Fan Attendance: Which NFL Teams Had the Most Fans in 2022?
With the COVID-19 pandemic starting to move into the rearview mirror, the 2022 NFL season felt like the first normal season in a few years. The NFL fan attendance numbers this season certainly reflect that, with fans finally feeling comfortable returning to stadiums in large numbers. But what teams excelled the most when it came to fans buying NFL tickets and filling stadiums? Let’s take a look at what NFL teams brought in the most fans during the 2022 season.
Total Attendance
In terms of total attendance, the Dallas Cowboys were the clear winners of the 2022 NFL season, and it was by far. That shouldn’t be surprising because the Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium, one of the most spectacular venues in pro sports. The Cowboys also put together an impressive season despite losing Dak Prescott for a few games early in the season. Those factors helped the Cowboys amass a total of 841,191 fans across their nine home games.
The Cowboys completely blew away the competition in total attendance. The division-rival Giants finished the season second in total attendance with 688,266 fans, which is more than 150,000 fans fewer than those who attended Cowboys’ games in 2022. Even with AT&T Stadium having a capacity that can expand to 105,000 fans, that’s a huge gap between the top two teams in terms of attendance. Rounding out the top five teams in attendance were the Packers, Rams, and 49ers. While the Packers and Rams both failed to make the playoffs, with Green Bay having a loyal and dedicated fanbase and the Rams being the reigning Super Bowl champions, it’s not surprising to see those teams near the top in attendance.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Bengals had the fewest fans this season, although that was because they only had seven home games. The Raiders attracted the second-fewest fans despite playing in one of the NFL’s newest stadiums. Finally, the Commanders had the third-fewest fans at their home games in 2022 despite having nine home games. That means Washington had fewer fans this season than almost every team that played one less home game than the Commanders did.
Best Average
Needless to say, the Cowboys led the NFL in both total 2022 fan attendance and average attendance per game. Again, the size of their stadium helps make that happen. However, the fact that the Cowboys managed to keep AT&T Stadium close to its maximum capacity week after week says a lot. The team attracted an average of 93,465 fans per game, meaning AT&T Stadium needed to use its expanded capacity most weeks.
The average Dallas attendance was more than 15,000 fans, more than the second-highest average, which belonged to the Jets. Despite the Jets finishing last in the AFC East and going 3-5 at home, they were a little better than most people expected. That helped the Jets to bring an average of 78,009 fans to MetLife Stadium in their eight home games. The Giants, who also play at MetLife Stadium, were a close third in average attendance. Meanwhile, the Packers and Broncos rounded out the top five with regard to average home attendance. In the end, the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Packers, and Broncos were the only five teams to average more than 75,000 fans per game.
Capacity Kings
Of course, there is more than one way to measure attendance than the total number of fans. After all, teams can only allow as many fans into the stadium as they can fit. That’s why the number of sellouts and the total capacity filled says a lot about how a team stacks up in terms of attendance. In that sense, the 49ers were the attendance kings in 2022, reaching 104.6% capacity for their home games. That tends to happen when you finish the regular season with a 10-game winning streak.
But the 49ers weren’t the only team to reach or surpass full capacity. In fact, there were 12 teams that got to 100% capacity or higher in 2022. Close behind the 49ers were the Colts, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Rams, rounding out the top five in total capacity. Also, the Bengals, Chiefs, Vikings, Seahawks, Browns, Patriots, and Eagles also sold out every game or went beyond their total capacity for the entire season. Also, the Broncos, Ravens, and Titans were all at 99% or higher, meaning 15 of 32 NFL teams hit 99% of their total attendance capacity or greater during the regular season.
Biggest Road Draw
It’s worth noting that home teams shouldn’t get all of the credit for attracting a large contingent of fans. The away team deserves a little credit too. After all, some teams bring fans from their home city on the road with them, while others tend to attract big crowds wherever they go for one reason or another. During the 2022 season, the Bengals attracted the most road fans, with 645,660 fans at their nine road games. The Broncos and Colts weren’t far behind with regard to attracting fans while on the road.
However, with teams no longer playing an equal number of home and road games, the teams that played nine games on the road have the advantage in that area. When it came to average attendance, the Bears led the league in road attendance, playing in front of an average of 74,107 fans while away from home. The Lions, Buccaneers, Bengals, and Broncos round out the top five in that category.