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 Mentions:
49ers: 22-16 win over the Chargers. While the game was close, the Chargers were a good team that was not going to just roll over. This win moves the 49ers to 5-4 and coupled with the Seahawks losing, are only one game out of first place in the division. The 49ers are now 10-2 with Jimmy Garapollo not throwing a touchdown, which is the best record since 1950. It also shows just how good the rest of the team is. The 49ers have now won two in a row and are starting to look like the team that went to the NFC Championship game last year.
Giants: 24-16 win over the Texans. The Giants are now 7-2! No one thought they would be this good, if their win was more dominant or against a team better than the lowly Texans they would most likely make the top three. But even still, Giants fans have to be jubilant about this start, not only are they in the playoff race, but they could win their division and even crazier, there is still an outside chance they can get the number one seed. The Giants still play the Eagles twice and the Vikings, which gives them plenty of chances to catch the only teams ahead of them. Saquon Barkley is back to being the absolute workhorse that he used to be, this week compiling 35 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown, and they have a top 10 defense only letting up 19.2 points per game. Giants fans have to be psyched about how well the team is doing, especially when barely anyone was giving them a chance before the year started.
#3 Chiefs
27-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chiefs did what they were supposed to do, and they did it easily. They jumped out to a 20-0 lead and coasted from there on out, never being up by less than 10 points. Patrick Mahomes was his usual dominant self, going 26-35 for 331 yards and 4 touchdowns. Chiefs fans have to feel great, now winning five out of their last six games including three in a row. They also have the current MVP favorite, Mahomes, playing out of his mind, he is leading the NFL in yards and touchdowns. To make Chiefs fans feel even better about another dominant week, the Buffalo Bills lost which moves the Chiefs into the number one seed for the AFC. Chiefs fans rightfully are thinking about another long postseason run, and are only of the best feeling fan bases in the NFL.
#2 Dolphins
39-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Dolphins offense is on fire right now, over the last three weeks they have averaged 35 points a game and not surprising they are 3-0 in that stretch. What makes Dolphins fans even more excited is how good the team is playing with Tua healthy and the level that their quarterback is playing at. For the year, the Dolphins are now a perfect 7-0 in games that Tua has started and finished the game. Tua is in the midst of the best stretch of his career, over the last four games, since his return from injury, he has thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. After this weeks’ fantastic game where he went 25-32 for 285 yards and three touchdowns he became the first Dolphins’ quarterback in team history to have three touchdowns and no interceptions in three straight weeks. That is saying a lot considering Dan Marino played his entire career for the franchise. Dolphins fans have to be ecstatic as not only is Tua Tagovailoa playing out of his mind and they just blew out the Browns, but the Bills dropped their game against the Vikings which moved the Dolphins into first place of the AFC East. They are now only a half game back behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the number one seed and a bye in the playoffs. If you had a Dolphins fan choose exactly how he wanted this week to go, it would look a lot like what actually happened.
#1 Vikings
33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. Entering the week, the Vikings were 7-1 and coming off of six straight wins but there were still lots of questions of just how good this team was. Due to a large part of one of the least inspiring six game winning streaks in recent memory. Every game was decided by one score or less, with the final four games needing a fourth quarter comeback. They also faced three backup quarterbacks, and the teams who had their starters were the Lions, Bears, and Cardinals, not exactly elite competition. But now they are going up against MVP front runner, Josh Allen, and the current number one seed Buffalo Bills, the world was going to see just how good the Vikings were. The result, a huge comeback, one of the best catches ever, a wild ending, and maybe the best game of the year. Down 27-10, the Vikings looked to finally have met their match, but they fought back like they have been all year. With two minutes left, it was 4th and 18 on their own 27, when Kirk Cousins launched a prayer to Justin Jefferson. Way over Jefferson’s head, it looked to be an easy interception before he reached up and somehow stole the ball back with one hand. With the catch of the year extending the drive, the Vikings went all the way down the field before getting stopped on downs on the Bill’s one yard line. With 49 seconds left and only one timeout, the Vikings couldn’t stop the clock, all the Bills had to do was two QB sneaks to win the game. On the first play, a miracle happened, Josh Allen mishandled the snap and the loose ball resulted in a defensive touchdown giving the Vikings the lead. It is only the second time since the merger, 52 years ago, that a team trailing with less than a minute to go, took the lead with a defensive touchdown. The other instance being the first Miracle At The Meadowlands. The Bills tied the game up with a field goal to push the game into overtime, and after the Vikings started the period with a field goal, they intercepted Allen while he was driving for the win, securing the victory for the Vikings.
Things Vikings fans have to feel great about: a legendary play by the best receiver in the NFL, a legendary comeback including the most unlikeliest of defensive touchdowns, beating one of the best teams in the NFL to legitimize just how good their team is, their 7th win in a row, their 5th 4th quarter comeback in a row, their 3rd double digit comeback in this stretch, and the Eagles were upset moving them to a tie, record wise, for the number 1 seed. The Vikings are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and they have the best feeling fan base after week 10.