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Dec 18, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Fans eat and drink during the first half between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors at Scotiabank Arena. Food service in large sports venues will stop in Ontario tomorrow. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
For plenty of NFL fans, gameday starts well before kickoff. Outside stadiums, tailgates double as block parties; inside, fans pay steep prices to keep a beer in hand through four quarters. The calendar even lines up this year: National Beer Lovers Day is Sunday, Sept. 7 as the season gets rolling.
To mark the occasion, Action Network surveyed 3,058 fans in August 2025 to map out drinking habits around the league. The study looked at pregaming, in-stadium consumption, and “heavy drinking” (defined here as 5 or more drinks).
Percentages refer to the share of each team’s surveyed fan base reporting a behavior.
Key findings
- Arizona Cardinals fans top the list: 18.5% of surveyed Cardinals fans qualified as heavy drinkers, the highest overall share.
- Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans are next: 15.9% and 15.7% landed in the heavy-drinker group.
- Pregaming is common: 49% of all respondents said they drink before entering the stadium.
- Texans lead in-game drinking: 80% of surveyed Houston fans said they drink during games; 19% met the heavy-drinker threshold in-stadium.
- Steelers drink the least in stadiums: 49% of Pittsburgh fans said they drink at all during games, and 7% reported 5+ drinks.
- Regional notes: 10% of Northeastern fans said they pregame 5+ beers, while Midwestern fans were least likely to pregame.
- Packers finish last overall: only 3.2% of surveyed Green Bay fans fell into the heavy-drinker category.
You’ll find the full team-by-team breakdown below.
Booziest NFL Fan Bases: Heavy Drinkers by Team
(% of each team’s surveyed fan base reporting 5+ drinks on gameday)
At the top, Cardinals fans stand out across pregame and in-stadium drinking. Bills and Texans fans also post double-digit heavy-drinking shares. At the bottom, Packers, Seahawks, and Steelers fans rank among the lightest drinkers.
Pregaming Habits: Chargers at the Top, Packers at the Bottom
“Pregames” shows the share of each team’s surveyed fan base that said they drink before entering the stadium. “5+ drinks” reflects heavy pregame only.
| Team | Pregames | Doesn’t Pregame | 5+ Drinks |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 69% | 31% | 14% |
| Houston Texans | 67% | 33% | 13% |
| Atlanta Falcons | 62% | 38% | 8% |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 60% | 40% | 11% |
| Buffalo Bills | 59% | 41% | 15% |
| Arizona Cardinals | 59% | 41% | 19% |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 56% | 44% | 7% |
| New York Giants | 56% | 44% | 12% |
| Los Angeles Rams | 55% | 45% | 11% |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 53% | 47% | 9% |
| Miami Dolphins | 53% | 47% | 4% |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 53% | 47% | 7% |
| Washington Commanders | 53% | 47% | 12% |
| Carolina Panthers | 51% | 49% | 10% |
| Denver Broncos | 51% | 49% | 6% |
| New York Jets | 48% | 52% | 5% |
| Tennessee Titans | 48% | 52% | 14% |
| San Francisco 49ers | 48% | 52% | 6% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 47% | 53% | 9% |
| Cleveland Browns | 47% | 53% | 9% |
| Seattle Seahawks | 46% | 54% | 1% |
| Chicago Bears | 46% | 54% | 7% |
| Detroit Lions | 45% | 55% | 7% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 45% | 55% | 3% |
| Indianapolis Colts | 43% | 57% | 7% |
| New Orleans Saints | 42% | 58% | 6% |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 42% | 58% | 10% |
| Minnesota Vikings | 41% | 59% | 7% |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 40% | 60% | 1% |
| New England Patriots | 39% | 61% | 4% |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 38% | 62% | 6% |
| Green Bay Packers | 36% | 64% | 1% |
What stands out
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Chargers fans are the most likely to pregame at all (69%).
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Packers fans are the least likely (36%).
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Cardinals fans pregame the heaviest: 19% reported 5+ drinks before kickoff.
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On the low end, only 1% of Seahawks, Steelers, and Packers fans reported 5+ pregame drinks.
