At the other end of our poll is misery \u2014 otherwise known as being a Cleveland Browns fan. The Browns finished last with a 2.7 percent optimism score.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is where optimism goes to die,\u201d one Browns fan responded.<\/p>\n
Check out the results and fan responses below to see where every other team landed between the Rams and Browns.<\/p>\n
1. Los Angeles Rams: 98.7 percent optimism<\/p>\n
Optimist: I will seriously cry if we don’t win the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
Optimist: We are so all in for this year, it is almost mad. And that is hugely exciting. We won’t die wondering, that’s for sure. Although we might lose half of our team next year because we can’t afford to pay them.<\/p>\n
Optimist: The roster is littered with gold jacket guys, and we just re-added the GOAT.<\/p>\n
Pessimist: Games are played on the field, not on paper. Too much hype around the Rams.<\/p>\n
Aaron Donald comes out of retirement to rejoin an ‘all-in’ Rams<\/p>\n
Nate Atkins<\/p>\n
2. Cincinnati Bengals: 96.3 percent optimism<\/p>\n
Optimist: Sexy Dexy, baby! Acquiring a big-time defensive player<\/a> was an uncharacteristic move for Cincy, signaling a focus and emphasis on winning now. I’m cautiously optimistic.<\/p>\n Pessimist: The Bengals luck into a good team every 10 years.<\/p>\n Optimist: Some version of “as long as Joe Burrow is healthy …”<\/p>\n Optimist: Deepest team Burrow has had. Just needs to stay healthy and this team should have Super Bowl aspirations.<\/p>\n Optimist: At some point, the defense has to accidentally be league average, right? They don’t have to be good. Just average. I think they can do it this year.<\/p>\n 3. Denver Broncos: 96.1 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: All the pieces are in place, and the old guard teams (Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore) are starting to get old.<\/p>\n Optimist: A Bo Nix ankle away from the Super Bowl last year. Davis Webb calling plays is exciting. Jaylen Waddle opening up the field. The schedule is brutal, but I think the playoffs are very doable. It\u2019s Super Bowl or bust.<\/p>\n Optimist: Run it back on unfinished business.<\/p>\n Pessimist: The Broncos somehow never felt like a great team all season. As much as I love them, they were one of the most hollow No. 1 seeds I’d ever seen. There’s no way that success is repeatable, so it’s hard to be optimistic at all.<\/p>\n 4. Seattle Seahawks: 94.6 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Don\u2019t expect to win another Super Bowl this year, but I think we\u2019ll be competitive and fun to watch.<\/p>\n Optimist: Super Bowl champs, best front office in the business, defensive savant as HC. I feel good about this season and even better about the next five to seven.<\/p>\n Pessimist: We won it all last year. Absolutely going to regress this year.<\/p>\n Optimist: Rams carry the hype. We quietly get on with winning.<\/p>\n Pessimist: The Rams.<\/p>\n 5. New England Patriots: 94.1 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Drake gave Stafford a run for his money with one of the worst wide receiver rooms in football. He’s going to shine with a better supporting cast, schedule be dammed.<\/p>\n Optimist: AJB + Drake Maye + improved offensive line + all the media selling the team short of what it accomplished in its 10(!)-win turnaround.<\/p>\n Optimist: Pats should’ve kept Kayshon Boutte, but if Brown and Doubs stay healthy, they should provide Maye with plenty of firepower at WR.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Easy schedule last year. Not true this year.<\/p>\n 6. Jacksonville Jaguars: 92.4 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: The culture changed last year. One year under Coen\u2019s leadership will continue to build a more consistent team able to win the close games.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Because the Jags can never be good two years in a row or perform when they\u2019re the hunted instead of the hunter.<\/p>\n Optimist: We won the division and 13 games, and we didn’t even hit our potential until November. Trevor Lawrence is playing at an MVP level now, and our entire coaching staff is elite.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Hit the best possible outcomes in a lot of situations last season, lost key pieces and had a rough draft.<\/p>\n Optimist: DUUUUVALLL!