CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 19: A Carolina Panthers fan cheers from the stands during the second quarter in the game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

I have to admit this came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I mean around here the Panthers are the home team so it makes sense there are more fans of them than other teams. But you never fail to see a significant portion of fans in the visiting team’s colors on game day. Which, in a city full of transplants does make sense. But I guess I just wouldn’t have imagined a team that has struggled in recent years and is still one of the newest in the league, would rank so high. But despite my surprise, the Carolina Panthers ranked as the 12th most popular NFL team in a recent study by Betway.

I’m also not remotely shocked at the number one and two teams on this list. It plays right into the “bandwagon teams” as I often refer to them. Hate me all you want for that statement, but in most cases it is true. And if you’re actually from one of those places then no judgment from me. Not only with how high the Panthers ranked (beating 19 teams) but some of who we beat is interesting. We ranked as more popular than both teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. And not just one or two spots higher.

So how did these rankings come about? Teams are ranked by how many combined followers they have across social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Also listed in the % likeability. According to Betway: to determine the teams based on who’s most positively talked about online we used the Linkfluence social listening tool that crawls data on mentions across the internet from the past 12 months.

Want to read the full study including teams across other professional sports leagues? Go here. Continue reading for the complete rankings of the most popular NFL teams from least to most.

  • 32. Minnesota Vikings

    Vikings

    % likeability: 6.8

    Total following: 2,371,136

  • 31. Jacksonville Jaguars

    Jacksonville Jaguars

    % likeability: 7.16

    Total following: 2,371,136

  • 30. Tennessee Titans

    Tennessee Titans

    % likeability: 9.37

    Total following: 3,521,400

  • 29. Arizona Cardinals

    Arizona Cardinals

    % likeability: 6.76

    Total following: 4,178,478

  • 28. Los Angeles Chargers

    Los Angeles Chargers

    % likeability: 9.41

    Total following: 4,185,890

  • 27. Washington Commanders

    Washington Commanders

    % likeability: 7.85

    Total following: 4,194,035

  • 26. Buffalo Bills

    Buffalo Bills

    % likeability: 8.92

    Total following: 4,194,035

  • 25. New York Jets

    New York Jets

    % likeability: 16.10

    Total following: 4,287,425

  • 24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

    Tampa Bay

    % likeability: 10.70

    Total following: 4,666,730

  • 23. Cincinnati Bengals

    Bengals

    % likeability: 12.80

    Total following: 4,678,884

  • 22. Los Angeles Rams

    Los Angeles Rams

    % likeability: 9.42

    Total following: 4,821,000

  • 21. Indianapolis Colts

    Indianapolis Colts

    % likeability: 9.99

    Total following: 4,889,445

  • 20. Cleveland Browns

    Cleveland Browns

    % likeability: 10.30

    Total following: 4,955,146

  • 19. Miami Dolphins

    Miami Dolphins

    % likeability: 13.90

    Total following: 5,311,064

  • 18. Detroit Lions

    Detroit Lions

    % likeability: 10.70

    Total following: 5,440,136

  • 17. Houston Texans

    Texans

    % likeability: 11.10

    Total following: 5,440,136

  • 16. Atlanta Falcons

    Atlanta Falcons

    % likeability: 10.50

    Total following: 6,402,550

  • 15. Baltimore Ravens

    Baltimore Ravens

    % likeability: 18.20

    Total following: 6,652,833

  • 14. Las Vegas Raiders

    Las Vegas Raiders

    % likeability: 13.30

    Total following: 7,216,811

  • 13. Chicago Bears

    Chicago Bears

    % likeability: 13.30

    Total following: 7,216,811

  • 12. Carolina Panthers

    Carolina Panthers

    % likeability: 6.63

    Total following: 7,868,928

  • 11. New Orleans Saints

    New Orleans Saints

    % likeability: 16.20

    Total following: 8,061,400

  • 10. Kansas City Chiefs

    Chiefs

    % likeability: 12.10

    Total following: 8,245,252

  • 9. Pittsburgh Steelers

    Pittsburgh Steelers

    % likeability: 11.30

    Total following: 8,375,042

  • 8. Denver Broncos

    Denver Broncos

    % likeability: 13.40

    Total following: 8,467,020

  • 7. New York Giants

    New York Giants

    % likeability: 16.10

    Total following: 8,627,742

  • 6. San Francisco 49ers

    San Francisco 49ers

    % likeability: 13.80

    Total following: 9,411,393

  • 5. Seattle Seahawks

    Seattle Seahawks

    % likeability: 11.70

    Total following: 9,901,326

  • 4. Philadelphia Eagles

    Eagles

    % likeability: 13.90

    Total following: 10,251,535

  • 3. Green Bay Packers

     

    Green Bay Packers v Arizona Cardinals

    % likeability: 16.40

    Total following: 10,567,548

  • 2. New England Patriots

    Super Bowl LI

    % likeability: 16.30

    Total following: 16,858,395

  • 1. Dallas Cowboys

    Dallas Cowboys

    % likeability: 11.70

    Total following: 17,918,484

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