Over a month since the Super Bowl, many fans still look back at what this season could have been. From nail-biting close losses to the frustrations of losing as the favorite, NFL teams left fans pulling their hair out across the country … but did some have it worse than others during the 2021 season?
By integrating a variety of metrics such as giveaways per game and close wins, The Action Network ranks last season’s most stressful teams to support – with the Cleveland Browns ranking fourth in the NFL with a score of 80.43 on the ‘Stress Index’ (out of 150).
Data for each NFL team is listed below, along with the methodology which explains the study and results.
Further information can be also found onsite here: https://www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/the-most-stressful-nfl-teams-to-support, where the top and bottom five teams have been analyzed further.
The Action Network reveals the NFL’s most stressful teams to support during the 2021-22 season.
The Baltimore Ravens was the NFL’s most stress-inducing team last year.
The Bucs and Eagles gave their fans the most chilled seasons, according to the index.
Supporting your favorite NFL team each week can be a nerve-racking experience. From the great expectations of beating the opposition, to your team simply throwing away an easy win, how your team performs can lead to emotions running high.
But, analyzing the 2021 season, were some NFL teams more stressful to watch than others? And which NFL team’s season was the most stress-inducing for their fans?
By integrating a variety of metrics (see methodology), The Action Network has ranked the NFL’s most stressful teams of the 2021 season. From nail biting close losses, to the frustrations of losing as the favorite, which NFL teams were the toughest to watch and left fans pulling their hair out?
The Baltimore Ravens are named the NFL’s most stressful team of the 2021 season
Taking the top spot as the NFL’s most stress-inducing team last season is the Baltimore Ravens, receiving the highest score of 104.97 out of 150. Thanks to 11 games going down to the wire, it was an emotional season for Ravens fans, with many being glad when the season came to an end.
This was apparent on social media, with the Ravens receiving the 2nd-highest number of negative conversations across the entire NFL – only the Raiders had it worse off.
Moving down the table, Giants (86.73) and Lions (81.38) fans complete the list of the three most stressful teams to support last season. While both teams had some of the worst win percentages, it’s the Giants’ frustrating number of giveaways per game (1.8 – the highest in the league) which pushes them into 2nd spot.
The Browns continue to give their fans ulcers with the Baker Mayfield soap opera playing out over the free agency period.
For Bucs (39.42) and Eagles (40.87) fans, the 2021 NFL season was far more relaxing, however. The Bucs lost the joint-fewest games last season (5) and only played out three close games all season – winning two. The Eagles also gave their fans an easy ride, only featuring in three games (winning two), as well as losing just once as favorite.
Below is a list of NFL teams in order of which were the most stressful to support during the 2021 season:
NFL Stress Index
1. Baltimore Ravens 104.97
2. New York Giants 86.73
3. Detroit Lions 81.38
4. Cleveland Browns 80.43
5. Las Vegas Raiders 79.32
6. Los Angeles Chargers 76.73
7. Carolina Panthers 73.76
8. Cincinnati Bengals 71.14
9. Chicago Bears 70.92
10. Seattle Seahawks 70.07
11. Jacksonville Jaguars 68.10
12. New England Patriots 67.01
13. Denver Broncos 66.62
14. San Francisco 49ers 66.31
15. Dallas Cowboys 65.68
16. Minnesota Vikings 64.90
17. New York Jets 64.48
18. Pittsburgh Steelers 60.31
19. Houston Texans 59.35
20. Tennessee Titans 58.78
21. Washington Commanders 58.02
22. Atlanta Falcons 57.48
23. Kansas City Chiefs 53.22
24. Buffalo Bills 51.58
25. New Orleans Saints 51.47
26. Indianapolis Colts 51.27
27. Arizona Cardinals 49.62
28. Los Angeles Rams 49.62
29. Miami Dolphins 46.31
30. Green Bay Packers 45.14
31. Philadelphia Eagles 40.87
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 39.42
For more information on the NFL stress index, visit the site here: https://www.actionnetwork.com/nfl/the-most-stressful-nfl-teams-to-support.
Source
TeamRankings.com
CBSSports.com
The Football Database
NFL Stress Score Index Methodology
The Action Network’s NFL’s Stress Score Index was created by integrating a variety of metrics:
Losses: Losses during the 2021-22 NFL season.
Win %: Win percentage during the 2021-22 NFL season.
Close Wins: Games won by a margin of 4 points or less.
Close Losses: Games lost by a margin of 4 points or less
Losses as Favorite: Losses when tipped as the favorite.
Penalties Per Game: Penalties conceded per game
Giveaways Per Game: Number of interceptions and fumbles per game.
Games Missed through Injuries: Total games missed by players during the 2021-22 NFL season.
Negative Comments: Number of negative comments online between September 2021 – February 2022 aimed at the team.
Negative Comment Percentage: Percentage of negative comments online between September 2021 – February 2022 aimed at the team.
To create the index, the above metrics were taken into account – some of which were weighted higher than others. For example, losing a game closely was deemed more stressful than penalties conceded per game.
Firstly, metrics with the larger weighting of 20 were calculated first: ‘Losses’, ‘Win %’, ‘Close Wins’, ‘Close Losses’ and Losses as Favorite’. Each of these metrics were weighted with a score of 20, with a maximum score of 100.
After this, the metrics with the lower weighting of 10 were calculated: ‘Penalties Per Game’, ‘Giveaways Per Game’, ‘Games Missed through Injuries’, ‘Negative Comments’ and ‘Negative Comment Percentage’. Each of these metrics were weighted with a score of 10, with a maximum score of 50.
Following this, all metrics were then summed and ranked, to provide the final data set. The final score was out of 150.
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