<\/p>\n 7. Baltimore Ravens: 90.8 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: A change of leadership brings new ideas, LJ8 always gets an MVP with a new OC, and I can see them bringing fresh impetus to a championship-caliber squad that has needed it. My confidence is high.<\/p>\n Optimist: Last year was such a disaster \u2014 and we still were a field goal away from winning the division.<\/p>\n Optimist: New w\u00fcnderkind HC and OC, buy-in from the QB and the AFC and NFC South as non-division opponents? All is well in Charm City, baby!<\/p>\n Pessimist: Feels like we had our window with this core and missed it.<\/p>\n Pessimist: There is always a lot of hype, and they rarely deliver.<\/p>\n 8. Houston Texans: 90.5 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: The best defense in the NFL somehow got better. The offense only has to be average. If we somehow don’t win a divisional game again, I’ll eat my hat.<\/p>\n Optimist: The Texans finally have all the ingredients of a Super Bowl team. Stroud and the O-line are question marks, but if they hit, why can\u2019t this team be this year\u2019s Seahawks?<\/p>\n Pessimist: Don’t have faith in C.J. Stroud. He is not our QB for the future, in my opinion.<\/p>\n Optimist: Best defense in the league. A better offensive line. David Montgomery. C.J. just has to be average, but I think he looks more like his rookie year this year.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Don’t trust the offensive coordinator. Defense will again be dominant, but can’t always carry the scoreboard.<\/p>\n \n With A.J. Brown gone, the Eagles offense is likely to rely even more on star running back Saquon Barkley this season. (Stacy Revere \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n 9. Philadelphia Eagles: 89.9 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Without the A.J. distraction<\/a>, I think the offense really bounces back.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Questions regarding what was a pathetic offense last year.<\/p>\n Optimist: The Birds go to the Super Bowl every other year, on even-numbered years. Duh.<\/p>\n Optimist: With LeBron coming to Philly<\/a>, all of our sports teams’ morale will be boosted.<\/p>\n Optimist: Losing A.J. Brown certainly doesn\u2019t help, but I think the offense is going to be way better than last year. I\u2019m hoping Mannion can get it done. Go Birds!<\/p>\n 10. Chicago Bears: 89.1 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Iceman.<\/p>\n Optimist: The Bears have the best head coach\/QB combo in the NFL for the next decade.<\/p>\n Optimist: Exciting team. I can’t blame them for wanting to leave the city for financial reasons<\/a>. I did the same thing.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Lousy defense that’s already injured, led by the most overrated DC in NFL history. Hopefully they’ll score a lot, because, gosh, they’ll need to. Caleb still has to prove it, and once again it’s behind an O-line with big question marks at LT and C.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Caleb is the most overrated player that has ever existed.<\/p>\n 11. Buffalo Bills: 87.1 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Josh Allen + dad strength = Lombardi.<\/p>\n Optimist: Josh Allen. But I am sure the season will end with some controversial call.<\/p>\n Pessimist: I\u2019ve had my soul crushed by this for the last 40 years. I fully expect to knock on the precipice of glory, just to have it ripped away in heartbreaking fashion in the final 13 seconds.<\/p>\n Optimist: Because I hate myself.<\/p>\n Optimist: Wide receiver corps is better. The rest of the offense is good to great. I don\u2019t know if the defensive changes will work, but they\u2019re finally trying to address issues in ways other than just acquiring new personnel. They\u2019re changing the scheme.<\/p>\n Will the Bills surpass the Patriots in the AFC East?<\/p>\n Joe Buscaglia<\/p>\n 12. Detroit Lions: 84 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Call me cautiously optimistic. I think the Lions will fly a bit under the radar and be motivated by the fact that they didn’t make the playoffs last year. I don’t think they have enough defensively to get to the NFC Championship Game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they got there.<\/p>\n Optimist: Despite a tough NFC North, our core is still strong, our offensive coaching can only be better than last year, and “Same Old Lions” are dead and gone.<\/p>\n Pessimist: I know they’re playing an easy schedule, but Cade Mays’ injury will be felt on the O-line, and their defensive backfield is horrible.