The Cleveland Browns have experienced their fair share of heartbreak over the franchise’s history.
Off the field, Cleveland’s fanbase knows disappointment as they lost their franchise to Baltimore in 1995, a move that made the late Art Modell a villainous figure for most Browns fans.
On the field, countless games have ended in late comebacks from the opposition, including gut-wrenching losses in playoff games.
It’s little wonder that Cleveland’s fans are among the most heartbroken in the NFL.
Yet a recent study revealed that the Browns’ fanbase is not the most tortured.
Cleveland ranked as the sixth-most heartbroken fanbase in the NFL, falling behind three other AFC teams in this survey.
Fans of the Chicago Bears ranked as the most heartbroken in this survey, followed by the Detroit Lions.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals ranked third through fifth, respectively.
One reason teams like Detroit and Kansas City made the list is their losses in the playoffs, considering both teams were favorites to win Super Bowl LIX.
Cleveland was followed by three more teams that made the playoffs, including the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders.
On the opposite end, the New Orleans Saints were the least heartbroken fanbase, followed by the Baltimore Ravens and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The study uses Google searches and Reddit posts containing “heartbroken” language made by each NFL fanbase this season.
Each team’s recent postseason success was also considered, factoring in playoff losses and years in between postseason appearances to round out the scoring process.
