The Dallas Cowboys are riding a high, fresh off their win against the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 5-1. It's the first time the team has reached a high at this level in several seasons.
So why isn't the team even more popular?
Dubbed "America's Team" for years, the Cowboys actually are only America's fourth-most popular team according to a new Harris Poll conducted in mid-September.
The top dogs? The Denver Broncos, who hadn't ranked higher than eighth on their list between the time John Elway retired and when Peyton Manning joined the team.
Ahead of the Cowboys in the second and third spots, respectively, are the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers. After the Cowboys in fifth place are the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by the Seattle Seahawks, who have roared up from their bottom-rung rankings (31st in 2010, 27th in 2011) since winning the Super Bowl.
Those polled also believe that the Seahawks — ahead of the Broncos — are the team to beat in the Super Bowl this coming February.
So who are the least-popular teams in the NFL? The bottom five: Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and — tied for last — the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars had been the least-popular team by themselves for four years running.
Other interesting poll results from the study:
• Sixty-nine percent of males and 43 percent of females identified themselves as being professional football fans.
• Among republicans, 59 percent are professional football fans. Among democrats, 53 percent are fans. Among independents, it's 57 percent.
• A greater percentage of midwest fans (60 percent) follow pro football than in the west (54), south (53) or east (50).
• People with children (61 percent) liked pro football at a higher rate than those without kids (52).
• Among responders aged 18-37, aka the Millennials, 57 percent identified themselves as NFL followers. Among people polled aged 69 and older, that number was 50 percent.
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