Football: the sport that gives people all over the city a reason to spend their Sundays in bars, cheering, drinking, and often, eating the signature foods of their hometowns. With the air getting crisper and the season now in full swing, more and more people are going to be spending their Sundays wearing the colors of their favorite team, looking for like-minded people from their fan community. Whatever your tribe, here's a guide to where to watch your favorite team.
Throw your picks in the comments to make this list even more comprehensive.
AFC
AFC East
Buffalo Bills, McFadden's
800 Second Ave., Midtown East
The New York City Bills Boosters meet at the dual bar-and-restaurant McFadden's and Calico Jack's. During games they have a number of deals for unlimited beer-and-wings, and as a rule it's a good idea to get wings where the people from Buffalo are getting wings.
Miami Dolphins, Third and Long
523 Third Ave., Murray Hill
New York's outpost of Dolfans meets at Third and Long, which has pints of Budweiser, Bud Light and Shock Top for $4 during games, plus $1 off any other pint for anyone wearing Dolphins gear. Presumably there's bonus points for anyone wearing a Ray Finkle jersey.
New England Patriots, The Hairy Monk
337 Third Ave., Kips bay
Between the proximity of Boston and the size of the Patriots' Tom Brady-era bandwagon, there's a huge Pats fanbase here. Several other options, like Pat O'Brien's and Professor Thom's host lively groups of New Englanders. But The Hairy Monk's got the games and the full Irish breakfast for the Masshole in all of us.
New York Jets, literally any bar in the city
If you can't find a New York Jets bar, you don't deserve to watch the game.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens, Wharf Bar & Grill
587 Third Ave., Murray Hill
Unfortunately they're not whipping up any Baltimore specialties at Wharf Bar & Grill, so no crab pretzels or pit beef sandwiches. But the bar's got 30 cent wings during games, because football.
Cincinnati Bengals, Phebe's
359 Bowery, East Village
Phebe's is more than just a Begals bar, it's also home to the coolest sports fan avatar Boobie the Bengals Gnome. During Bengals games, the bar has $3 bottles of Bud and Bud Light and a constant supply of that unique Cincinnati treat, Skyline Chili.
Cleveland Browns, Manny's on Second
1770 Second Ave., Upper East Side
Poor Cleveland Browns. They don't even get their own bar. Well, kind of. The New York City Chapter of the Browns Backers meets at Manny's on Second, upstairs. No quintessential Cleveland specials though. Unless the lack of specials is itself quintessentially Cleveland.
Pittsburgh Steelers, Hibernia Bar
401 W. 50th St., Hell's Kitchen
The residents of Six-burgh flaunt their many Lombardi Trophies at Hibernia Bar. Because the Steelers' are popular in the way that teams that win a lot are popular, Hibernia can get pretty packed. Solid alternatives include The Irish Exit in Midtown East, Reservoir in Greenwich Village, and The Public House in Midtown.
AFC South
Houston Texans, Idle Hands
25 Avenue B, East Village
New York's Houstonians meet at Idle Hands, which while not having any Texas Gulf Coast specialties, does offer five-packs of mix-your-own Bruvada micheladas for $25 during games. They're typically $30.
Indianapolis Colts, Keats
842 Second Ave., Midtown East
Colts fans meet up at Keats Bar in Midtown East, which also airs Denver Broncos games. Peyton Manning love never dies.
Jacksonville Jaguars, Legends NYC
6 W 33rd St., Midtown
By all appearances, it's been tough for Jacksonville fans in New York City. (This is a recurring problem.) But they've started to get a group together at Legends NYC, where turnout's been pretty good. Just make sure you join the Facebook group for Jags fans and RSVP, since it's not exclusively a Jaguars bar.
Tennessee Titans, SideBar
120 E 15th St., Union Square
New York's Titans fans get a little Tennessee love at SideBar, near Union Square. The bar runs a a number of food and drinks specials, but an insider (read: a Titans fan emailed to confirm this meet up still happens) says the tater tots and pigs-in-a-blanket are especially good.
AFC West
Denver Broncos, Mustang Sally's
324 Seventh Ave., Chelsea
Never has there ever been a more appropriately named bar. Broncos fans meet at Mustang Sally's. That's just perfect. In lieu of anything especially Rocky Mountain-related, Mustang Sally's has 21 wings for $15, and drinks specials on Bud Light, Coors, and PBR.
Kansas City Chiefs, Village Pourhouse
64 Third Ave., East Village
Chiefs fans don't have their own bar, but the group that gets together at the Village Pourhouse in the East Village is going strong.
