Playoff Rooting Interests

Pesky Pole

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Jul 31, 2001
2,468
Phoenixville, PA
With the Patriots off-season underway already, the playoffs are always tougher with no clear rooting interests. Yes, cheering for the underdogs is always a good choice but I’m wondering who the rest of SOSH is rooting for (or rooting against). This isn’t a thread for who you think will win but rather who you want to win (and lose).

For me, I’ll root for Buffalo and against the Ratbirds and Chiefs. The Bills are basically the Red Sox pre-2014 and Hamlin adds to the story this year. The only downside here is having to listen to the weekly Nantz-gasm. The Ratbird hate is pretty self explanatory and I’m still not over the Chiefs and the losers that team has employed (Frank Clark, Kareem Hunt, Tyreek, Andy’s kid). I know they are mostly gone but my hatred remains. They also lucked into home field.

In the NFC, I’ll root for the Vikings and the 49ers. The Vikes are the Bills of the NFC and the Purdy story would also be great to see. For against, I’ll say the Eagles. Living in the Philly area, there is no more insufferable fan base so I just don’t want to hear it for 12 months. I’d add the Cowboys but they will take of losing on their own without my negative mojo.

I ask the rest of SOSH, who do you like and why?
 

Red Averages

owes you $50
SoSH Member
Apr 20, 2003
9,058
Replay week 18, have Seattle lose, so Detroit can become everyone’s playoff binky.

AFC: Bengals
NFC: Bucs

But really I’d just like entertaining games each week.
 

Jungleland

Member
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Aug 2, 2009
2,351
Niners and Bolts. Herbert is my favorite active QB, and as much as I think they don't come close to deserving to win it all this year, the Chargers have a fun roster and I would love to see them get hot right now.

I've kind of liked Buffalo all year, but it will make the Patriot suckage suck a little less if the Bills and fins get booted before the SB. Not sure I'd be rooting for them over KC right now.
 

Marbleheader

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Sep 27, 2004
11,726
Non Pats playoffs are more about rooting against certain teams than actively rooting for a team. In order of preference :

Wouldn't mind if they won :
Bengals
49ers
Bucs
Vikings

Meh:
Bills
Chargers
Jaguars
Seahawks

Rooting against :
Dolphins
Cowboys
Eagles
Giants
Ravens
Chiefs
 

Al Zarilla

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
58,909
San Andreas Fault
49ers, and what a great second team to have back through the Montana, Young, etc. days, and now. They even added Christian McCaffery this year, whom I started following back in his Stanford days. Hopefully they can make up for that very disappointing SB loss to the chiefs.

Oh yeah, Tommy. I have no idea how far the Bucs could get.
 
Last edited:

8slim

has trust issues
SoSH Member
Nov 6, 2001
24,839
Unreal America
I tend to pull for teams that my good friends like, so they can have some joy. I have a lot of Bills fan friends. A guy who works for me is a Chargers season ticket holder. The exception is the Giants — I know lots of fans but they can kick rocks, for obvious reasons.

Ultimately I’m not pulling too hard for anyone.
 

Mugsy's Jock

Eli apologist
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Dec 28, 2000
15,069
UWS, NYC
It’s incredible to me that some of the teams I’ve hated the most over the last 25 years — Steelers, Giants, Bills, Eagles — I kind of like/respect this year.

I like the Bengals the most, Niners next. Would never root against TB12. Lot of Seattle fan friends in my life too. But my favorite team is whoever’s playing the Chiefs. I hate that team and their particularly contemptible fans.
 

