Patriots Rank No. 10 in Nielsen’s Most Popular NFL Team Poll

The Patriots may be No. 1 in the hearts of New Englanders, but the club is No. 10, according to an extensive national poll.

Nielsen Co. did a study to rank NFL teams by media popularity, and the Patriots finished in 10th place.

This is no high school popularity contest. The intricate study — using data collected from the 2009 regular season — calculated teams’ local and national TV ratings, how often they are mentioned online and the number of visitors on their official websites to determine the order.

New England still finished well ahead of AFC East rivals New York (No. 18), Miami (No. 19), and Buffalo (No. 20). The Pats ranked fifth in website visits and a respectable 10th on the national TV stage. They are known for having a loyal fan base throughout New England, so it is surprising to see them ranked as the 14th most-popular team on local TV.

The No. 1 team on the list was the Dallas Cowboys. They held the top spot on national television rank and website visitors, and second in overall online buzz. Their website drew over 50 percent more visitors than the second-place Steelers.