Pick your English Premier League team based on your favorite NFL team

Now that the National League Football season is over, we’ve all got some free time on our hands. Should we clean out the garage? Nope. Do our taxes? Later. Spend more time with the family? Umm ...

If you’re jonesing for sports action before NFL training camps open in summer, maybe focus your gaze on the English Premier League (EPL). You know…real football? If you’re not sure with team to root for (or “support,” as they say across the pond), we’ve put together a brief guide to match your favorite team (or second- or third-favorite) with the most appropriate club. 

We’re not covering all 32 NFL teams below. So if your franchise of choice isn’t listed, use your imagination. 

Philadelphia Eagles? Liverpool

Both clubs have played for decades in the shadow of bigger-city rivals who traditionally steal the spotlight. Philly against the New York teams and Liverpool versus the London clubs.

But in recent years, both the Eagles and Reds have punched their high-profile opponents in the mouth. Philly, of course, just won the Super Bowl in stunning fashion to avenge a championship-game loss to Kansas City two years ago. (The Eagles won their first Lombardi Trophy in 2017.)

Meanwhile, since 2018-19, Liverpool have won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup (twice) and Club World Cup. 

Both teams seem to always play with a chip on their respective shoulders. Philosophically, they emphasize building a lock-down defense over flashy scoring. On the field, they fight not just for trophies and titles, but also for the overall respect they (and their fans) feel they deserve but never quite earn.

Another interesting similarity is how both teams are succeeding despite dramatic coaching changes. After winning the Super Bowl in 2017, Eagles head man Doug Pederson lasted only three more seasons in Philly. Enter Nick Sirianni, who is quickly becoming a legend in the city.

In Liverpool, last summer Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, who had become a legend many times over before stepping down. All Slot has done in his first season is drive the Reds to a comfortable spot atop the EPL table; earn first place in the Champions League league phase and a spot in the round of 16; and clinch a berth the English League Cup final.

Kansas City Chiefs? Manchester City

These are the most intense, most important jobs in professional sports: NFL quarterback and head coach; and Premier League manager and striker. The fans of these two teams have the rapturous pleasure of watching some of the greatest of all time work their magic.

For the Chiefs, it’s Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes who have elevated the club to NFL dynasty status. They’ve been to the Super Bowl five out of the last six seasons, winning three of them. They’ve also captured nine consecutive division titles, averaging 12.4 wins per season during that streak.

For Manchester City, manager Pep Guardiola joined the club in 2016 and won four Premier League titles in his first six seasons. But European glory eluded him until striker Erling Haaland came over from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. City won the EPL and the Champions League in 2022-23, following that up with another Premiership trophy the next season. Haaland has scored 82 goals in blue in just two and a half seasons.

Coincidentally, both clubs have hit a few bumps in the road recently. Kansas City started 9-0 in 2024, but their average margin of victory during the streak was less than a touchdown. After losing to archrival Buffalo in week 11, they won six straight — by an average margin of nine points. And then came their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, of course.

Man City suffered a horrific (for them) run late in 2024, winning just two league matches out of 10 in November and December. Since then, they’ve lost only once — but still sit in fifth place in the table. So the question for fans of both clubs is obvious: Are their current issues just temporary, or can they return to their dominant ways?

Buffalo Bills? Arsenal

Wealthy owners? Check. Attractive playing style? Check. Consistent success? Check. Inability to get over the hump? Check.

The Bills and Arsenal could be twins separated at birth, particularly over the past few years. 

Since 2020, Buffalo has been the perennial NFL bridesmaid — but not in a good way like a hilarious Kristin Wiig movie. Over the past half-decade, the Bills have averaged nearly 13 wins per season. But they’ve lost in the AFC Championship twice and the Divisional Round three times. To add insult to injury, they’ve been knocked out of the playoffs by the Chiefs four times during this run.

Of course, Buffalo has “close but no cigar” in its DNA, having lost four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

Arsenal, too, have been like a mountain climber who gets within 50 feet of the summit of Mount Everest time and again, only to be attacked by an angry yeti. Since winning the Premier League in 2004, the Gunners have yet to return to the mountaintop. In all that time, they’ve finished second in the league four times and third four times. In European competitions, they’ve made it to semifinals or finals five times — with no trophies to show for their efforts.

