Determining who are the best feeling fanbases in the NFL every week, is determined on a few things. How well they are set up for a playoff run, how well the team has been playing lately, and if they had an especially fun game like a blowout win or a comeback win. A surprising win can make a worse team feel better than the good team sneaking by an easy opponent.
Honorable Mention
Dolphins: 30-15 win over the Texans. The Dolphins smashed the Texans, the score is not indicative of how the game went. It was not back and forth where they pulled away to win by two scores, it was dominant from the beginning for the Dolphins who were up 30-0 at half time and took their foot off the gas in the second half. Tua was sat because of the giant lead with three minutes left in the third and he still had 300 yards passing and a touchdown. Blowouts are the most fun way to win but when it comes against maybe the worst team in the league, it is more expected than surprising. Dolphins fans have to feel amazing but there are a few teams with wins against harder competition or harder circumstances who are ahead of them.
Chargers: 25-24 win over the Cardinals. The Chargers scored a touchdown with 15 seconds left to tie the game, but instead of tying it they went for two and the win. It was all or nothing, one play, and the Chargers pulled it off! The win stops a two game slide and keeps them in the thick of the playoff race, now only one game out. The Chargers also still have Justin Herbert who had another fantastic game throwing for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns. If you get to the playoffs anything is possible, especially when you have a quarterback like Herbert, and the Charger just picked up a huge win to get closer.
#3 Browns
23-17 OT win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cleveland Browns entering the week were on a two game losing streak, to fall to 3-7, and needed a win in the worst way to stay in the playoff hunt; and what a win it was! Down 10-17 with 2:10 left and one time out, the Browns needed to do something that they hadn’t done over the last 45 minutes of game play, score the ball. They quickly drove down the field with help of a 28 yard run by star running back Nick Chubb, before stalling in the red zone. Facing 4th and 10 on the Buccaneers 12 yard line with the clock running under 40 seconds left, the game was down to this play. Jacoby Brissett launched the ball high in the back of the end zone, seemingly way too high for a completion, before David Njoku reached up with one hand and pulled in an insane game tying touchdown catch. After forcing overtime, the Browns went on to win the game, completing the highly improbable comeback. The fact that it was against Tom Brady, made everything just a little more sweeter for Browns fans. Crazily, their team just became the first team ever to beat Tom Brady when down by seven or more with less than a minute to play in regulation. Previously Tom Brady was 218-0 in those situations. Not only do the Browns keep their season alive but next week Deshaun Watson is back from suspension who could potentially provide a jolt. This could be a game, Browns fans point to as a turning point in their season, and nothing feels better than a renewed sense of hope!
#2 Cowboys
28-20 win over the New York Giants. A Thanksgiving win over their rivals, the Giants, is bound to make any Cowboys fans feel really good. There are a few other factors which push the Cowboys higher up on the list. Firstly, the Cowboys did not play their best game and still ended up easily coasting to a win; as the game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Dak Prescott threw two sloppy interceptions and the Cowboys failed on a fourth down when they went for fourth and 2, on their own forty, with 11:40 seconds left in the first quarter. With all those mistakes they were down 7-13 at halftime but in the second half they scored off three straight touchdowns while shutting out the Giants to make the score 28-13 before a completely garbage time score by the Giants with eight seconds remaining. The fact that the Cowboys can have a really bad half and rebound to crush the Giants in the second half is a fantastic mark of resilience that the best teams all have. The Cowboys proved again that they are one of the best teams in the league, and the fan base is all for it.
#1 Eagles
40-33 win over the Green Bay Packers. Fly Eagles Fly. The Eagles are playing at nearly the top of their game after dropping a forty whopper on the Packers. What makes this even more impressive is they put up 40 by absolutely dominating in the run game. In the game, as a team, the Eagles put up 363 rushing yards just 13 shy of the Eagles all time rushing mark, set 74 years ago against the Washington Redskins, on November 21st, 1948. It was also the fourth most rushing yards by any team over the last 20 years. Eagles quarterback and MVP candidate, Jalen Hurts, did a lot of the damage on his own rushing for 157 yards, an Eagles quarterback record. He also ran for 103 yards in the first quarter, which is the only time in the last 30 years that a quarterback has ran for over 100 yards in ANY single quarter. Safe to say, the Packers had major issues stopping the Eagles, and while they held close in the first half, eventually the Packers fell behind by double digits in the second half. Jordan Love did replace Rodgers, after the quarterback left with a rib injury, to lead two scoring drives late in the fourth quarter but it was too little, too late.
The Eagles are now an NFL best 10-1, and just beat a Packers team that was desperate to get a win to stay in the playoff hunt. With the Cowboys lurking right behind them with a record of 8-3, every win is huge and the Eagles didn’t just not trip on this potential trap game but they cleared the hurtle with style. With the wildly entertaining win they had where they literally ran over the Packers, Eagles fans have to be the best feeling fan base in the NFL. Especially considering, they are on track for the number 1 seed and the bye, their quarterback is firmly in the NFL MVP conversation, and they might have the most talented team in the NFL. This is the fourth time in franchise history that the Eagles have started 10-1 the previous three times were 2004, 1980, and 1949 every other time they went to the Super Bowl / NFL Championship game. That is a very good pattern for a very happy fan base.