bernardsamuel

Member
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Jan 4, 2006
195
Denver, only physically
At the most "micro" level, in the absence of a specific team-rooting interest, I root that the game I am watching will go into overtime, just because I enjoy watching football. Moving up from that micro level, I follow Pesky's Pole comment above regarding rooting for the underdog. Continuing up the chain, that takes me to listing teams I am rooting against, beginning with the Giants due to historical Super-Bowl circumstances. The Ravens also come to mind, but I've softened somewhat since our retirement to Baltimore ten years ago, i.e. I can do without seeing "long faces" in Shul (nonetheless, eff the Ravens, but not in a loud manner disrespectful to the locals). The Dolphins also would have come to mind, but honestly I thoroughly enjoy the presence and commentary of the Dolphins fan-contingent in our SoSH midst - in fact, meeting them in person (and also, the Jets contingent) would be an item on my bucket list. Moving up the chain further, I would root in favor of Patriots alumni, such as Brady, Garoppolo, and maybe even Pete Carroll. Then, I'd be rooting for teams for which any of my close friends would be cheering on; with the set of teams in this year's post-season, only the Vikings fall into that category. Putting it all together as regards this post-season, I'd be most delighted with a Super Bowl match of either the Jags (underdog) or the Dolphins (underdog and SoSH-based fans) against either the Bucs (underdog plus Brady) or the 49'ers (Jimmy G.) or the Vikings (my good friend's rooting interest). One side note: I hope that the Bills don't suck in the playoffs, as I'd rather not have the thought rummaging through my brain that we really should have beaten them in our final game.
 

54thMA

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 15, 2012
10,154
Westwood MA
AFC
Bengals-Their fans have suffered long enough, likeable team, some great skill players who are exciting to watch.
Chargers-Love their uniform, those air Coryell teams of the 1980's should have won a SB or two.
Rest of AFC-Could give two shits.

NFC
Vikings-Was a fan of the Purple People Eaters of the late 1960's-mid 1970's, 0-4 in the SB and none of them were close.
49ers-I like their style, the way they play defense, a strong winning tradition.
Cowboys-Pulled for them in the Super Bowls of the 70s vs Miami, Pittsburg twice and Denver, that 90's team was a wagon.
Rest of the NFC-Could really give two shits.
 

deythur

New Member
Replay week 18, have Seattle lose, so Detroit can become everyone’s playoff binky.

AFC: Bengals
NFC: Bucs

But really I’d just like entertaining games each week.
This is me as well, including Detroit.

I really like Burrow and have reasons not to want every other team in the AFC.
It will be Tom until he's done for me if the Patriots are out. I wouldn't mind the Niners with Purdy if it cant be Tom.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,622
Pure rooting

Bucs
Giants
Bengals

……
Teams I like a little
9ers
Bills
Chiefs
Vikes
Ravens
Seahawks


Teams I don’t care about

Cowboys
Eagles
Jags
Bolts
Fish
 

SoxFanInPdx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
3,246
Portland, OR
Bengals and Chargers I have a soft spot for.

Can’t stand the Niners the most. My father is a Rams fan and it’s in my blood to strongly dislike them.
 

hube

New Member
Apr 4, 2010
230
When I first realized I liked football it was because of the Montana 49ers. The rivalry with the Cowboys juggernaut in the 90s sucked me in as a fan of the sport for good. That victory over the Chargers remains one of the most dominant ass kickings in my memory. They’ll always be my NFC favorite and my B team in place of the Pats even if it came through front running fandom.

I bear no ill will toward the Eagles. Of every SB loss, it’s never bothered me past the immediate moment it ended. I have a couple of Eagle fan friends that I actually like. They deserve to be happy.

The Vikings and Seahawks fall into the same bucket. I feel like I don’t hate the Giants as much as I should, but no Eli and no Coughlin makes it a lot easier.

Jerry Jones deserves nothing but a first round exit. In real life? Much worse, but let’s stick to sports.

I will absolutely root against Tom Brady because I burn with envious rage. Not this weekend.