Why People Pregame
If you’ve ever bought a beer at an NFL game, you know the math hurts. In 2025, a basic 16-ounce domestic lands around 10 to 11 bucks in a lot of stadiums, with quite a few lists still pegging the “typical” price at about $10.75.
As we know, prices swing by market and by pour size, and premium options run higher, meaning the spread is wide. On the low end, Cincinnati shows about $6.80 for a 16-ounce pour. At the other extreme, Washington is listed at $16.49, with Las Vegas not far behind at $14.99.
That gap explains a lot of tailgate coolers.
Put numbers to it: at $10.75 a beer, eight inside the stadium is roughly $86. At the high end, eight at $16.49 is about $131.92. No wonder nearly half of fans say they do some of their sipping before they scan the ticket…
In-Stadium Drinking: Texans Dominate, Steelers Restrain
“Drinks” shows the share of each team’s surveyed fan base that said they drink inside the stadium. “5+ drinks” reflects heavy in-stadium drinking only.
| Team | Drinks | Doesn’t Drink | 5+ Drinks |
| Houston Texans | 80% | 20% | 19% |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 76% | 24% | 15% |
| Atlanta Falcons | 73% | 27% | 13% |
| Miami Dolphins | 73% | 27% | 8% |
| New York Giants | 72% | 28% | 16% |
| Buffalo Bills | 70% | 30% | 17% |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 69% | 31% | 14% |
| New York Jets | 67% | 33% | 11% |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 67% | 33% | 10% |
| Baltimore Ravens | 67% | 33% | 15% |
| Los Angeles Rams | 66% | 34% | 12% |
| Carolina Panthers | 65% | 35% | 21% |
| Tennessee Titans | 64% | 36% | 16% |
| Minnesota Vikings | 64% | 36% | 12% |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 64% | 36% | 9% |
| Arizona Cardinals | 63% | 37% | 18% |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 63% | 38% | 14% |
| Denver Broncos | 62% | 38% | 14% |
| Chicago Bears | 62% | 38% | 7% |
| New England Patriots | 61% | 39% | 8% |
| Washington Commanders | 61% | 39% | 17% |
| Dallas Cowboys | 61% | 39% | 14% |
| San Francisco 49ers | 60% | 40% | 13% |
| Detroit Lions | 59% | 41% | 7% |
| Cleveland Browns | 58% | 42% | 9% |
| Seattle Seahawks | 57% | 43% | 6% |
| Green Bay Packers | 56% | 44% | 5% |
| New Orleans Saints | 55% | 45% | 22% |
| Indianapolis Colts | 54% | 46% | 8% |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 52% | 48% | 8% |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 51% | 49% | 8% |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 49% | 51% | 7% |
What stands out
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Texans fans are most likely to drink in the stadium (80%), and 19% reported 5+ in-stadium drinks.
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Chargers are close behind on overall in-stadium drinking (76%).
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Saints fans drink less often inside (55%), but among those who do, 22% hit 5+ drinks, the largest heavy in-stadium share recorded in the survey.
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Steelers show the most restraint overall: just 49% drink at all during games, and 7% drink heavily.
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Chiefs are also on the lighter end inside the stadium (51% drink).
Methodology
The survey was conducted online by Research Without Barriers (RWB) between Aug. 14-19, 2025, with a nationally representative sample of 3,058 U.S. NFL fans.
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“Heavy drinker” was defined as consuming 5+ drinks.
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“Booziest team” rankings reflect the average share of heavy drinkers both before and during games.
All research complies with MRS Codes of Conduct (2023), ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines, and GDPR/Data Protection Act (2018) requirements. RWB is registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
This survey was commissioned by Action Network. The content is designed for entertainment among NFL and sports betting fans. Readers interested in betting markets can reference current NFL odds or sportsbook promo offers, such as the Fanatics Sportsbook promo and the bet365 bonus code (where legally available).
Responsible Gaming Reminder:You must be 21+ and present in an eligible state to wager. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER, the National Problem Gambling Helpline, for confidential 24/7 support.
You can find the full breakdown of results here.
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