NFL Teams Showing the Most Generous Spirit

NFL Teams With the Most Charitable Donations

Holiday cheer is in the air, but it's not just about gift-giving among families and friends. In the NFL, teams can be generous too, though their gifts come in the form of opportunities given to their opponents on the field. As we approach the final stretch of the football season, Gambling.com's intriguing analysis unveils the NFL's Most Generous Teams.

To find out who's doling out the goodies, they calculated the number of points, penalties, and giveaways conceded per game this season. Each category was given equal weight, yielding an Overall Generosity Score out of 100 for every team. Here's the comprehensive list of all 32 franchises.

Browns: The Unlikely Mr. Nice Guy

The Cleveland Browns top the list of the NFL's most benevolent teams, handing out more chances than Santa's elves in the North Pole. Despite their generous nature, they sit firmly in second place in the AFC North, boasting almost twice as many wins as losses (9:5). The Browns' generosity is evident in their average of 2.14 giveaways per game, the highest in their division, leading to an Overall Generosity Score of 75.

The second-ranked Chicago Bears claim a final score of 71. Although they don't lead in any of the analyzed categories, the Bears remain near the top in all of them and find themselves battling for survival in the NFC North with just five wins in 14 games.

Rounding out the Most Generous Teams podium is the Arizona Cardinals with an Overall Generosity Score of 68. The Glendale-based team has conceded the second-highest number of points per game in the NFL (26.86), with only the Washington Commanders' opposition scoring more on average. With three victories to their name, it's no surprise they're struggling at the bottom of the NFC West.

The Denver Broncos (67) and Carolina Panthers (66) follow in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Conversely, the San Francisco 49ers sit at the other end of the spectrum, claiming the crown as the Least Generous NFL Team. Their Overall Generosity Score of 15 out of 100 is a direct result of their frugality in terms of points and penalties conceded per game, as well as an impressively stingy policy on giveaways per game. It's no coincidence that they stand atop the NFC West with a solid 11 wins to their name this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers follow closely behind the 49ers with an Overall Generosity Score of 22, while the Cincinnati Bengals earn third in this inverted ranking (23).

The Math Behind the Rankings

Gambling.com ranked NFL teams based on these three factors for the season:

Average points conceded per game - from ESPN.
Average penalties conceded per game - from NFL Penalties.
Average giveaways (fumbles lost & giveaway interceptions) per game - from ESPN.

All three data points were converted to a score out of 100 using the PERCENTRANK formula, and the average was taken to create the Overall Generosity Score. All NFL teams were ranked based on their final scores.

The data was collected and verified on Dec. 19, 2023.

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The Cleveland Browns, known for their generous nature on the field, have the highest number of giveaways per game and lead the NFL in terms of overall generosity, despite holding the second position in their division.
The Chicago Bears, though not leading in any category, have a high Overall Generosity Score of 71 due to their performance in all analysed areas and are fighting for survival in the NFC North.
The Arizona Cardinals, with an Overall Generosity Score of 68, have conceded the second-highest number of points per game in the NFL and find themselves struggling at the bottom of the NFC West.
The San Francisco 49ers, with the lowest Overall Generosity Score of 15, are the least generous team in the NFL, with a stingy policy on points, penalties, and giveaways, and are atop the NFC West with 11 wins this season.
Despite the San Francisco 49ers' stinginess, the Pittsburgh Steelers (Overall Generosity Score of 22) and the Cincinnati Bengals (Overall Generosity Score of 23) rank below them in the inverted generosity ranking.