From Panthers to Eagles: A Full Roster of NFL Teams with Animal Names
Discover the 15 NFL Teams With Animal Names, Their Origins, and How They’ve Dominated the Jungle of Football
Animal Kingdom of the NFL
NFL teams with animal names are certainly not uncommon. Seven of the 16 teams in the American Football Conference (including the Bills of Buffalo) salute the four-legged, the swimming, or the flying, while eight clubs in the National Football League (NFC) do the same.
That’s just about half of the 32-team league.
Nicknames of these teams in any number of ways, with fans’ submissions leading the way.
Some are paying homage to the city the team represents (gold rush of California morphing in the San Francisco 49ers, steel mills of western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Steelers, legend of the Norsemen and Norse culture turning into the Minnesota Vikings, Saints came marching into New Orleans, etc.), others were originally sponsored (Green Bay Packers were originally backed by the Indian Packing Company).
One was even named to honor the founder (Paul Brown) of the team in Cleveland.
Then, there are the creatures of the menagerie.
Here’s some info about the “animal magnetism” of nicknames in the National Football League….
What NFL Team Has An Animal Name?
NFL team names with animals number 15 of 32. Counting the Bills and their buffalo on the helmet, there are (AFC) Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins (seven)
In the NFC, there are the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks (eight).
How Many NFL Teams Are Named After Animals?
As was mentioned, 15 NFL teams with animal names, are just under half of the 32-team total.
…and wouldn’t it be unique to reshuffle the teams to place the “animal kingdom” together in certain divisions? Difference in time zones makes that an impractical wish, but it’d be fun.
As the league is currently aligned, it’s the NFC West with three “animal” teams (Cardinals, Rams, and Seahawks) to lead in that category.
What Football Team is Named for an Animal?
It’s a jungle out there, especially in the National Football League.
There are toothy Lions in Detroit, Panthers in Charlotte (Carolina), Bears in Chicago, Bengals in Cincinnati, and Jaguars in Jacksonville.
There are also flying predators in Arizona (Cardinals), Atlanta (Falcons), Baltimore (Ravens) Philadelphia (Eagles) Seattle (Seahawks).
Add in horsies of Denver (Broncos) and Indianapolis (Colts), bison of western New York (Buffalo Bills), male sheep of southern California (Los Angeles Rams) plus the aquatic mammal of Miami (Dolphins) and you have quite the zoo.
By the way, Denver and the Broncos are leading the “beastly” competition with three Super Bowl titles (though the first 58 games). The Colts, Dolphins, Rams, and Ravens each have two wins. “Animal acts” have met a few times in the title game, as the Colts beat the Bears after the 2006 season, the Seahawks defeated the Broncos (after the 2013 season), the Broncos disposed of the Panthers (after the 2015 season) and the Rams edged the Bengals after the 2021 season.
Any Final Thoughts?
Nicknames of pro sports teams (animal, vegetable, or mineral) all come with backstories, and each NFL team’s fan base tends to embrace these monikers. Of course, they no doubt enjoy them better if the bettor is winning, especially when he/she is wagering through BetUS.com.pa.
