At #3 in FanWide’s Top NFL teams ranking is the New England Patriots. The Patriots have been the epitome of success for the better-part of the 21st century. Recently, the Patriots, otherwise known as the Pats, have had an incredibly high success rate. In this decade the patriots have a regular-season winning percentage of 74%. What New England has done is unlike anything else in sports. The New England Patriots were the laughing stock in the NFL in the 1980s, but quite a lot has changed. The Pats have created a dynasty like no other in which a playoff win seems to be guaranteed every year along with a Super Bowl appearance. The reason for the Patriots’ recent success is because of the brilliance of head coach Bill Belichick, the magnificence of future-hall-of-famer Tom Brady, and caring owner in Robert Kraft. Many may hate the Patriots for their cheating allegations, but no person can take away the dominance and greatness from the Patriots in the 21st century. Tom Brady is still going strong at 41 years old, along with the Patriots’ chances of winning.
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Here’s the list of teams which have been announced so far:
10. Seattle Seahawks
Teams were evaluated in 12 different categories (visit this blog post to see the methodology). The Patriots graded out as follows:
| Category | Count | NFL Rank |
| FanWide Fan Clubs | 250 | 9 |
| Total Social Media Followers (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter in millions) | 14.830 | 1 |
| Forbes Value (in billion) | 3.8 | 2 |
| Nationally televised games (2018) | 8 | 4 |
| Playoff Wins (past 10 years) | 16 | 1 |
| Playoff Wins (all time) | 37 | 1 |
| Super Bowl Wins (past 10 years) | 3 | 1 |
| Super Bowl Wins (all time) | 6 | 1 (tie) |
| All-Stars (past 10 years) | 21 | 10 (tie) |
| Hall of Famers | 9 | 24 (tie) |
| Average Attendance (2018) | 65,878 | 18 |
| Average Attendance Percentage (2018) | 100.0 | 10 |
Number of FanWide fan clubs: 250 (9)
The Pats have 250 fan clubs listed with FanWide the world’s top fan club network, making them the 9th largest fan club network. If you want to start your own Patriots fan club, please contact FanWide today.
Total Social Media Followers (in millions): 14.830 (1)
The Patriots rank at number 1 in aggregate social media followers with 3,800,000 followers on Instagram, 6,730,000 followers on Facebook, and 4,500,000 followers on Twitter. NFL franchises have started to use social media as a platform to build connections with their fans and increase fan interest.
FanWide adds the number of followers each NFL team has on their Instagram and Twitter page, and the number of likes each team has on Facebook, as a way to determine how popular each NFL team is.
Forbes value (billion): 3.8 (2)
The value of the New England Patriots is estimated to be 3.8 billion dollars, which is ranked 2nd in the NFL. The value of each NFL team is based off of multiple factors such as stadium value, revenue and operating income from the 2017 season and revenue from non-NFL events, such as concerts if the team also operates the stadium.
Nationally televised games (2018): 8 (4)
Nationally televised Games are decided based off of the team’s success in the preceding season, the popularity of the team. Generally, nationally televised games tend to favor the “big markets”. Despite being from a smaller city the Pats had 8 nationally televised games last year, which gave them a rank of 4.
Number of playoff wins (past 10 years): 16 (1)
The Pats rank 1st with 16 playoff wins in the last decade due to the greatness of players like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Randy Moss. Although teams may put a bullseye on the Patriots’ back, the Patriots have not backed down and average at least one playoff win per season the past ten years.
Number of playoff wins (all time): 37 (1)
The Patriots rank 1st in number of playoff wins all time. The playoff success of a certain team is integral in a boost in fan popularity, especially historically. The success of the Pats in the 21st century and the late ‘90s is a large part of the Patriots ranking 3rd on our list of top NFL teams.
Super Bowl Wins (past 10 years): 3 (1)
A lot of people like being a part of a fan base that roots for a team that seems to make an appearance in the Super Bowl every year in recent memory. The Patriots have gained many fans because they know that they will be watching the Pats every year in January. Watching greatness is something many fans are eager to be a part of. The Pats have won 3 Super Bowls the past 10 years and have appeared in 5 Super Bowls.
Super Bowl Wins (all time): 6 (1)
The Pats are ranked 6th in Super Bowl wins all time. Considering the Super Bowl was established 53 years ago, Super Bowl wins are vital when analyzing a team’s value and fan base. They increase a team’s exposure, engaging fans worldwide.The Patriots have won the Lombardi Trophy six times. The Patriots won the Super Bowl in the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and the 2019 season. This emphasizes how successful the Pats have been the past twenty years.
Number of All Stars (past 10 years): 21 (10 – tie)
The Patriots have had a pretty good amount of superstars during their winning seasons.The Pats ultimate superstars, include Tom Brady, Ty Law, and Vince Wilfork. The Patriots do not have many opportunities to play in the Pro Bowl, because they usually are in preparation for the Super Bowl. The Pats scary determination creates a standard of excellence in New England
Hall of Famers: 9 (24 – tie)
The Pats are ranked 24th in the NFL with Hall of Famers. Hall of Famers represent an NFL team’s success on and off the field throughout a franchise’s history. Similar to All-Star players, Hall of Famers carried their respected team towards victory and also increased the amount of fan interest demonstrated on any particular team. This metric for the Patriots will increase within the next ten years due to many Patriots’ greats retiring including Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
Average Attendance (2018): 65,878 (18)
The Patriots ranked 18th in average attendance per NFL team last season. Team popularity is often correlated to teams with “big markets”. Generally the teams that are in the “big markets” play in the largest stadiums. Even Though the Patriots are not a substantially big market, their average home attendance percentage is always 100% because losing never occurs in New England
Average Attendance Percentage (2018): 100.0% (10)
The Pats ranked 10th in average home capacity percentage last season. Although the size of the stadium affects the amount of fans a stadium can seat, another way FanWide takes attendance into the ranking is the percentage of a stadium filled.
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