The Action Network surveyed 3,070 NFL fans on game-day drinking and eating habits, and Arizona Cardinals fans lead the league on both fronts before kickoff.
Key findings for Arizona:
- Pregame average: 1.9 drinks, the highest volume of any fan base in the NFL
- Heavy pregame drinking (5+): 15.2%, also the highest in the league, more than double the NFL average of 6.5%
- Pregame participation rate: 57.6%
- In-game heavy drinking (5+): 18.2%, sixth-highest in the NFL
- Hot dogs: 1.6 per game, second-highest in the NFL, with 56.1% eating two or more
- Estimated game-day calories: 1,132, tied for second in the league, just behind Carolina
Top 5 Avg pregame drinks
| Rank | Team | Avg pregame drinks |
| 1 | Arizona Cardinals | 1.9 |
| 2 | Carolina Panthers | 1.7 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | 1.5 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Chargers | 1.5 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1.5 |
Top 5 Heavy pregamers (5+ drinks before kickoff)
| Rank | Team | Heavy pregame rate (5+) |
| 1 | Arizona Cardinals | 15.20% |
| 2 | Las Vegas Raiders | 11.40% |
| 3 | Miami Dolphins | 11.20% |
| 4 | Washington Commanders | 10.50% |
| 5 | Carolina Panthers | 10.30% |
For plenty of NFL fans, gameday starts well before kickoff. Outside stadiums, tailgates double as block parties with grills fired up; inside, fans pay steep prices to keep a beer in hand through four quarters.
Action Network’s study measured pregame drinking, in-stadium alcohol consumption, and hot dog intake to evaluate overall game-day caloric impact across all 32 NFL fan bases.
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Key findings
- Carolina Panthers fans post the highest estimated game-day calorie total in the NFL at 1,133 calories per game, just ahead of Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers fans, who are tied at 1,132.
- Arizona Cardinals fans lead the NFL for average pregame drinking at 1.9 drinks before kickoff, and also post the highest heavy pregame rate in the league at 15%.
- Carolina Panthers fans average the most drinks once inside the stadium at 2.7, with the highest in-game participation rate in the NFL at 78%.
- Miami Dolphins fans post the highest heavy in-game drinking rate of any fan base: 25% report five or more drinks during the game, well clear of the next-highest teams.
- Los Angeles Chargers fans eat the most hot dogs per game at 1.7, with 55% eating two or more.
- Across the NFL, the average fan consumes 1.2 pregame drinks, 2.1 in-game drinks, and 1.2 hot dogs per game.
- The average NFL fan consumes an estimated 871 calories from drinks and hot dogs per game.
Booziest NFL Fan Bases: Heavy Drinkers by Team
(% of each team’s surveyed fan base reporting 5+ drinks total on gameday)
Miami Dolphins fans are the clear outlier here: 25% report five or more drinks during the game, roughly nine points clear of the next-highest teams. Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers fans are tied for second at 18.6%, with Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals tied just behind at 18.4%.
At the other end, Philadelphia Eagles fans post the lowest heavy in-game rate in the league at 7.5%, with Seattle Seahawks (8.5%) and Minnesota Vikings (8.6%) close behind.