Every AFC team but the Bills and Bengals, who have genuinely likable teams and solid fanbases, can get sucked into a sinkhole at midfield. Especially the Dolphins and Ravens. I really hate the Chiefs, as great as Mahomes is. I suppose I’m indifferent toward the current iterations of the Jags and Chargers. Let them hammer it out on a neutral field.
 

koufax32

He'll cry if he wants to...
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2006
9,092
Duval
Only teams I’m actively cheering against in order:
Philly, for personal vendetta reasons
Miami, because
Baltimore, beca
New York, still bitter

Teams that I’d be happy for their fan base if they won:
Buffalo
Cincy
Jacksonville
Minnesota

Nostalgia team interest:
San Fran

Teams I’m indifferent toward and wouldn’t care if they won:
Tampa Bay
LAC
Kansas City
Seattle
Dallas
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,567
Bengals (what 54 said)



Chargers (what 54 said)


Jaguars (one team town, nice uniforms)



Cowboys (90’s legacy)
49ers (80’s legacy)


Seahawks (I actually like Pete and for wibi)



Vikings (would be nice for Bills to be only 0-4 team but don’t like them)



Chiefs (they’re fun to watch tbh and no longer have Tyreek)


Bucs (only because I have Brady RC’s)

Bills


Meteor
Eagles


Giants
Ratbirds


Dolphins
 

Koufax

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Jul 15, 2005
5,936
Bills - I was a season ticket holder for a few years
Bucs - Brady

If they faced each other - Bills
 

timelysarcasm

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Jul 23, 2010
1,362
Los Angeles by way of Roxbury
Anyone but Bills (AFCE) and Chiefs (loathsome fans, quash the "dynasty" talk). Not really counting teams I hate that I believe have no chance - Ravens, Dolphins.

I like seeing the Bengals win - long suffering fans and one of the few non-billionaire owners.
Will always root for Tom.
 

streeter88

Member
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Apr 2, 2006
1,807
Melbourne, Australia
I liked one of the first posts by @Marbleheader, so I will imitate it with a twist:

Wouldn't mind if they won:
Bengals - deserving after much suffering
49ers - used to live there; respect the tradition, professional and usually classy - also Purdy is a great story
Vikings - deserving after much suffering; Cousins and Jefferson
Chargers - another franchise that is long suffering, really I am agnostic but would like to see Justin Herbert take the next step

Whatever:
Bucs - Tom only; the rest can take or leave them
Jaguars - plucky this year; long suffering team
Seahawks - good team; overachieved this year; hope they keep it going
Bills - I find their Boston billboard takeover stunts and their head coach coach insufferable. But the story line of win it for Damar is a good cause

Rooting against:
Cowboys - enjoy seeing them fail and flail
Dolphins - too much bad history

White hot hatred; fire them into the sun:
Ravens - because Harbaugh
Eagles - "Fly Eagles Fly" makes me want to hurl; 52.
Chiefs - bunch of bad actors; Kermit's entourage, Kelce
Giants - 42 and 46. That is all.
 

SMU_Sox

queer eye for the next pats guy
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2009
8,878
Dallas
My dream matchup is Eagles Chiefs as I love the Eagles and also Andy Reid and Mahomes. In general though I like respect and like good teams and players. I like the Bills but find them so frustrating because they tend to have their best games against the Patriots. That and for non-football reasons I don’t like Josh Allen. I’d like to see 49ers Bengals too because I think it would be a very good game.
A mix of Eagles, 49ers, Cowboys vs Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals is my preference because all 6 of those teams vs each other make for a compelling and intriguing SB.
 

candylandriots

unkempt
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Mar 30, 2004
12,327
Berlin
49ers - my team
Bills - my dad’s team. If he hadn’t died last January, that AFC Championship with the Chiefs would have done it. Sorry he never got to see them win one, but I’ll be pulling for them.
 

Boston Brawler

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Jan 17, 2011
9,757
Rooting for: Vikings, Bucs, Cincy.
Neutral: Jags, Seahawks, Chargers, Bills, San Fran.
Rooting against: Cowboys, Dolphins, Chiefs.
Actively hate: Giants, Ravens, Eagles.
 

