Ever looked at an nfl football teams by state map and realized things don't quite line up? It's weird. You’ve got teams named after one state that play their home games in another. You’ve got massive chunks of the country—entire time zones, basically—where there isn't a single pro jersey in sight for hundreds of miles.
If you're a fan, you probably just care about the Sunday kickoff. But if you’re trying to visualize where the power lies in the league, the geography is honestly a mess. It’s not a neat 1:1 distribution. In fact, most of the U.S. is a "dead zone" for NFL franchises.
The States That Hog All the Teams
Some states are greedy. There’s no other way to put it. While 28 states don't have a single team to call their own, a tiny handful of states are home to nearly half the league.
California and Florida are the big winners here. Each state currently hosts three separate franchises. In California, you’ve got the San Francisco 49ers (who actually play in Santa Clara), the Los Angeles Rams, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Both LA teams share the massive SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. It’s a lot of football for one coast.
Florida matches that energy with the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. It makes sense when you look at the population density, but it’s still a bit of a slap in the face to a place like Oregon or Oklahoma.
The Two-Team Club
Then you have the states that have a solid pair. These are usually the traditional "football states" where the rivalry is baked into the local culture.
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- Texas: Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.
- Ohio: Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
- Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Maryland: Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Commanders. (Wait, Washington? We’ll get to that.)
The Great Jersey/New York Lie
This is the part of the nfl football teams by state map that trips everyone up. If you look at a map based on team names, you’d put two teams in New York. The New York Giants and the New York Jets.
Except they don't play in New York.
They haven't for a long time. Both teams play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. So, technically, New Jersey is a "two-team state" while the state of New York only actually has one team: the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are the only team that actually plays within the borders of the Empire State.
New Jersey residents love to point this out. New Yorkers usually just ignore it and keep driving across the George Washington Bridge.
Why the Map Has Huge "Dead Zones"
If you pull up a map of the Western U.S., it looks empty. Once you get past Denver, there is a whole lot of nothing until you hit the coast or the desert in Vegas/Arizona.
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The Denver Broncos basically own the Rocky Mountain region. Their "fan territory" on a map would cover Montana, Wyoming, and parts of the Dakotas. It’s a similar story for the Seattle Seahawks. They aren't just Washington’s team; they're the team for the entire Pacific Northwest, including Idaho and Oregon.
The Mid-Market Powerhouses
Then you have the weirdly small markets that defy the "big city" rule. Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the ultimate example. It’s the smallest market in the league by a mile, yet the Packers are one of the most successful and geographically isolated teams. They don't need a massive city because the entire state—and a good chunk of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan—is obsessed with them.
The Washington Commanders Geography Problem
The Commanders are another weird one for the map. They represent D.C., but their stadium, Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field), is in Landover, Maryland.
This means Maryland actually hosts two NFL teams (Ravens and Commanders), even though the Commanders are branded as a District team. It’s a similar situation to the Jets/Giants, just with less traffic on the turnpike.
States Without a Team: Who Do They Root For?
What happens if you live in a state like Alabama, Kentucky, or Oregon? You become a "geographic free agent." Usually, these states get carved up by the nearest successful franchise.
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- The South: Alabama and Mississippi are deep in Saints and Falcons territory.
- The Midwest: Iowa is a battleground between the Bears, Chiefs, and Vikings.
- New England: The Patriots are the only team named after an entire region rather than a city or state. They officially claim six states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The Future: Will the Map Change?
Expansion is always the "boogeyman" of the NFL. There are cities that are clearly big enough to support a team but don't have one.
San Antonio and Austin in Texas are huge. They have the population, the money, and the football culture. But the Cowboys and Texans aren't exactly eager to give up their territory. St. Louis and San Diego are still stinging from losing their teams and would likely jump at a chance to get back on the map.
International expansion is the real wild card. We might eventually see a map that includes London or Mexico City, which would make the current state-based map look even more lopsided.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're trying to use an nfl football teams by state map to plan a trip or understand local TV blackouts, keep these three things in mind:
- Check the Stadium Location, Not the Name: If you're booking a hotel for a "New York" game, make sure you're looking at New Jersey, or you're going to have a very long, expensive Uber ride.
- Understand Regional Broadcasts: If you live in a "dead zone" state, your local TV affiliate will usually carry the team that is geographically closest to you, regardless of state lines.
- Verify Stadium Changes: Teams like the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans have new stadium projects in the works (like the Brook Park dome for Cleveland) that might shift their specific location within the state over the next few years.
Geography in the NFL is about brand power, not just borders. The map is a suggestion; the fanbases are the reality.