No fan base is happy after a loss, but there are different levels of disappointment. Determining who are the worst feeling fanbases is a combination of what their expectations were for the team and how they had performed recently. It is not just about a team’s record, as a fanbase that expected their team to lose would not feel as down as a fanbase that thought their team had an easy win and lost. Injuries can also be a factor, if your team had a crushing injury that could propel that team on the list. Also how you lose is very important, getting blown out or losing by a hail mary are both crushing losses, much more than losing by 10. Ultimately, the worst thing is the feeling that your team’s season just ended, losses or injuries that lean a fanbase into thinking that way, are the teams at the top of the list.
Honorable Mentions
Texans: 10-17 loss to the Titans. A garbage time touchdown by the Texans, with 17 seconds left, makes the score closer than it actually was. A particularly tough loss considering the Titans basically only ran the ball the entire game and still won. The Titans threw it 10 times and ran it 45 times, it’s this type of loss that makes the fan base think “Are we the worst team in the NFL?” but considering that they knew the team was terrible and did expect much anyway, there are fan bases that feel worse.
Steelers: 13-35 loss to the Eagles. Getting blown out is never fun. But when you have already accepted that your team isn’t that good and you are playing one of the best 2-3 teams in the NFL, it is easier to stomach. Steelers fans obviously don’t feel good but most probably saw this coming, there are teams that feel worse.
Buccaneers: 22-27 loss to the Ravens. The Buccaneers have now lost 5 out of 6 games where their offense is averaging 17.8 points per game. You can easily argue that they should be on the list, especially with their preseason expectations. But they played a very good Ravens team tough and are only one game back in the worst division in football. Being in that division gives them plenty of time to turn it around.
Packers: 17-27 loss to the Bills. Expectations are always high in Packer land, and while no one expected them to beat the Bills. Losing a 4th straight game and falling to 3-5 puts them on the outside of the playoffs looking in. For a team fans expected to make another run at the Super Bowl, so far is a massive disappointment. The Packers could have easily made the list, but it’s hard to feel as bad as the top 3 teams when they weren’t even expected to win and played the juggernaut Bills relatively tough, even out scoring them 10-3 in the second half.
#3 Panthers
34-37 overtime loss to the Falcons. The Panthers were so close! After completing a 62 yard hail mary to DJ Moore, the Panthers should have won. But there was a 15 yard penalty for the celebration, and the kicker then missed the 48 yard extra point. In overtime, the Panthers intercepted Falcons’ QB Marcus Mariota, to set up an easy game winning 33 yard field goal. But the kicker missed it again! Many TVs, surely must have been broken as the Panthers were gifted a win by the football gods, on the hail Mary, only for it to be taken away by their kicker not once but twice! To make the loss even rougher, the Panthers had a chance to be in a 4-way tie for the division lead if they won because the NFC South has been terrible. Now, two games behind the Falcons in the division, the brief hope and euphoria after the hail mary is gone. Expectations for Panthers’ fans will change back to being happy with just being competitive and gritty, but getting robbed of a chance of completing an incredible comeback and a chance for competing for the division, leaves an awfully sour taste.
#2 Jaguars
17-21 loss to the Broncos. Last week, the Broncos were the number 1 team on this list after losing their 4th straight game with the worst offense in the NFL. The Jaguars started the year hot going 2-1 and blowing out the Colts and Chargers, 24-0 and 38-10 respectively. Entering this week though they were on a 4 game losing streak, with all the games being within one score. This was a must win game, against a winnable team, for a Jaguars team that expected to push for the playoffs after the first three weeks. After losing again, the Jaguars have tied for the longest losing streak in the NFL and a once promising season is nearly officially over. Sitting with a record of 2-6, while mathematically, is possible to still make the playoffs; the odds are overwhelmingly against it. Losing to one of the worst teams in the league, while potentially knocking you completely out of the playoff picture is as rough as it gets. The Jaguars had such an optimistic start to the year, which makes the fall out of playoff contention sting even more. Especially because it was at the hands of the lowly Broncos.
#1 Raiders
0-24 loss to the Saints. “There can be no true despair without hope” – Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. The Raiders over the last three weeks looked like they had found something, they were 2-1 with easy wins over the Broncos (32-23) and the Texans (38-20) and the only loss being a very close one point defeat to the hands of the Chiefs. While they were only 2-4, if they had won against the 2-5 Saints, the Raiders would only be a manageable two games back in the division. Things were turning around, maybe the season wasn’t over after the disastrous 0-3 start to the season, there was hope! Then the game happened. The raiders didn’t score a single point, and didn’t even have the ball across midfield until 2 minutes left in the game. Derek Carr, passed for only 101 yards and prized off season acquisition, super star Davante Adams only had one catch for 3 yards. The Raiders got thoroughly manhandled by a team three games under 500. For a team that made the playoffs last year, and made huge moves in the offseason to bring in Davante Adams and Chandler Jones, being 2-5 and so far out of the playoff picture is about the worst case scenario. After that crushing defeat to the Saints, Raiders’ fans probably need a hug, as they are the worst feeling fan base of the week.