The NFL Teams Rival Fans Can’t Stop Talking About

by Nathan Whelan, April 30, 2025

Every fan thinks their team is the one everyone else is talking about. But is it true? We dove into over 1.5 million Reddit comments to settle the score and find out which NFL teams are living rent-free in everyone else’s heads.

The Chiefs Live Rent-Free in Fans’ Heads

They may have fallen short of the three-peat in 2025, but the Chiefs have taken top spot when it comes to NFL envy. No other team can match their 22,992 mentions from opposing teams, an average of 781 per team.

Unsurprisingly, the team that talked about Kansas City the most were Super Bowl XXXIX runners-up the 49ers, their defeat to the Chiefs in 2024 leaving a lasting mark in fans’ minds.

Even though the Eagles finally beat the Chiefs in 2025, memories of past heartbreaks, like their 2023 loss, still sting. That might explain why they’re right behind KC with 22,969 mentions.

As for who is talking about Jalen Hurts’ team, it is the New York/Philadelphia rivalry that takes center stage. New York Giants fans mentioned the Eagles on 2,850 occasions, over a thousand more than they did any other team! Philadelphia are the reigning champions in both the league and the jealousy factor.

The Buffalo Bills sit in third when it comes to envy, with 14,707 mentions—an average of 502 per team—well short of the top two.

Sean McDermott’s team made their first AFC Championship final since 2020 which gained them enough notoriety to earn a pang of jealousy from other fan groups. Their most obsessed rivals are the Ravens, with fans in Baltimore unable to forget their 27-25 loss to the Bills in January of 2025.

Colts Most Forgettable Team in the NFL

The least talked about team were the Indianapolis Colts, getting a meager 3,019 mentions across the board. This equates to just 13% of the number of mentions of the top spot Chiefs.

Unsurprisingly for a team that failed to make the playoffs and extended their nine-year AFC South title drought, Colts fans will be hopeful of better times ahead and getting their name mentioned by opposing fans more often.

The Arizona Cardinals aren’t far behind, their 8-9 season resulting in a third successive losing record across a season. No surprise opposing fans aren’t rushing to talk about them, and if they do, it’s rarely in a flattering way.

Josh Allen: The Most-Talked About QB

His team may have only ranked third overall, but Bills QB Josh Allen takes the gold when it comes to rival fan admiration. His name was mentioned 364 times on average—just edging out Patrick Mahomes, who most would’ve expected to top the list.

Allen’s popularity isn’t just about stats, it’s about style. He routinely puts the team on his back, leading an offence that lacks the superstar firepower of other contenders. He’s known for highlight-reel plays, bruising runs, and a genuine off-field persona that even rival fans respect.

And maybe, just maybe, part of the obsession comes from the fact that, unlike Mahomes or Hurts, he hasn’t yet made it to the promised land. That mix of talent, grit, and unfinished business makes him hard to ignore.

There is a clear winner in the competition between leagues when it comes to quarterbacks. Four of the top five mentioned are to be found in the AFC, only Caleb Williams makes the cut for NFC representation. Russell Wilson, now also in the AFC, rounds out the top five.

No One Talks About the Refs More Than Ravens Fans

It is the first rule of being a sports fan. The officials are always against you. And of course, it’s only your team that ever gets treated unfairly.

The fan group who are the most critical of officials are the Baltimore Ravens. They had 44 mentions of the officials, 37% more than the second whiniest fanbase the Packers.

Rivalries are built on more than just wins and losses, they’re also kept alive by the conversations fans have long after the final play. Whether it’s celebrating your team’s victory, complaining about the officials, or keeping tabs on the ones you love to hate, some teams and players simply live rent-free in everyone else’s head. And as the data shows, success on the field often comes with just as much noise off it.

Think your fanbase should be ranked higher? Share this with your group chat and prove it.

Methodology

Betting.us analyzed over 1.5 million comments from Reddit across the NFL’s various team subreddits. Using an average of 40,000 comments per subreddit the content was analysed for instances of other teams’ names being used, including notable nicknames or alternative spellings. This allowed for the creation of a mentions matrix to see which teams are talked about most by the others.

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