Bills, Chiefs, Packers named top teams with most dedicated fans before 2026 NFL season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NFL is only deeply embedded in world culture because of how dedicated the fans are. Whether it's the local team they are seeing in the stadium over the weekend or a squad someone is watching with a 12-hour time zone difference, there will always be a group of people who refuse to miss a game. Nielsen ranked fans across the league, and there were some surprises. The Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers led the way. Where did the other teams end up? Let's take a look.
Bills, Chiefs, and Packers rank as top three NFL teams with dedicated fans
Nielsen unveiled its NFL Local Fandom Index heading into the 2026 NFL season. Nielsen assessed each team's fan base on eight considerations: apparel purchases, event attendance, linear television viewership, streaming, radio listening, betting intent, social media following, and general interest.
The original graphic Nielsen sent out was missing Las Vegas. Updated one below, with Vegas at #23 pic.twitter.com/iAD1LwUHZ5
— Ellyn Briggs (@EllynBriggs) August 17, 2026
The Bills had the highest NFL Fandom Index as they registered at 208, the only fan base that had more than 200. Unsurprisingly, this is because they've had a solid squad for the past seven years due to Coach Sean McDermott and Josh Allen. They've finished at the top of the AFC East in five of those seasons. If they don't earn the number one spot, the Bills still secure the second seed. The fact that they have also not gotten less than a Divisional Round berth since 2020 helps a lot in riling up fans.
Not to mention, Bills fans have their own traditions, such as breaking tables during tailgate parties, bowling ball shots, and seeing Pinto Ron get doused in all sorts of condiments outside Highmark Stadium. Even legends like Jason Kelce couldn't help but experience this legendary tailgate culture.
Jason Kelce at the Bills tailgate. 🤣
— theScore (@theScore) January 21, 2024
(🎥:@newheightshow)pic.twitter.com/5vSXQeUH2W
The Chiefs have the second-highest NFL Local Fandom Index. Their score of 194 largely comes from the success of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Coach Andy Reid. They have won the Super Bowl three times since 2018 and made five trips to the big game.
What do the Chiefs fans add to all of this? Well, they have broken Guinness World Records to give their team every advantage in the world while maintaining a welcoming culture. Back in 2013, Chiefs fans once collectively shouted at the top of their lungs, making the loudest crowd roar at the time, measured at 142.2 decibels. They also hold the record for the largest grilling lesson led by Smithfield Fresh Pork at their 2017 NFL Draft Party. It's no surprise that team success quickly followed given their great fan culture. Adding in a global sensation like Taylor Swift in the fan base meant that the support for Kelce and Mahomes went worldwide, transcending time zones.
142.2 = Decibels the @Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium reached at it's loudest last year!
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 9, 2016
More #OAKvsKC stats before #TNF: https://t.co/gjfzCrGOvCpic.twitter.com/hH3Pd2Zv6P
The Packers are the third-ranked team in Nielsen's Local NFL Fandom Index, with a score of 172. A culture built on collective local identity always begets a great fandom. Whether it was Brett Hundley, Aaron Rodgers, or Jordan Love leading the charge, their fans have always shown up. Maybe it's that the Packers are the only fan-owned franchise, they have a tradition of wearing cheeseheads, they're the fan base that invented tailgating back in 1919, or all of the above. Surely, they are the historical gold standard of what a great collection of fans is.
The fact that they last won the Super Bowl in 2010 doesn't seem to bother Packers fans either. They will show up at Lambeau Field with shovels no matter if the snow covers the stands. Cheeseheads have done that since the Indian Packing Company still owned them, and they have no interest in stopping. It's no surprise that they are at the top of this list.
#Bills should take a page from how Lambeau Field deals with snow. This isn’t a knock, merely a suggestion. They have it down to a whole system. pic.twitter.com/7aV1psQzMC
— Busker-B 🎹 (@BSRKB2) December 18, 2022
The rest of the list? Well, Boston, home of the New England Patriots, surprisingly ranked 21st, with a score of only 107. New York, where the Jets and Giants have long represented the city, is the fan base that ranked last. Their NFL Local Fandom Index was only valued at 85.
Fans are a big reason why many NFL teams thrive or go the opposite way. Their culture determines whether a squad can gain advantages from the decibels they produce in the stadium, local businesses that open up for tailgates, and a star player who stays because fans build their confidence despite pitfalls.