Analysis

7/7/23

6 min read

Which NFL Teams Fare Best Playing on the Road?

By Barry Wilner

Senior Writer

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There are two paths NFL teams can take when away from their home stadiums: Road Warriors or Road Wimps.

Surprisingly, winning after traveling hasn’t been as overwhelmingly challenging as some might think over the past decade. There was even one season, the COVID-19-impacted 2020 campaign, when hosts lost more games than they won – more on that later.

Don’t get us wrong; it is still an advantage to be playing in front of your fans in your town, with familiar surroundings and less disruption to your schedule. The edge, however, has diminished in the past 10 years, particularly in 2019-2021.

>> READ: Analyzing Teams With Best Home-Field Advantage

Overall, visitors went 1,149-1,431 since 2013 for a .445 winning percentage. That is not a lopsided number. In 2019, the away team's winning percentage was .482 percent. In 2021, that number was .483. It was nearly breaking even.

During that strangest of seasons in between, when generally there were no fans in the building – or few by NFL standards – visitors were 128-127-1 (.502). Eight clubs went at least 6-2 on the road in 2020, led by Kansas City’s perfect 8-0 mark. Fifteen teams, one short of half the league, had a winning record on the road.

Perhaps that skews things a bit, but the fact visitors were 131-140-1 in 2021 when most stadiums were full indicates fear of the road isn’t common these days.

As for the reasons causing that:

Why Teams Win on the Road

The Best Teams Could Win on Mars

Which franchises were the most successful in the last decade? You can find them atop the road wins standings.

The Kansas City Chiefs, with two Super Bowl wins since 2013, led the way with 56 victories in 81 road games, a phenomenal .691 percentage – further proof the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes offense travels well and Kansas City’s often underrated defense does, too. The Chiefs were .500 or better on the road in nine of those 10 seasons.

The New England Patriots, with three Super Bowl rings while Tom Brady was on hand, went 50-31 (.617), not that close to KC’s stunning figure but second-best overall. The Patriots, however, have managed only two winning records on the road in the past five seasons.

The other road warriors for the past decade, all above .500 and all in the mix for titles or owning at least one, were Seattle with 48 wins, New Orleans (46), Dallas (45), Pittsburgh (44), Philadelphia (43) and Green Bay (41).

The only outlier was Arizona, which somehow – an intergalactic dilemma – was 41-40 away from State Farm Stadium and under .500 as the home team in that span.

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International Factor

No matter what the league claims, results show there is no edge to being the host in a game played abroad – not even for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who ranked at the bottom for home (31) and away (18 victories) during the last 10 seasons.

For their annual contests in London, the Jaguars have gone 4-5, indicating cross-Atlantic trips are not intimidating for their opponents. Then again, how often have the Jaguars scared off anyone in recent years?

International trips to England, Mexico and Germany – even one contest in Canada – benefited the non-host to the tune of 19-13-1 overall. With more games being staged abroad as the NFL moves deeper into the 2020s, watch to see if that trend continues.

A key reason simply could be the folks attending those games don’t have any deep affiliation with the home squad, not even the improving Jaguars, who annually play in London and will do so twice this season.

Another is travel, especially to Europe levels the playing field, if you will. Franchises have become smart about when they head overseas and how they practice during the week.

How's the Weather?

No longer is the blistering heat of September or the icy cold of December/January as much of an edge for home teams. First, consider cold-weather clubs such as the Lions, Vikings, Colts and, at times, the Falcons surrender such an advantage by playing indoors. Indeed, all nine franchises with indoor stadiums can’t cite the weather as significant. The same goes for the teams visiting those locales.

Plus, because each NFL team practices and holds training camps in the dead of summer and mostly outdoors, all are equipped to handle temperatures in the ‘80s and ‘90s when the regular season begins. Is that football weather? Not even close. Is it a major annoyance, particularly to clubs traveling to, say, Florida early on? Not really.

Make Some (Crowd) Noise

Here is one factor that could, but should not, make much difference.

Years ago, when few teams had mastered the art of silent counts and hand signals, it wasn’t surprising to see a drive disrupted. Today, with quarterbacks getting the play calls into their helmets, facing loud crowds on the road isn’t so disturbing for veteran players.

It can be for the more inexperienced guys, notably quarterbacks. Seeing how the likes of Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Carolina’s Bryce Young fare on the road in 2023 is noteworthy.

As for Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow or Aaron Rodgers, well, as the new quarterback of the New York Jets would say about this: “RELAX.”

Team-by-Team Record Since 2013

Includes international and neutral-site games team hosted.

Barry Wilner was a sportswriter for the Associated Press for 46 years. He has covered virtually every major sporting event, including 14 Olympics, 9 World Cups, 34 Super Bowls, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup Final, and has written 75 books. Follow him on Twitter @Wilner88.

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Barry Wilner

Senior Writer

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Barry Wilner reported on the NFL for The Associated Press from 1985 until his retirement in 2022. He has covered multiple Super Bowls, Olympics, and World Cups over his decorated career. Wilner also has published dozens of books.