Oakland Raiders, The Watering Hole
106 E 19th St., Gramercy
Are you a Raiders fan but can't get back to the Black Hole at the Oakland Coliseum? Or are you just a little afraid of Oakland itself? The Watering Hole hosts Raider Nation all season long.
San Diego Chargers, Dewey's Flatiron
210 Fifth Ave., Flatiron
Chargers fans used to gather at MJ Armstrong's until that closed. Now Dewey's Flatiron proudly lays claim to the title of Chargers fans home-away-from-home.
NFC
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys, Stone Creek Lounge
140 E 27th St., Kips Bay
This is where the HARDCORE COWBOYS FANS watch games, so Giants fans, stay away. At all times.
New York Giants, look around, find a bar
Like the Jets, only more so. Or less so. In either case, it won't be hard to find a bar with Giants fans inside.
Philadelphia Eagles, Shorty's
576 Ninth Ave., Hell's Kitchen
Like Boston, Philly's close enough that there are several sports bars for Philadelphia fans. Shorty's has cheese steaks out the wazoo, plus a regular crowd cheering on the Eagles and hoping Andy Reid gets fired one day. Other solid options for Iggles games are Merrion Square in Yorkville and Wogies in the West Village.
Washington Redskins, Dorrian's Red Hand
1616 Second Ave., Upper East Side
This isn't quite as good as the Broncos at Mustang Sally's, but this is pretty good. The biggest spot to watch Deadskins Redskins games is Dorrian's Red Hand.
NFC North
Chicago Bears, The Overlook
225 E 44th St., Midtown East
*Insert obligatory "Da Bears" joke here. The Overlook is a hybrid Bears-Yankees-Oklahoma Sooners bar with about a billion screens indoors and a rooftop deck that also shows the game. Alternatives to this straight-up sports bar are Canal Bar in Gowanus, Still in Gramercy, and The Gael Pub in Yorkville.
Detroit Lions, Mercury Bar East
493 Third Ave., Murray Hill
A little Michigan up in Murray Hill. Mercury Bar East is both a Lions and a Michigan State Spartans bar, making it a perfect spot for displaced Michiganders to cheer on the Silver Crush.
Green Bay Packers, Kettle of Fish
59 Christopher St., West Village
This legendary Packers bar is a destination for so many people the bar regularly hits capacity. The complimentary cheese, crackers, and summer sausage, plus Usinger brats for sale, certainly don't hurt. If you can't get in, try The Mad Hatter in Kips Bay.
Minnesota Vikings, Bar None
98 Third Ave., East Village
Vikings fans share this bar with the Saints, making it a silly place to be when the two teams play each other. Also that means it's seen more hard times than good. But the sea of purple draws people here in such numbers that the bar often hits capacity.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons, Little Town Restaurant Row
366 W 46th St., Hell's Kitchen
The local cohort of Falcons fans are doing their "Rise Up" thing this season at the Restaurant Row location of Little Town. This has been the Falcons' home for the last two season.
Carolina Panthers, Park Avenue Tavern
99 Park Ave., Midtown
The gastropub Park Avenue Tavern hosts Panthers fans for games, and wants fans to know they'll have both the game and sound on. Another option: Brother Jimmy's BBQ on the Upper East Side.
New Orleans Saints, Bar None
98 Third Ave., East Village
The Saints get the back room at this East Village bar, which has Abita Amber and Purple Haze on tap, plus a ginormous projector screen and plenty of Who Dat chants. (Or, this season, lots of despondent New Orleanians.) Though it hasn't been as packed in recent weeks because of the Saints' 0-4 start, it can get busy. A solid alternative is d.b.a. Brooklyn, which has food from the New Orleans pop up Tchoup Shop.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Stillwater Bar & Grill
78 E 4th St., East Village
This isn't an explicitly Bucs bar, but it's thematically appropriate. Like many of the smaller-market teams, Tampa Bay doesn't have a big showing up here. Unlike many of the others, though, there isn't even the semblance of an attempt to organize and get together. There must be something about NFL fans from Florida.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals, No data
The NFC West teams have limited followings over this way. Zagat says SideBar for Cardinals games, but that's where the Titans go.
St Louis Rams, No data
Like the Cards, the Rams don't have a big following in New York City. Try Dewey's Flatiron, or get DirecTV.
San Francisco 49ers, Finnerty's
221 Second Ave., East Village
49ers fans, especially proud these last couple of years, gather at Finnerty's, which also happens to be the big meeting spot for San Francisco Giants games.
Seattle Seahawks, Carlow East
1254 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side
The East Coast version of the 12th Man gathers at Carlow East. The Seattle-ness of the bar is limited?so, it's not filled with salmon and coffee and Nirvana albums?but the C-Hox fans have still made it home.
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