If you’re a member of the Bills Mafia who knows a championship is right around the corner, Arsenal is for you.

Washington Commanders? Nottingham Forest 

In the past six months, both Washington and Forest have gone from clubs on the outside looking in, to true contenders. 

The Commanders infamously went 4-13 in 2023 and surrendered the most points in the NFL. A new ownership group brought in a new coaching staff and snagged Jayden Daniels with the second pick in the 2024 draft. The rest is a fairytale. Washington went 12-5 in 2024 and advanced to the conference championship game.

Similarly, in the 2023-24 season, Forest found themselves in a relegation dogfight. Then at midseason, they brought in new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. A kick in the pants came when they were docked four points in May 2024 for breaking the league’s financial rules. But, somehow, they managed to win on the last day of the season to avoid the drop.

Fast forward to this season, and Forest shockingly sit third in the EPL table — only three points behind Arsenal.

Daniels is the Commanders’ unrivaled leader. He was supposed to be good, but not this good this soon. On the other hand, Forest’s top scorer is 33-year-old New Zealander Chris Wood. He has 17 goals in 24 appearances, his best season since 2016-17 when he was playing with Leeds. Woods wasn’t supposed to be this good at this age.

Las Vegas Raiders? Ipswich Town

Okay, we admit it’s hard to find a more jarring juxtaposition of geography than the glitz and glamour of Sin City vs. the quaint waterfront of an English town founded 1,400 years ago.

But dig beneath the obvious … and the Raiders and Ipswich Town have a lot in common.

First, both teams enjoyed runs of success in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s … but haven’t been heard from since. The Raiders won the Super Bowl in 1983, but then the autumn wind stopped blustering. The silver and black have only four playoff wins in the past 41 seasons.

Meanwhile, Ipswich won the 1961-62 English championship, the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA cup … then disappeared. They were relegated from the top flight in 1994 and didn’t bounce back into the EPL until this season.

But what really makes these clubs brothers in (very weak) arms is their celebrity owners. All-time great quarterback Tom Brady recently purchased a stake in the Raiders, while all-time great pop star Ed Sheeran acquired a small piece of Ipswich Town around the same time. 

While both teams continue to struggle, at least their supporters have something infinitely important they can share: hope for the future thanks to their respective owners’ money.

Dallas Cowboys or Pittsburgh Steelers? Manchester United

The best descriptor for these three teams is faded glory. A long, long time ago, they were the best in the galaxy in their sports. But today they struggle to remain relevant.

The Cowboys have won five Super Bowls, but the last one came in 1996. In fact, Dallas has not appeared in the NFC Championship since the game preceding that Super Bowl — the longest NFC title game drought in NFL history. More recently, Jerry Jones’ team has won just three playoff games since 2014.

Pittsburgh owns six Lombardis, with their last Super Bowl victory in 2009. Since then, the Steelers have rusted out. Since 2017, the black and gold have won just one playoff game while losing six in a row. 

Manchester United was once synonymous with English club football around the world. No more. The Red Devils have won a record 20 top-flight titles, 13 FA Cup and three Champions League trophies. But they last lifted silverware in 2017 by winning the Europa League final with Jose Mourinho as coach. 

The key factor these three clubs share are loyal fanbases. In 2024, both the Cowboys’ and Steelers’ average home attendance was higher than their stadiums’ seating capacity. Meanwhile Manchester United averaged 99 percent capacity at Old Trafford. 

If there’s any consolation for Dallas and Manchester United fans, at least their clubs keep trying to find a new captain to right the ship. The Cowboys recently jettisoned coach Mike McCarthy after five years (despite him winning two division titles) and promoted Brian Schottenheimer. United currently are on their sixth manager since sacking Mourino in 2018. 

Meanwhile, the Steelers continue to hold onto coach Mike Tomlin and his ridiculous streak of “non-losing seasons” for reasons known only to Tomlin and his employers.