CantKeepmedown

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SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
2,581
Portland, ME
Anyone but the Chiefs for me. Bucs would be my first choice but not a lot of hope there. Cincy and SF would be my hope for a SB

Two of my best friends are Bills and Eagles fans. So if either of those teams get to the end, I wouldn't hate it.
 

Archer1979

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Jul 18, 2005
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Right Here
I get the 49er's love due to the Jimmy G. connection, but... a SB win would have them tied with NE and Pittsburgh for the over all number of titles. So. as much as I would like San Fran to win, the number of titles thing is a disqualification.

I've got a friend whose son is on the practice squad for Minnesota. So, I'm going with the Vikings although I will never root agaist Tom Brady.

On the AFC side, as mentioned before, it's more rooting against than rooting for. By default, I'm going to go with the Bengals probably since they seem to be the least offensive to me.
 

Jim Ed Rice in HOF

Red-headed Skrub child
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2005
8,260
Seacoast NH
More so the NFL than any other sport, I don't really have a team I actively root for outside of the hometown team. I guess it's easier to eliminate the teams and/or fan bases that I don't like:
Bills
Dolphins
Cowboys
Eagles
Giants
Ravens
Chiefs

The good news is the teams that I'll be rooting for by default aren't the worst of the bunch so there's a chance of avoiding one of the above teams winning the Super Bowl. Gun to my head I think I'd most enjoy seeing a Cincy/Vikings match up. Those two fan bases haven't had a lot of joy in a while.
 

cournoyer

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Dec 11, 2012
515
Enfield, Connecticut
I tend to pull for teams that my good friends like, so they can have some joy. I have a lot of Bills fan friends. A guy who works for me is a Chargers season ticket holder. The exception is the Giants — I know lots of fans but they can kick rocks, for obvious reasons.

Ultimately I’m not pulling too hard for anyone.
It's funny, I really wish I had that outlook. My best friend is a Bills fan and I'd love for him to be let down again. My brother-in-law is a Bengals fan and a Pats hater. Maybe if I was a Jaguars fan I'd be thinking that way but 20 years of friends and family openly rooting against the Pats has probably skewed my fandom empathy.

That being said, I'm pretty much rooting for the underdogs and watching some competitive games. Wouldn't mind seeing the 49ers make a run, that'd be a great story.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
24,388
There's nobody out there that I *WANT* to see win it all this year, only teams - to varying degrees - that I wouldn't hate if they won.

I kind of like the Chargers and Bengals. I've got a good friend on Jacksonville, so of course I'm rooting for him. And I'll always be happy to see Brady be successful.
 

Traut

lost his degree
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Jul 20, 2005
12,750
My Desk
I will root against the Chiefs. That stupid Tomahawk Chop coupled with a generally garbage organization and trash fan base makes them hard to root for.

In the AFC - I root for the Bengals. They have sucked basically forever. Joe Burrow is fun to watch. And they aren't the Chiefs.

The Bills would be a nice story if the fan base wasn't so obnoxious. The Bills Mafia thing isn't my bag. I'm not sad if they won. I'm just not pulling for them unless they face the Chiefs. I don't think any of the other AFC teams have any chance here.

In the NFC, Eagles fans are basically Bills Mafia but comprised of people from Philly. Philly sports fans make Yankee fans look civilized. Pass on them. Also fuck them for beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl with Nick Foles.

The Vikings would be a nice story. In terms of heart break their pain exceeds that of Bills fans. And Minnesotans are a nice lot. I will root for them. I do not think they can win but I would be happy if they did.

Watching Tom Brady win again - sign me up for that. I will also root for the Bucs.
 

Ralphwiggum

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2012
9,827
Needham, MA
Bucs, Tom.
QFT.

