NFL teams averaged 69,487 fans per game during the '16 regular season, up nearly 2% from last season. The Jets led all AFC clubs with 78,160 fans per game at MetLife Stadium. In November, the Raiders hosted the Texans in the first "Monday Night Football" game played outside of the U.S. before a sell-out crowd of 76,743 at a renovated Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Both the Bengals and Jaguars had increases in attendance, partly due to each team hosting a "home game" at Wembley Stadium in London this season in front of over 80,000 fans. Amid a failed referendum for public funding for a new stadium and rumors that the team could relocate next season, the Chargers were last in the league in average attendance, down over 14% from '15. Listed below is team-by-team attendance for the AFC, with comparisons to last season. See tomorrow’s issue for NFC team figures (Brandon McClung, Research Associate).
|
'16 AFC REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
|
| HOME TEAM |
GMS
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
% CAP.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
| Jets |
8
|
625,280
|
78,160
|
100.0%
|
78,160
|
0.0%
|
| Broncos |
8
|
614,193
|
76,774
|
100.9%
|
76,923
|
-0.2%
|
| Chiefs |
8
|
586,624
|
73,328
|
96.0%
|
75,279
|
-2.6%
|
| Texans |
8
|
574,947
|
71,868
|
100.1%
|
71,770
|
0.1%
|
| Ravens |
8
|
568,823
|
71,103
|
100.1%
|
71,002
|
0.1%
|
| Bills |
8
|
548,073
|
68,509
|
95.3%
|
69,881
|
-2.0%
|
| Patriots |
8
|
534,632
|
66,829
|
100.0%
|
66,829
|
0.0%
|
| Colts |
8
|
524,393
|
65,549
|
104.0%
|
66,048
|
-0.8%
|
| Dolphins |
8
|
524,101
|
65,513
|
101.6%
|
67,194
|
-2.5%
|
| Titans |
8
|
517,273
|
64,659
|
93.5%
|
62,304
|
3.8%
|
| Jaguars |
8
|
517,172
|
64,647
|
93.7%
|
64,284
|
0.6%
|
| Steelers |
8
|
514,503
|
64,313
|
94.0%
|
64,357
|
-0.1%
|
| Browns |
8
|
514,489
|
64,311
|
95.4%
|
66,186
|
-2.8%
|
| Bengals |
8
|
508,071
|
63,509
|
93.6%
|
61,390
|
3.5%
|
| Raiders |
8
|
458,561
|
57,320
|
102.0%
|
54,614
|
5.0%
|
| Chargers |
8
|
456,197
|
57,025
|
81.5%
|
66,773
|
-14.6%
|
| AFC TOTALS |
128
|
8,587,332
|
67,089
|
96.9%
|
67,687
|
-0.9%
|
| NFL TOTALS |
256
|
17,788,671
|
69,487
|
97.9%
|
68,400
|
1.6%
|
NOTES: Totals include designated Bengals, Jaguars and Rams home games played in London in '16 and designated Jaguars, Chiefs and Dolphins home games in '15. Totals also include a desginated Raiders home game played in Mexico City this season. Rams attendance figures in St. Louis are included in the leaguewide totals for last season.
EYE OF THE TIGER: In Cincinnati, Steve Watkins noted Bengals attendance "fell off by nearly 1,000 fans a game this season compared" to '15. The club ranked 29th in NFL attendance, "drawing an average of 60,511 fans per home game." The Bengals' ticket office "aimed to ride a streak of five consecutive playoff seasons to higher ticket sales" this season, but a "slumping team that wound up with a 6-9-1 record ... kept ticket sales in check." The team also "generated just three sellouts of seven home games" at Paul Brown Stadium (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/3).
