NFL fan-base satisfaction index: How floundering Eagles, Giants and your team rate

This NFL season has delivered plenty of surprising turns, giving fan bases across the league a wide range of emotions. A handful of teams — including the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars — have surged beyond expectations, fueling real optimism heading into the playoff stretch.

Then there are the Philadelphia Eagles, whose perpetually angst-ridden faithful are reeling after their team’s 22-19 overtime loss Monday to the Los Angeles Chargers.

As the postseason race intensifies, Yardbarker’s NFL writers rate the satisfaction of each fan base — from 1 for thrilled to 5 for exasperated.

NFC East

DALLAS COWBOYS (6-6-1) | Satisfaction rating: 3 | Cowboys fans were exasperated when owner Jerry Jones dealt All-Pro defensive end Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the season. But with a high-powered offense, savvy  defensive-minded trades and a first-time head coach outperforming expectations, the Cowboys are alive in the playoff hunt. Dallas fans are aware the team is far from its glory days, but the 2025 Cowboys are an entertaining surprise.

NEW YORK GIANTS  (2-11) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | Rookie QB Jaxson Dart playing with a healthy RB Cam Skattebo and WR Malik Nabers next season is a light at the end of the long tunnel for Giants fans. In the meantime, those banners flown demanding ownership fire everyone are apparently starting to work, as HC Brian Daboll was fired midway through the season. GM Joe Schoen may join him, but that’s little satisfaction for a fan base enduring its third consecutive double-digit loss season.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES  (8-5) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | With the Super Bowl LIX champs underperforming in almost every area — the once-best rushing attack in the league is now 22nd — restless fans are back to questioning head coach Nick Sirianni's personnel decisions. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo's time calling plays may be short-lived; if he is demoted or fired, fan satisfaction may increase dramatically.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS  (3-10) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | Even the most cynical Commanders fan couldn’t have expected this snake-bitten season for the team that played in NFC Championship Game a year ago. Second-year QB Jayden Daniels (below-par 60.6 completion percentage) hasn’t played well and is hampered by an elbow injury. Head coach Dan Quinn should be given more time to course-correct for this rebuilding team. – Conor Killmurray

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS  (3-10) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | After a 2-0 start, the Cardinals have lost nine of their past 10 games. QB Kyler Murray has been shut down for the season with a lingering foot injury, and the defense ranks 26th in points allowed (26.8 PPG). With head coach Jonathan Gannon on the hot seat and a fourth consecutive season without a playoff appearance, Arizona isn't giving fans much to cheer about.

LOS ANGELES RAMS  (10-3) | Satisfaction rating: 1 | Despite concerns about his back entering the season, QB Matthew Stafford leads the NFL with 35 TD passes for an offense as explosive as any in the league since the addition of wide receiver Davante Adams (league-best 14 TD catches). The defense gives up the third-fewest points per game (17.5 PPG), making this one of the most balanced teams in the NFL and a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS  (9-4) | Satisfaction rating: 3 | Injuries to key players have made this a trying season for the 49ers, but they still find themselves battling for a division title. QB Brock Purdy has been inconsistent in his five starts (nine TD passes, seven interceptions), but the solid play from backup Mac Jones in his absence and the 1,655 total yards from RB Christian McCaffrey have kept this team in the playoff hunt. 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS  (10-3) | Satisfaction rating: 2 | QB Sam Darnold, to the surprise of many, has excelled, throwing for 22 TDs and posting a career-best completion percentage (68.1%). WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the league in receiving yards (1,428) and the defense ranks second in points allowed (17.4 PPG), giving the Seattle fan base reasons to be pleased. — Colby Colwell

NFC North

CHICAGO BEARS (9-4) | Satisfaction rating: 1 | The Bears were the No. 1 seed in the NFC before their Week 14 loss at Green Bay, so what's not to like? HC Ben Johnson’s shirtless postgame celebrations are the talk of the NFL. The first-time head coach is a revelation for Chicago, which has the most improved offensive line in the league, is getting healthy on defense and has realistic Super Bowl hopes for the first time in years. 

DETROIT LIONS (8-5) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | This might be a tad harsh, but Lions fans must be frustrated that Ben Johnson has the Bears humming. Detroit ranks eighth in the NFL in offensive EPA per play and 14th in defensive EPA per play through 14 weeks, which is too pedestrian for a team that considered itself one of the elites heading into the season. If the Lions miss the playoffs, this would drop to a 5. 

GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-3-1) | Satisfaction rating: 2 | The Packers are where they expected to be through 14 weeks, but there are concerning bullet points on their resume. Green Bay lost to the Browns, Panthers and Eagles, scoring 13 or fewer points in all three games and making Packers fans wonder if a similar offensive stinker is coming in the playoffs.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-8) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | The Vikings might be the most disappointing team in the NFL based on expectations heading into the season. Minnesota has a championship-caliber roster and coaching staff, but the play of starting QB  J.J. McCarthy has been abysmal. To make matters worse, 2024 Vikings starting QB Sam Darnold is lighting it up with the Seahawks. — Jack Dougherty

