These NFL fans need the biggest time buffer to make kickoff

Nothing’s more frustrating than trying to get home, to the stadium, or to your favorite sports bar in time to catch that long-awaited game… and getting stuck in a nightmare traffic jam. And just like that, you miss the all-important kickoff action! But which fans are actually most at risk? PromoGuy crunched the numbers per fanbase and lined up the cars and stats to find out which fans need to plan for the most extra travel time to make it to kickoff on time.

Key findings:

LA Chargers fans are the most at risk of missing kickoff, while Cleveland Browns fans have the least to worry about.
90% of Jaguars fans have gotten a speeding ticket at some point, the highest of any NFL fanbase, with 20% of those tickets coming while rushing to catch the kickoff.
Cardinals and Panthers fans take the top spot for game-day speeding tickets (24%).
With an average fine of $252, Raiders fans top all NFL fans when it comes to pricey speeding tickets.
Rams and Chargers fans need 2.5 times the normal travel time at peak hours, the highest of any fanbase.

Here’s how it works: the index uses the Planning Time Index (PTI), a stat from the Urban Congestion Report that shows how much extra time you should allow to be on time 95% of the time during peak hours, compared to a traffic-free drive. For every NFL team, we looked at their metro area, calculated the extra time fans should plan based on a 30-minute trip, and factored in how long peak congestion usually lasts in that area.

We also surveyed 2,000 NFL fans nationwide who hold a driver’s license to find out how many had ever received a speeding ticket—specifically while rushing to make kickoff. Plus, we analyzed the average ticket amount by fanbase.

Add it all up, and you get the NFL Commute Index: the ultimate answer to which fans really need to hit the road a little earlier to make sure they’re in their seats before kickoff.

Chargers fans struggle most with NFL game day traffic

To start with the clear frontrunner: Los Angeles Chargers fans face the highest risk of missing kickoff. They rank at the top of the NFL Commute Index. Based on a 30-minute trip, Chargers fans must allow an extra 45 minutes of travel time during peak hours. Plus, on weekdays, the Los Angeles metro area has 7 hours and 27 minutes of peak congestion.

But traffic isn’t the only challenge. 78% of Chargers fans report having received a speeding ticket, with 4% admitting it happened while hurrying to make kickoff. And those fines aren’t small... On average, speeding fines come in at $232.

Houston Texans fans better plan for some extra buffer time too if they want to catch every snap. Their city ranks second-highest on the index. In Houston, what should be a 30-minute drive can take an extra 36.3 minutes during peak hours. And to top it off, 13% of Texans fans admit they’ve snagged a speeding ticket trying to make it to kickoff, at an average of $176 per ticket.

Miami Dolphins fans have the dubious honor of rounding out the top three. A drive that should take 30 minutes ends up dragging on with an extra 37.5 minutes of traffic. And just like in Houston, 13% of fans admit they’ve been busted for speeding on the way to catch kickoff.

Cleveland Browns fans have the easiest commute

Cleveland Browns fans can take it easy; they’ve got the smoothest ride of any fanbase. Cleveland ranks dead last on the index, meaning Browns fans are the least likely to miss kickoff. With just 9 extra minutes tacked onto a 30-minute commute and only one hour of heavy congestion a day, it seems like they’ve got just about everything going their way to catch every snap.

Other fanbases that don’t really need to worry too much are the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers; right behind the Browns, they rank among the least likely to run late. That doesn’t mean they’ve never been busted for speeding to catch their favorite players in action: 6% of Bills fans admit they’ve gotten a ticket trying to make the start of the game, compared to 5% of Steelers fans. So maybe it’s worth keeping in mind that a 30-minute drive could take them about 14 minutes longer—better to plan ahead than miss a single play.

Methodology

To see how much time pressure NFL fans face getting to kickoff, we put together the NFL Commute Index that combines traffic conditions, speeding ticket data, and fan behavior.

Traffic info came from the Urban Congestion Report (UCR), published by the U.S. Department of Transportation and covering April through June 2025.

Key measures

Planning Time Index (PTI): shows how much extra time you need to get somewhere on time 95% of the time during rush hour compared to a free-flowing drive. Since exact commutes vary, we used a standard 30-minute trip for every fanbase. (The Planning Time Index reflects weekday peak-hour conditions that coincide with typical kickoff times. While Sunday traffic is generally lighter overall, localized congestion near stadiums remains common on game days)
Congested hours: shows the average number of weekday hours (6 am–10 pm) when traffic slows below 90% of normal speed.

Since Green Bay data were unavailable in the Urban Congestion Report, Milwaukee metro traffic measures were used as a proxy.

Survey

On September 9, 2025, an independent online survey of 2,000 NFL fans nationwide who hold a driver’s license was conducted. Respondents were 54% male, 45% female, and 1% non-binary, with an average age of 43.5 years. The survey asked respondents about speeding tickets, whether they occurred while rushing to a game, the average fine, and their favorite NFL team.

Normalization

To compare everything fairly, we scaled all the data to a 0–100 range.

Weighting

We combined the normalized numbers into the NFL Commute Index, giving weights based on how much each factor affects time pressure:

Extra travel time: 25%
Congested hours: 20%
Speeding ticket: 20%
Speeding ticket while rushing for a game: 25%
Average fine: 10%

Together, these steps create the NFL Commute Index, showing which fanbases face the greatest time pressure to make kickoff.

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Which NFL fans need the biggest time buffer to make kickoff?