List of NFL nicknames

Teams and units

A

• Ain'ts: Nickname given to the New Orleans Saints after their 1980 season of 14 consecutive losses. The name persisted somewhat as, although they would later qualify for the playoffs several times since then, they did not win a playoff game until their defeat of the defending Super Bowl champion Rams in the wild-card round of the 2000–01 playoffs.
• America's Team: Nickname given to the Dallas Cowboys for having a large number of fans outside its immediate local area.

  B

• The Bickering Bills: The 1989 Buffalo Bills, so-called due to internal conflict within the organization between quarterback Jim Kelly and several veteran players as well as a fistfight that occurred between two assistant coaches.
• Big Blue: An abridged version of the New York Giants nickname Big Blue Wrecking Crew
• Big Blue Wrecking Crew: Name of the New York Giants defensive team from 1986 to 1990.
• Bills West: The 2001 San Diego Chargers, so named because of the signing of the Buffalo Bills' former general manager, John Butler, along with several Buffalo Bills players, including quarterback Doug Flutie.
• Blitzburgh: Name of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive unit since the mid-1990s and their tendency to relentlessly attack opposing quarterbacks.
• The Blue Wave: Name of the Seattle Seahawks teams of the 1980s which included Hall of Famers Steve Largent and Kenny Easley. Quarterbacked by Dave Krieg and coached by Chuck Knox. Fans of the team would perform the wave every game.
• The Boogeymen: 2019 New England Patriots linebacker corps, specifically Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins Sr., and Kyle Van Noy.
• The Boston TE Party: A play on the name of the historical event that occurred locally in the team's state, the Boston Tea Party, it was the 2010 to 2012 New England Patriots tight end corps, featuring Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
• Bring The Heat Boulevard: Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, Defensive linemen on the Peyton Manning-era Indianapolis Colts.
• Bruise Brothers: San Diego Chargers defensive line in the 1970s and 1980s.
• Bull Elephant backfield: running backs of the 1950s Rams: Dick Hoerner, Paul "Tank" Younger, and "Deacon" Dan Towler.
• Bulls on Parade: Refers to the Houston Texans defense, starting in the 2011 season . After the hiring of Wade Phillips, the defense went from almost last ranked in the NFL to ranked second at the end of the 2011 season, winning the AFC South for the first time and reaching the post-season for the first time in franchise history. The name is taken from the Rage Against the Machine song of the same name.
• Bungles: Name referring to the Cincinnati Bengals teams of the 1990s and 2000s, whose string of losing seasons with records 8–8 or worse spanned 14 consecutive years in addition to numerous draft busts. Name also used for any failing Cincinnati Bengals team thereafter. Coined by former Pittsburgh Press sportswriter Glen Sheely and popularized by Pittsburgh Steelers announcer Myron Cope.

  C

• Cardiac Cardinals : The St. Louis Cardinals NFC East championship teams of 1974 and '75. Noted for their come-from-behind wins under their head coach, Don Coryell. The name was resurrected for the 1998 team that upset Dallas in the wild card game.
• Cardiac Cats: Nickname originally given to the 2003 Carolina Panthers and later to the Detroit Lions of the 2010s.
• Cardiac Jags: The Jacksonville Jaguars earned this nickname because of making several comeback wins and/or winning nail-biters.
• Cowgirls: Derogatory nickname for the Dallas Cowboys, in reference to their cheerleaders.

  D

• Da Bears: Slang nickname given to the Chicago Bears made popular by the Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches of the early 1990s on Saturday Night Live. Sometimes used to retroactively refer to the 1985 Bears.
• Deflatriots: Used in reference to Deflategate.
• Dirty Birds: The 1998 Atlanta Falcons. The name originates from an end zone dance started by Jamal Anderson that was adopted by all the players upon scoring.
• Dome Patrol: The linebacker corps, specifically Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling, of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
• Doomsday Defense: The 1970s Dallas Cowboys defensive team. Doomsday I, the unit that led the Cowboys to victory in Super Bowl VI, was anchored by future Pro Football Hall of Fame members Herb Adderley, Bob Lilly, and Mel Renfro, while Doomsday II, which spearheaded the drive to the title in Super Bowl XII, featured Hall of Famer Randy White and fellow defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Ed "Too Tall" Jones.

