Patrick Mahomes Topper NFLS Favorite List

Update: Kansas City Chiefs defeated Buffalo Bills 32-29 Sunday night in the AFC championship match to keep alive the hope of becoming the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row. Chiefs will play against Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 9 in the Super Bowl 2025 in Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans. Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders 55-23 to win the NFC title.

Despite what you might read online, Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes US Most Popular Football Player is, according to survey data collected by YouGov and reviewed by SPORTICO.

Over the past year, 61 % of respondents in the survey who identified football fans at 18 years and older expressed a positive impression of the triple Super Bowl champion. The only other plays over 50% in the vote? Mahomes’ teammate: Travis Kelce.

While Chiefs marches against a potential three-peat, they remain immensely popular. But there is also a growing negativity around the team now.

In the midst of accusations from fans of league favoring to Kansas City, ESPN commentator Troy Aikman acknowledged increasing frustration over Mahomes ‘playing crew – to put it kindly – during Chiefs’ victory in the divisional round over Texans. After the match came Houston’s Defensive Will Anderson Jr. out and said“We knew it would be us against the judges.”

In the days since, both viewers and experts have overdue earlier penalties called against Kansas City opponents in big matches, eagerly to point out imbalances. (Per ESPN is KC +222 in punishment over its last 11 playoff appearances). Sports Illustrated‘s Conor Orr argued For the NFL rules to be changed to prevent future tricks, which does not suggest that officials give chiefs a hand, but that KC has learned to utilize the system. And Mahomes himself issued a mini Mea CulpaAnd said he “probably shouldn’t have” engaged in a particular act of flag-baiting.

These criticisms come on top of previous attacks aimed at Mahoma’s family members or Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift; complains that KC’s dominance has become boring; And ample jealousy over the franchise that seems to win every close game it plays.

Chiefs may not yet be envious like Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, but KC seems to be heading in that direction.

Kelce already ranks as the third-most likely player to induce a negative reaction from fans, found the poll behind the controversial Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson. Mahomes are sixth on the list.

After years in the limelight, the two bosses were the most likely to induce a reaction in one direction or another. Ten percent of NFL fans expressed negative feelings for Mahomes, while Travis Kelce achieved a 58-12 positive/negative distribution of opinion (with other respondents who did not take a stand).

Similar patterns are clear at team level. Kansas City could boast 48.3% popularity among YouGov Polltakers from January 1st, fourth in the NFL Bag New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. Chiefs meanwhile have the biggest supporters on Tiktok or YouTube and continue to set TV viewers. They appear to be well on the way to becoming “the world’s team”, a goal president Mark Donovan listed In 2023.

But the anti-KC mood has also grown over time. The proportion of very committed NFL fans with a negative impression of the team has gone from 4 % by 2020 to 10 % now, YouGov found. During that period, Chiefs went from being the 12th most common supported NFL franchise to # 1 among all fans while also rising from the 27th most common Discoo Hold on.

“Being in the rocket ship that was Chiefs’ fandom growth over the past few years, and combined with the Taylor Swift thing … It is interesting to see that the negative impression is also a bit back in a similar spirit , “YouGov Sport Customer Service Manager Tatijana Bowman said in a video interview explaining the results. “And (it’s true) especially among more eager fans of the NFL.”

Compare it to Kansas City’s opponents on Sunday. While Buffalo Bills continues their search for a first Super Bowl trophy, Josh Allen and the company have seen their negative impression percentages among the NFL-Diehards hold about 4 %.

Still, fans who write big have not messed with the underdog in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. In a YouGov snapshot survey taken before last week’s matches, 11 % of about 10,000 surveyed indicated that they wanted Chiefs to win a third Super Bowl in a row. Only 7 % wanted Bills to win the title No. 1. Among Diehards, Chiefs retained a preference advantage of 17 % to 12 %.

YouGov is implementing online polls from a total registered panel of 27 million people, and adjusting its US results to justly represent American adults.

Perhaps perceived inevitability is being perceived by turning into acceptance – and appreciation. Among both groups of respondents, Chiefs were by far the most commonly expected Super Bowl winner. More than a third of people with a projection chose KC. That number rose to 36% for committed NFL fans, whether they would meet another dose of red and gold confetti with cheer or tears.

Among the 27 states with NFL teams, only seven-including New York-had several fans expressed desire for a Bills championship compared to another chiefs. And in each of these states, respondents were increasingly likely to expect KC to win again.