The New England Patriots enter the 2015 NFL season as defending Super Bowl champions. They also recently learned their future Hall of Fame quarterback will not, in fact, be suspended and instead will be eligible to play from the jump.
All of that should have Patriots fans pretty optimistic about the upcoming campaign, right? Apparently not, according to a new study of Facebook data.
The study, called a “sentiment analysis” and conducted by Facebook itself, concluded that Pats supporters actually were the second-least optimistic NFL fanbase throughout this preseason (July 22 through Sept. 7), ahead of only the San Diego Chargers.
Researchers noted most teams on the higher end of the spectrum either enjoyed strong preseasons (the 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs topped the list) or had key player additions/returns (Adrian Peterson with the No. 3 Minnesota Vikings; rookie Marcus Mariota with the No. 5 Tennessee Titans).
“On the flip side,” the report read, “until very recently, Patriots fans were bracing for four games without Tom Brady, so it’s not too surprising to see them rank among the least positive fan bases since July 22.”
We’re going to respectfully disagree. While the Patriots might not be favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champs, it’s not exactly going out on a limb to say their fans have more reason for optimism than those of the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars.
And c’mon, Chargers fans. You live in San Diego. Smile a bit.
Graphic via Facebook
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
