Which NFL Fan Bases Are the Biggest Grinches?

By Bill Speros

Dec 17th, 2025 1:59 PM EST

The Raiders have "stink, stank, stunk" during most of the 21st Century. (USA TODAY)

The NFL is populated with teams that “stink, stank, stunk.” But which NFL fan bases are the biggest Grinches?

In the spirit of the holiday season, Bookies.com wanted to see which NFL teams had the “Grinchiest” fans. We created a scoring system factoring in Reddit posts that complain about referees, coaches, and players, along with Google Trends search interest scores for “fire coach,” and “refs screwed us.” All data points were within the past five years.

Dr. Suess (Theordore Gisel) created his green-clad Christmas villain in the 1957 book “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” That, perhaps not ironically, was the last time the Detroit Lions won an NFL championship.

The book’s protagonist has since become a signature icon of the secular Christmas celebration. The Grinch stands alongside Dickens’ Scrooge, Gene Autry’s Rudolph, and Santa himself, when it comes to signifying this time of year.

The Grinch, on TV, film, and in our imaginations, struts around with this signature pot belly and scowl. He howls “misery” without uttering a single word.

Ranking The NFL’s Grinchiest Fans

Some NFL fans can identify. In addition to the woebegone Lions, the Browns have not delivered a championship to Cleveland since 1964. And, of course, the Jets last won a Super Bowl before man walked on the moon. It’s not lost that they, too, wear green.

As our data shows, losing does not necessarily equate to having the Grinchiest Fans. And while the locals in “Whoville” always found joy no matter the situation, some NFL fans may never find true happiness, no matter how many Super Bowl their teams have won.

NFL Grinchiest Fans

Breaking Down The Nice, Naughty List

It’s not surprising that the Raiders have landed at No. 1 in our survey. The “Silver and Black” once ranked as the winningest franchise in pro sports. But that was so 20^th Century. The Raiders have not won a playoff game in nearly 22 years. Their most-recent postseason victory came in the 2002 season's AFC Championship Game. Two weeks later, they would get wrecked by their former coach, Jon Gruden, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 49-21 in Super Bowl 37.

The Raiders are 20-25 since 2021 (their last playoff season) and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at 2-12. For once, it won’ t be better for them to “Just, Win, Baby” down the stretch. So, naturally, that means they’ll probably win out.

The No. 2 team on our list, Pittsburgh, offers a testament to the cost of great expectations. The Steelers, winners of 6 Super Bowls, have reached the playoffs 4 times since 2020. But their most-recent postseason victory came after the 2016 season. This season, Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers continue to spark ire, despite being in first place in the AFC North.

The Philadelphia Eagles, not surprisingly, round out the top three. Even a Super Bowl 59 victory over the Chiefs this past February cannot satisfy a fanbase that famously booed Santa Claus.

On the other side of “Whoville,” a lack of Grinchness could be a result of apathy, as much as success. The least-Grinchiest fan base belongs to the Carolina Panthers. It’s not like they’ve had much to cheer about in the past 5 seasons. The Panthers, however, do have a shot to win the NFC South.

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