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Tyler Aitken

NFL Fanbase Power Rankings: Divisional Round

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers


They started the postseason so well. They won a close game over the Washington Football Team and were classy and humble. Then, just one week later, Bucs fans just totally forget how to act.


I get it. You won. You picked off Drew Brees three times. Good for you. But clowning on a team and a quarterback that marched all over you for over a decade? In what could be his last game? That just comes across as trashy.


The Bucs are a good team, and their fans should enjoy the win. But remember where you came from. Be humble, and maybe your fanbase will earn some more respect.



7. Los Angeles Rams


Rams fans took the loss okay, but for a team with the pieces that they have, they have very little confidence. For the most part, the fanbase isn’t hopeful for the future. I don’t get it. You have one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the leagues. You have some solid receiving options and an exciting young running back. Plus, your coach is consistently raising the floor of the team. A good fanbase needs to have a backbone and some hope, even when they lose. This weekend, Rams fans failed to do either of those things.



6. Green Bay Packers


Overall, a pretty boring week from Packers fans. They celebrated the win, and are confident going into the NFC Championship Game. There’s nothing much else to say about the fanbase’s reaction. They weren’t boisterous about the win, but they also weren’t overly subdued. They didn’t brag, nor did they go out of their way to be humble. It was an exciting win, but a boring reaction from the Packers fanbase. A little flavor would be nice next time.



5. New Orleans Saints


The product that the Saints put on the field was ugly, and the fans didn’t like it one bit. There is lots of uncertainty among the fanbase going into the offseason 90 million dollars above the salary cap. Saints fans are worried, and they have good reason to be.


Not all is lost for the fanbase though. It was heartwarming to see all the tributes and thank yous aimed at Drew Brees, who may have just played his last game in the NFL. The gratefulness that Saints fans showed this weekend is the silver lining in an otherwise down year for the fanbase.



4. Kansas City Chiefs


The Kansas City Chiefs fans struck a perfect balance this week. They showed concern for their star Patrick Mahomes, got absolutely pumped after Chan Henne led them to victory, and are already oozing with confidence for their matchup with the Bills next week. Lots of fans are showing appropriate worry for Mahomes’ health, but they aren’t letting that completely distract them from supporting the guy that finished the job.


Chiefs fans are toeing the line of annoying and brazen cockiness, but I’ll mostly let it slide for now. A tough win, but a solid showing from the fanbase this week.



3. Cleveland Browns


Proud.


Instead of being angry or defensive, proud is the word that best sums up the Browns fanbase after their close loss this week. Are they devastated? Absolutely. But for the most part, they are proud of the fight they put up, almost beating the defending Super Bowl champions.


Browns fans complained about some calls, especially a missed targeting call at the end of the first half. However, they were completely justified in doing so. That missed call cost them a chance at a touchdown, which would have completely changed the game. Given the stage and scale of the call, the reaction was completely proportional.


It’s nice to see a fanbase that’s so used to losing season have such hope for the future.



2. Baltimore Ravens


The Ravens fanbase lost as nobly as they possibly could on Saturday. No blaming the referees, the other team, or members of their own team. The fans just accepted that they lost, and that there’s nothing they can do to change it. They were respectful before, during, and after the game, and many even pledged to support the Bills for the remainder of the playoffs.


Even though there were a few fans that have been pushing for the Ravens to get rid of Lamar Jackson or some of their coaching staff, they were drowned out by many more supportive and accepting fans. Ravens fans were also very appreciative of all the support that Bills fans were showing them. The Ravens, and their fanbase, have a bright future ahead of them.



1. Buffalo Bills


I know, I know. It’s the second week in a row that the Bills are at the top of these rankings, and I’m an admittedly biased member of the Bills Mafia.


However.


There is no denying that raising over $200,000 for charity is a sign of a truly elite fanbase. There were plenty of chances to brag, to ignore the losing team and focus on their historically great season, or even to make fun of the often hated Lamar Jackson. Instead, the Buffalo fanbase rallied support behind the quarterback that had been knocked out of the loss with a concussion. Donations, many of them made in eight dollar increments in honor of Jackson’s number, started rolling into Blessings in a Backpack soon after the final whistle blew. This is Jackson’s favorite charity, and they provide food for kids to eat so that they don’t go hungry when they’re not at school.


Although the final score says otherwise, Bills fans made everyone feel like a winner this weekend.



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