<\/p>\n Optimist: It’s make-or-break time for Dan Campbell.<\/p>\n Optimist: It\u2019s more fun than being pessimistic.<\/p>\n 13. Kansas City Chiefs: 82.1 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Nobody in the NFL performs at his highest level like Patrick Mahomes does when he’s being publicly doubted.<\/p>\n Pessimist: I’m not sold they learned and changed enough from their 6-11 campaign, thinking that was just a fluke and that they’ll be able to flip the championship switch. The WR room is a joke, and I’m not confident Reid will put Mahomes under center enough to take full advantage of Kenneth Walker. On D, they basically have to hope Delane is every bit as good as Trent McDuffie right out of the gate. A tall ask.<\/p>\n Optimist: We have something to prove.<\/p>\n Optimist: Healthy Mahomes with a legit RB in K9 is going to change this stagnant offense!<\/p>\n Pessimist: They\u2019re aging. Lots of injuries last season.<\/p>\n 14. New York Giants: 81.3 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: Harbaugh!!!<\/p>\n Optimist: At this point I’m optimistic solely about the prospect of the Giants fielding a competent football team. The last few seasons have felt like we’ve been a MAC school competing in the SEC. I’m hoping to see an actual professional football team and ideally be competitive enough to be around .500. There are no expectations of making the playoffs. Just not being an embarrassment will go a long way for Giants fans.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Need to see the team stay out of the blue tent<\/a>. Think our starters are good enough to make the playoffs, but they might all be made of glass.<\/p>\n Pessimist: There\u2019s been so much fluff about Harbaugh this summer that it seems like the media and fan base have forgotten how thin the roster is. They\u2019ll be lucky to win five games.<\/p>\n Optimist: Young blood on both sides of the ball and a coach who demands accountability.<\/p>\n 15. Dallas Cowboys: 81.2 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: An offseason that saw organized, thoughtful change. Not drama-filled nonsense.<\/p>\n Optimist: Rightly focused on improving defense. Not confident they are back until they win a playoff game, but they made substantial progress.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Because every year they are hyped up and disappoint. Until Jerry is gone, I can\u2019t get excited.<\/p>\n Optimist: Drinking the Jerry Kool-Aid heavily this year. Maybe the delusion has finally gotten to me, but after watching this team for 20 years, all I have left is delusion.<\/p>\n Pessimist: QB1 doesn’t win the big games.<\/p>\n 16. Los Angeles Chargers: 77 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: It’s hard not to be overly excited about the new McDaniel-Herbert duo. I am really concerned about the shoes Chris O’Leary has to fill. At the end of the day, though, we have Jim Harbaugh at the helm, and that’s enough to give me hope.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Yet again, we lose a key offensive lineman before he plays a snap in the regular season. We are doomed to repeat our past like it\u2019s a sick and twisted Groundhog Day.<\/p>\n Optimist: I have the memory of a goldfish. I\u2019m ready to get hurt again.<\/p>\n Pessimist: Feeling the Sword of Damocles above your head when things appear to be fine is a constant state of being a Chargers fan.<\/p>\n \n Jordan Love and the Packers are riding into the 2026 season with high expectations. (John Fisher \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n 17. Green Bay Packers: 76.9 percent optimism<\/p>\n Optimist: One of the top QBs in the league. Micah coming back in October should enable the Packers to be a top-10-to-12 defense once he returns.<\/p>\n Optimist: Positions look good going into this season. Parsons will be back, as well as Kraft. Good receivers. Rookie kicker looks good, and I\u2019m hopeful he\u2019s strong in the cold.<\/p>\n Optimist: Name a year when you’re not optimistic about the Packers.<\/p>\n Pessimist: We’ve built a perpetual 9-11 win team. Not enough potential to win a Super Bowl, but enough gaps for the bottom to fall out if things go wrong.<\/p>\n 18. San Francisco 49ers: 76.8 percent optimism\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2248459293-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2292182673-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2288867788-scaled-e1788628484188.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n