NFC South

ATLANTA FALCONS  (4-9) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | The Falcons were eliminated from the winnable NFC South with a 37-9 Week 14 drubbing at home against the Seattle Seahawks. QB Kirk Cousins is one of the worst big-money free-agent signings in NFL history, and QB Michael Penix, the team’s 2024 first-round pick, has been painfully inconsistent and might not be ready for the start of the 2026 season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his ACL in November. With no clear answer at QB and a head coach in Raheem Morris with a 33-56 record, Falcons faithful might be the league’s most exasperated fan base.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (7-6) | Satisfaction rating: 2 | After seasons spent in the wilderness, the Panthers have a legitimate shot at winning the NFC South for the first time in 10 years. Two of their final three games are against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving the franchise its first meaningful December games since Cam Newton was QB.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS  (3-10) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | Rookie QB Tyler Shough’s first two wins came on the road against the NFC South’s two best teams, providing a jolt for a floundering Saints organization that has missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. New Orleans still has plenty of ground to cover to return to respectability, but instead of being shrouded in darkness, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for this team.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS  (7-6) | Satisfaction rating: 3 | Tampa Bay’s NFC South reign has been threatened previously — in 2023, it won the division over New Orleans via tiebreaker — but never more so than this season. The Bucs have lost five of their past seven games following a 5-1 start and are tied with the Carolina Panthers atop the division with four games left.  — Eric Smithling

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS (9-4) | Satisfaction rating: 2 | Buffalo, winner of the past five AFC East titles, has taken a backseat to the first-place New England Patriots. That's not something that most Bills fans expected this late in the season. However, as QB Josh Allen once again proved in Sunday’s 39-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, you can never count Buffalo out when he plays.

MIAMI DOLPHINS  (6-7) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | After starting the season 0-3, head coach Mike McDaniel was on the hot seat. With four straight wins and five in their past six games, the Dolphins have quietly turned their season around. However, Miami has less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs, according to NFL.com’s playoff probability, and a difficult schedule ahead, making its slim playoff hopes that much more improbable.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS  (11-2) | Satisfaction rating: 1 | How could this be anything but a 1 for the Patriots? They have turned things around under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year QB Drake Maye, who has the second-most passing yards (3,412) and fourth-most passing TDs (23). Riding a 10-game winning streak, the Patriots are a near certainty to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.

NEW YORK JETS  (3-10) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | The playoff drought is now at 15 years for the Jets after their 34-10 loss in Week 14 to the Dolphins, extending the longest active drought in the NFL. There hasn't been much to cheer about for Jets fans lately, and the 2025 season has only added to the frustration for a franchise that always seems to be in this position. — Colby Colwell

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS  (11-2) |  Satisfaction rating: 2 | The Broncos haven’t won a playoff game since the 2015 season, but they could soon end that drought. If the playoffs started today, Denver would own the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The team may have also found The Guy in second-year QB Bo Nix, who ranks 10th in the league in passing yards (2,954).  

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS  (6-7) | Satisfaction rating: 3 | Since 2019, the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls, but the foundation of their dynasty clearly has cracks. Kansas City’s streak of nine consecutive division titles has ended, and it’s on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Per The Athletic, the Chiefs have a 10% chance of making the postseason.  

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS  (2-11) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | New minority owner and former QB Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion, may be regretting buying a stake in the Raiders. The club is 6-24 over its past 30 games. Not even highly touted rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has provided hope for Raiders fans. He's averaging a subpar 3.5 yards per carry (665 yards, 21st in the NFL).    

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS  (9-4) | Satisfaction rating: 2 | Second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh may be poised to lead the team to its first playoff win since the 2018 season. The Chargers are finding their groove at the right time, having won five of their past six games. If Denver goes cold and L.A. remains hot, it could make a late push for the division title.  — Clark Dalton

AFC North

BALTIMORE RAVENS  (6-7) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | The Ravens are in danger of letting another year of QB Lamar Jackson’s prime slip away without a trip to the Super Bowl. This season, Baltimore may not even make the playoffs. There is something to be said for always being competitive, but the lack of playoff success and near-misses are putting pressure on everybody in what is becoming a stale organization. 

CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-9) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | QB Joe Burrow is in his sixth season as Bengals starting QB, but despite his brilliance, the team has just two playoff appearances to show for it. All of the flaws that have held the team back for most of his career (defense, offensive line) remain. 

CLEVELAND BROWNS  (3-10) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have made the playoffs three times, won one playoff game and have gone through a revolving door of QBs that is unmatched. The Browns are 6-24 over the past two seasons, which is not even the worst two-year stretch this franchise has experienced in the past decade. 

PITTSBURGH STEELERS  (7-6) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | Perhaps you have heard: The Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season and have had several late-season meltdowns in recent years. Steelers fans are not content with barely finishing over .500 each season. They want to see postseason wins, and like their AFC North rivals in Baltimore, mediocrity and staleness have set in with the team and its longtime head coach, Mike Tomlin. — Adam Gretz

AFC South

HOUSTON TEXANS (8-5) | Satisfaction rating: 2 | With an 0-3 start, the Texans looked like they were headed for a major step back, but they have won six of their past seven games and could win the division. Five of those wins came against teams that are in the playoff hunt. Kudos to an elite defense that ranks first in the NFL in points allowed (16 PPG) and yards allowed (266.3 YPG). 

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-5) | Satisfaction rating: 4 | The Colts remain in the playoff hunt, but a once-promising season is on the verge of collapse. Indy has lost four of its past five games after a 7-1 start, and QB Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the team’s blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. Rookie QB Riley Leonard seems unlikely to keep the ship afloat. Could Philip Rivers?

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS  (9-4) | Satisfaction rating: 1 | Winners of four straight, the Jaguars have hit their stride offensively under first-year HC Liam Coen. Turnover-prone QB Trevor Lawrence has gone back-to-back games without an interception. Their recent schedule hasn't been trying, but the Jags have gone from a 4-13 season in 2024 to a shot at hosting a first-round playoff game.

TENNESSEE TITANS  (2-11) | Satisfaction rating: 5 | The Titans are coming off a Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns, but there has been little for Tennessee fans to be excited about. Brian Callahan was the first head coach fired this season, and the Titans have not played better without him. No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward has thrown for more than 200 yards in just six games and has nine touchdown passes and seven interceptions. — Steve DelVecchio