Adding a little bit of color:

Rooting For:
Bucs: Tom
Bengals: Long suffering fans, no hint of a rivalry with the Pats

Wouldn't Mind:
Vikings: Used to live in Minnesota, long suffering fans, Jefferson is fucking awesome
Chargers: Never won a SB
Jags: nondescript team with little history, never played in a SB
9ers: Purdy would be a good story, always liked the Montana/Young 9ers
Seahawks: Good comeback story, you have to like Geno, Russell Wilson seems like a dick and it would be kind of fitting if they won it after he bolted

White Hot Hatred, Never in a Million Years:
Cowboys: obvious
Giants: obvious
Eagles: 52, worst fans in the league outside of Raider fans
Ravens: obvious
Chiefs: Fans almost as bad as Eagles (Chiefs Planet is the NFL message board equivalent of 4chan), tomahawk chop
Dolphins: Can't ever root for them in anything ever, plus the added bonus of piece of shit Tyreek
Bills: McDermott is an asshole, Bills Mafia shit is dumb, but mostly just won't root for division rival
 

Bergs

funky and cold
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2005
21,627
AFC:
I am a massive Joe Burrow fan, and have been since he was 15 or 16. So Bengals.

Everyone else can fuck off, especially the 'Fins, Ravens, and Chiefs.

NFC:
TB12
Minn

Everyone else can fuck off, especially the Cowboys, the Giants, and the Eagles.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,388
Rooting for the Bengals also means rooting for Joe "I punched a woman" Mixon, just remember, since SOSH often discusses such cases.
 

dcdrew10

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
1,397
Washington, DC via Worcester
There are only three possibilities for teams I would root for:
  • Buffalo
    • Pro - so close, so many times, batshit crazy fanbase, good story with Hamlin, smart roster construction/drafting, and I, for the most part, like McDermott
    • Con - Division rivals, batshit crazy fanbase
  • Cincinnati
    • Pro - Long suffering fanbase, Burrow seems to be the real deal and not a total piece of crap
    • Con - team history with shitty people, Burrow played at Ohio State, the Bengals love OSU players, Mike Brown, Mike Brown, and Mike Brown.
  • San Francisco
    • Pro - Different conference than the Pats. I was a fan in the 1980s and early 90s; as a young WR I LOVED Jerry Rice, John Taylor, and Roger Craig (while not a WR, an great receiving RB). Joe Montana and Steve Young, etc. Jimmy G seems snake bitten, but nice. Purdy is a good story.
    • Con - bandwagon express, shitty stadium construction safety and nearly (or more than, if you count interest) a $1 billion in taxpayer costs for it.
I think I would have to go with the 49ers.
 

DanoooME

above replacement level
SoSH Member
Mar 16, 2008
19,831
Henderson, NV
Actively rooting against: 49ers, Cowboys, Dolphins
Indifferent to: Ravens, Vikings, Giants, Bucs, Chiefs
Ok with: Eagles, Bengals, Jags, Bills, Chargers
Actively rooting for: Seahawks
 

Cotillion

New Member
Jun 11, 2019
4,926
QFT.

Adding a little bit of color:

Rooting For:
Bucs: Tom
Bengals: Long suffering fans, no hint of a rivalry with the Pats

Wouldn't Mind:
Vikings: Used to live in Minnesota, long suffering fans, Jefferson is fucking awesome
Chargers: Never won a SB
Jags: nondescript team with little history, never played in a SB
9ers: Purdy would be a good story, always liked the Montana/Young 9ers
Seahawks: Good comeback story, you have to like Geno, Russell Wilson seems like a dick and it would be kind of fitting if they won it after he bolted

White Hot Hatred, Never in a Million Years:
Cowboys: obvious
Giants: obvious
Eagles: 52, worst fans in the league outside of Raider fans
Ravens: obvious
Chiefs: Fans almost as bad as Eagles (Chiefs Planet is the NFL message board equivalent of 4chan), tomahawk chop
Dolphins: Can't ever root for them in anything ever, plus the added bonus of piece of shit Tyreek
Bills: McDermott is an asshole, Bills Mafia shit is dumb, but mostly just won't root for division rival
I think this is pretty much mine.

I might move 49ers and Seahawks into a new "prefer not to win, but would definitely be better than any of the ones below it".