The Washington Commanders’ 2025-26 season is finally over, which means that we can look back and appreciate all the peaks and valleys that came with this rather tumultuous year.
Considering that this season didn’t quite go the way we expected, a new study on how quickly NFL fanbases will give up on a game shared some interesting insights about Commanders fans and how quickly it takes us to know if we’re going to win or lose a game.
How long does it take for Commanders fans to know how a game is going to end?
According to the new study, it only takes around 30 minutes of game time for us Commanders fans to know whether or not we are going to win or lose a game.
In other words, the average Commanders fan will have a gut feeling by halftime that will tell them whether or not the Commanders are going to win or lose.
Unfortunately for us Commanders fans, this past season was sadly one of those years where that gut feeling by halftime wasn’t so optimistic
What did this study say about other NFL fanbases?
For better or worse, the most decisive NFL fanbase when it came to knowing whether or not their team was going to lose or not was actually a tie between the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets.
The fanbases of both teams seemed to be able to know, with confidence, that their team was going to lose within just 19 minutes of gameplay, meaning it took less than two quarters of gameplay for the average Cardinals or Jets fan to give up on the game (or, less likely, determine that they are going win).
Conversely, the team with the fanbase that took the longest to be able to confidently predict how their games would end was the New Orleans Saints.
The study found that the average Saints fan wasn’t able to confidently predict how their games would end until 37 minutes of game time!
What was this study’s methodology?
The study was composed of a survey distributed in 2025 that featured responses from 2,500 NFL fans across the United States.
Participants were asked to identify their favorite team and share a rough estimate of how many minutes into a game it takes them to predict the general outcome of the game; ostensibly, whether their team will win or lose.
The sample of participants was represented by 55% male, 44% female, and 1% non-binary respondents, with an average age of 43.4 years.