec. 31, 1967. The Packers and Vince Lombardi hosted Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys in 13-below temperatures. The game became part of NFL legend and wasn't decided until Bart Starr scored on a quarterback sneak in the game's dying seconds.
The players on both sides came through with a tremendous effort, but the fans filled the stadium and did not leave despite the miserable conditions. That earns them points, even if it was nearly 48 years ago. Packers fans are tough—and so were their parents and grandparents.
Packers fans are appreciative and insightful about their team, but they can also be critical. On this Reddit chain, fans' acknowledge how well the Green Bay defense is playing and that they may have been wrong when they called for defensive coordinator Dom Capers' job.
4. Denver Broncos
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Just try telling a Denver Broncos fan that John Elway is not the greatest quarterback of all time.
Unless you are going to make an argument for the 2012 or 2013 version of Peyton Manning, you are going to get shouted down.
Broncos fans have loved and supported their team since the early days of the American Football League in 1960. While the team has known many decades of success, starting with the 1970s, their early years in the AFL were painful, because they did not have a winning season until 1973, when they went 7-5-2.
But despite 13 straight losing seasons to start their existence, the Broncos built an amazingly loyal fanbase, and the fans are among the loudest ones in the game, along with those in Kansas City and Seattle, to name a few.
Denver has teams in all four major sports, but for years, the Broncos were the only game in town. That has built up tremendous loyalty that only few teams can match.
Those fans are also realistic and can acknowledge their own shortcomings. The 5-0 start this year has been unexpected, and the team's top-ranked defense has been sensational. However, the offense is not at a championship level, and fans acknowledge it.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
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Western Pennsylvania is about as hardcore a football-loving area as there is in the United States.
Children are indoctrinated into the value of the game from the youngest ages, and many fans grow up watching high school football on Friday nights, college football on Saturdays and Pittsburgh Steelers football on Sunday.
This is what they do from childhood to old age, and they couldn't be happier.
What that routine has done is it's given the Steelers a fanbase that is as knowledgeable and insightful as any around the league.
The fans remember the four Super Bowl championship teams of the 1970s with Chuck Noll on the sidelines, Terry Bradshaw under center, Franco Harris running the ball and great receivers like Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
But unlike many fanbases, the Steelers fans take as much joy from their offensive line and defense as they do from their skill-position players. The defense may have been the greatest the game has ever known, with Joe Greene leading the way and other brilliant players like L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Mel Blount.
The Steelers have had many great years since then and have won two more Super Bowls. No other team has won six Super Bowls.
That gives Steelers fans the ultimate bragging rights, and they are happy to show them off wherever and whenever they want, including on this Reddit page (notice the trophy case in the bottom right-hand corner).
2. New England Patriots
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The New England Patriots have enjoyed more success than any other team since Bill Belichick came aboard in 2000 as their head coach.
They won the Super Bowl the following year, and they have won three more since, including last year's thriller against Seattle.
The Patriots have also lost two Super Bowls in that time frame, including after the 2007 season when they were 18-0-0 before losing to the Giants with the championship on the line.
The Patriots once ranked fourth of four teams in New England, behind the Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. Today, they are no worse than No. 2 behind the Red Sox, and they can give the beloved baseball team a good run for its money.
The Patriots are royalty in New England, but the respect doesn't often extend beyond the region's borders. In addition to the jealousy that champions regularly have to contend with, the Patriots have been dogged by controversies that have caused others to label them as cheaters.
From videotaping opponents' signals to Deflategate, there is a perception about the Patriots that they will be happy to circumvent the rules if it brings about a win.
Patriots fans are unwilling to hear it. They stand shoulder to shoulder with Belichick and Tom Brady, and they have nothing but resentment for commissioner Roger Goodell. The commissioner attempted to suspend Brady for his alleged connection to deflating footballs, but a federal judge overturned that suspension prior to the start of the season.
The team's fans are proud and loud, and they are not about to apologize for the success it has had since the 2001 season.
They will follow Belichick's lead and criticize their own team, but any outsiders who try to take shots at them do so at their own risk.
1. Seattle Seahawks
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The Seattle Seahawks fans have long been a factor in the outcome of games long before they moved into CenturyLink Field in downtown Seattle.
The Seahawks came into existence in 1976, and from the very start, fans jammed the Kingdome to support them and they did it in full throat. Early on, it became clear that any trip to the Kingdome was a major challenge, even for teams that had more talent than the home team.
The Seahawks don't have to take a back seat when it comes to talent any longer. After back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, they are clearly one of the elite teams in the league.
They also have perhaps the league's loudest and most supportive fans. The "12s" are not going to be outshouted, and they will not leave early when it doesn't look good for the home team.
They believe in their team, and they feel every coaching decision down to their bones. Last year's Super Bowl loss to the Patriots will never be forgotten, and that means fans constantly relive the decision the Seahawks made to throw the ball from the 1-yard line instead of run it into the end zone with power running back Marshawn Lynch.
Seahawks fans believe Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson's cost them a second consecutive Super Bowl. That decision may be playing a big reason in their poor start to the 2015 season.
That pain is real, and they feel it every day, especially when the Seahawks lose. However, they still love their team, and if there is one absolute in football, it's that the Seahawks will have their fans' full support.
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