  E

• Everybody Eats: The 2024 Buffalo Bills offense, based upon a multifaceted attack in which any of the team's skill positions is roughly equally likely to receive the ball, as opposed to a singular marquee player who draws the majority of attention from the opposing defense. 13 Bills players scored at least one receiving touchdown in 2024, tying an NFL record.
• Electric Company: The 1970s Buffalo Bills offensive line. They were given that name because they "turned on the 'Juice'" by paving the way for star halfback O. J. Simpson, who was nicknamed "Juice", because a common nickname for orange juice is also O. J.
• Evil Empire: Name associating the New England Patriots dynasty of the 2000s. Coach Bill Belichick was deemed "evil" after the Spygate scandal and the term is a play on Belichick's frequent use of hooded sweatshirts on the sideline, making him resemble the Emperor Palpatine character from the Star Wars motion picture series.

  F

• Fearsome Foursome: The 1960s Los Angeles Rams defensive line.

  G

• G Men: Nickname of the New York Giants.
• Gang Green: Nickname of the New York Jets, or the Philadelphia Eagles defensive team from 1987 to 1990, when the team was coached by Buddy Ryan.
• The Ghosts: The 2019 New England Patriots secondary, in reference to Jets quarterback Sam Darnold "seeing ghosts" on Monday Night Football.
• The Gravediggers: The 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers front seven, which led the league in rushing defense and were 6th in the league in sacks.
• The Greatest Show on Turf: The 1999–2001 St. Louis Rams record-breaking offensive team featuring Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Issac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl. They were recognized as one of the greatest offenses to play in NFL history.
• Gritz Blitz: Nickname for the 1977 Atlanta Falcons defense led by then defensive assistant Jerry Glanville that allowed the fewest points per game in NFL history.
• Ground Chuck: Nickname for the conservative, ball-control offense favored by coach Chuck Knox.

  H

• Homeland Defense: Nickname for the New England Patriots defense during their runs to Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX.
• The Hogs: The Washington Redskins' offensive line in the 1980s. They were considered one of the largest and strongest offensive lines in football history, originally consisting of Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Mark May, George Starke, and Jeff Bostic.
• Hosses: Affection name used by media and fans for the Baltimore Colts, especially during the late 1950s and 1960s.

  J

• Jackson 5: Nickname of the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars secondary coming from the famous music group
• Jeff Stoutland University: Nickname for Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland's development of offensive linemen. Since joining the Eagles' coaching staff in 2013, Stoutland has coached six different Pro Bowl linemen, including: Brandon Brooks, Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Evan Mathis, and Jason Peters. The nickname was originally coined during the 2022 season by Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata.

  K

• Kardiac Kids: The 1980 Cleveland Browns offensive unit featuring Brian Sipe, Greg Pruitt, Ozzie Newsome, Dave Logan, and Reggie Rucker who had a penchant for having games decided in the final moments.
• The Killer Bees: The 1982 Miami Dolphins defensive team; seven of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B". They allowed only 131 points in the strike-shortened, nine-game regular season.
• The Killer B's: Three members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, consisting of Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and sometimes Chris Boswell. Name was first used during the 2016 NFL season.

  L

• Legion of Boom: The dominant secondary of the Seattle Seahawks, consisting of All-Pro safety tandem Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor as well as the league's largest set of corners in 6′4″ Pro Bowler Brandon Browner and 6′3″ All-Pro Richard Sherman. The term has come to encompass the entire defense.
• Legion of Zoom: The unstoppable wide receiver corps of the Kansas City Chiefs, particularly known for their speed, consisting of Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, and Mecole Hardman and notably TE Travis Kelce, starting in 2018 with the arrival of a top quarterback, Patrick Mahomes