Her Take

It’s an age-old debate: which team is “America’s Team” ? Most sources say the term dates back to the late 1970s when a narrator for a Dallas highlight film claimed the Cowboys were America’s Team because they appeared on television so much that their players’ faces were more famous than those of presidents and movie stars.

Folks, that was almost 50 years ago, and I think times have changed. America has changed. And She wants a new team.

Below, I’ve made a case for why each NFL team could be America’s Team. Journalists and statisticians have done similar studies, using TV ratings, Facebook “likes,” or comparing how many loyal fans exist in each market compared to other teams across the country and even compared to other professional sports teams that are in the same area. Their analyses are in-depth looks at statistics, population trends, and internet traffic.

I’ve never been good at math. You won’t find that here.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Let’s start with the obvious: the team’s colors are red, white, and blue. Originally, the team was named the Buffalo Bison, an enduring symbol of Native American culture. When the name was changed to the Bills, it was done to honor William Frederick Cody who was nicknamed Buffalo Bill for his…bison-killing skills. Seems strange to honor someone with a team literally named for the animal he was known to kill, but if you do some more digging, turns out he was also an American scout and he fought for the Union in the Civil War. I’m on board with this so long as he wasn’t killing any lambs.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins remain the only NFL team in the Super Bowl Era to have completed a perfect regular season and perfect postseason. That achievement alone could be enough to make an argument that the Dolphins are America’s Team, if you’re a Dolphins fan.

New England Patriots

Another red, white, and blue team. The Patriots play in Boston, where I guess there was some nice tea party back in the day? Idk, I’m already exhausted writing about this one so I’ll just move on out of spite.

New York Jets

The team America loves to rag on. Everyone’s favorite “little brother” team. The team that gave us the Butt Fumble. We can all appreciate the Jets for who they are. The Jets are America’s Team because we all have a special place in our hearts for them.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

For this one, I consulted my good friend Matt Waldman, who is a huge Ravens fan. You can find Matt’s ramblings on NCAA basketball over on CBB Review.

“We have a generational QB that other teams have been trying to emulate since he’s come into the league. We have been consistently dominant on defense throughout franchise history, carrying the flag for old school smash mouth football.”

Cincinnati Bengals

After watching the Bengals’ rapid rise to a Super Bowl-caliber team, we’ve been seeing more and more about Cincinnati in the media. People wanted them to beat the Rams. People wanted them to beat Kansas City. People love Joe Burrow and desperately want him to be elite. The appreciation here is for who the Bengals could be. America wants to see the Bengals be good.

Cleveland Browns

The NFL was born in Canton, Ohio, about an hour southeast of Cleveland. The Browns haven’t been great in recent memory, but northeast Ohio lives and dies by their football obsession, and has done so for more than 100 years.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers can give Dallas a run for their money when it comes to this debate. They were just as good as, if not better than, the Cowboys in the 1970s. And according to Art Rooney, the name was first attributed to the Steelers, but he made it clear they were Pittsburgh’s Team, not America’s Team.

AFC South

Houston Texans

The Texans were the result of a failed attempt to bring an NHL team to Houston, the Oilers leaving the city, and the NFL wanting to make the league an even 32 teams. So their origin story is one of a desire to make America happy. Plus, they’re the baby of the NFL. Everyone loves babies.

Indianapolis Colts

For 36 years, Indianapolis has been the host city for the NFL Combine. That means the road to a career in the NFL has gone through Indy for almost four decades and most of recent memory.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I have nothing to say here. The Jaguars are London’s Team now.

Tennessee Titans

This franchise has been in more cities than any other team besides the Rams. They’re America’s Team because they get around.

AFC West

Denver Broncos

In their 63-year history, the Broncos have only 11 losing seasons. They’re America’s Team for their consistency.

Kansas City Chiefs

I’ll let the Swifties take this one.

Las Vegas Raiders

John Madden’s legacy alone has cemented the Raiders’ legitimate claim as America’s Team.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers don’t have a current claim to America’s Team, but let’s check back in 100 years when Philip Rivers’s descendants have taken over the league, the country, and maybe the world.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

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New York Giants

It’s hard for me to say anything good about the Giants, but without them Tom Brady might have two more Super Bowl rings. So the Giants could be America’s Team because they came through for all of us when we needed them the most.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagle. The Liberty Bell. The Constitutional Convention. The Cheesesteak. Gritty. Taylor Swift. Need I say more?

Washington Commanders

This could be the most obvious answer given their location but technically they’re not even located in Washington, D.C. It feels icky to say they’re America’s Team, so I’ll let someone else say it.

NFC North

Chicago Bears

The Yankees of the NFL, Chicago has the most former players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the highest number of retired jerseys in the league. The Bears are America’s Team for their storied history.

Detroit Lions

Each year, Thanksgiving brings us mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and Detroit Lions football. The Lions are America’s Team because they’re dished out to us along with our stuffing and green bean casserole on this distinctly American holiday.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers are the only team in the NFL that is owned by fans. Of their more than 500,000 shareholders, none of them own more than 4%, and there will never be a majority owner with the power to move the team anywhere else. The Packers are America’s Team because of their ownership structure.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have made it to postseason play 28 times, third only to the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. So if you can’t stomach calling Dallas or Pittsburgh America’s Team, you have a solid third choice. If you hate the Vikings, sorry; numbers higher than 3 confuse me.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons lost their claim to America’s Team when they blew a 28-3 halftime lead in Super Bowl LI. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Carolina Panthers

Best I can offer is the Panthers play in the Bank of America stadium. Someone let me know if I’m missing something here. I’m sure my friends in the Carolinas are screaming at me.

New Orleans Saints

I didn’t know this, but the Saints’ colors are black and gold because they symbolize the city’s ties to the oil industry. Their uniforms rank among the best in the NFL, so I think they can claim America’s Team just for their digs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady retired from the Bucs twice, so they’re America’s Team for ending his career, and then ending his career again.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

The organization that became the Cardinals was founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898 in Chicago and, as such, is the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. I literally never would have guessed the Cardinals had this distinction. They’re America’s Team for their longevity. Otherwise I’m not sure what else they have going for them.

Los Angeles Rams

Like the Titans, the Rams get around. They’re America’s Team because they are the only franchise to win a championship in three different cities: Cleveland, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners are a historically successful franchise, with a storied rivalry with the Cowboys. They can be America’s Team if you hate the Cowboys but also hate the Commanders, Eagles, Giants, Steelers, and Vikings.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have an interesting claim to America’s Team, having set a Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event, and then breaking their own record just a few months later.

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Who do you think has the best claim to America’s Team? I’ll accept any answer other than the Cowboys.