New Poll Shows Why Cowboys Fans Are Most Annoying in the NFL

Few things can get fans of fierce NFL division rivals on the same page. That's especially true in the NFC East, where it sometimes feels like fans are cheering against their rivals as much as they're cheering for their own teams. But one thing can easily reunite three of the four teams in the division: hating the Dallas Cowboys.

It's not only the organization and the ridiculous media coverage that makes Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Washington Commanders feel so strongly about the Cowboys either — it's also the fans. And the latest NFL fan poll from The Athletic highlights one of the key reasons Cowboys fans get on their rivals' nerves so much.

The Cowboys, as much as we hate to admit it, are at least a mid-tier Super Bowl contender this season. According to the betting markets on FanDuel Sportsbook, they are tied for the ninth-best odds to win the Super Bowl in 2024. Their +1800 odds aren't all that far behind even the fifth-placed Eagles (+1300). Beyond the heavily favored Kansas City Chiefs (+550) and San Francisco 49ers (+600), it's a pretty wide-open race.

But Cowboys fans come in as the third-least optimistic fanbase in the NFL. It's not possible to roll your eyes hard enough.

A fanbase being over-confident is annoying, but fans lamenting as if their team is one of the worst in the league while they're still finding success is just extra grating. It's annoying to have to acknowledge that the Cowboys aren't that bad. At least Giants fans have a real reason to be so pessimistic.

Even worse? You know this sentiment will completely flip if the Cowboys win a few games. Matchups with the Giants, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Pittsburgh Steelers coming within the first five weeks of the season positions the Cowboys decently to get off to a hot start. Even if they lose to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, Dallas really doesn't have a hard road to starting 4-1.

And you can see from a mile away that if Dallas starts 4-1, their fans are suddenly going to act like they're the best team in the NFL. Nothing will have actually changed with the team, they'll simply have won games that a playoff contender should be winning, but the sentiment will magically switch from "the sky is falling" to "this is the Cowboys' year." And it won't just be the fans — the media will follow suit.

The biggest saving grace for Eagles fans is that they're going to win the NFC East in 2024. Philly is a sizable -140 to win the division, while the Cowboys are a distant second at +175, the Commanders are third at +1100 and the Giants are fourth at +1600.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.