Only 6 NFL Teams Don’t Share Their Names With a Car
I was watching the Jaguars at the Rams and realized that both teams share their name with an entire brand of automobiles. I began going through the list of all 32 NFL teams and realized something incredible, only six don’t share their name with a car brand, model, or concept car. First, I’ll go over the short list of teams without an automotive equivalent. But keep reading to see the vehicle make and model that shares its name with your favorite team.
I could find no car equivalent for the following six teams: Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns. But some of them are pretty close! Here are the details.
Buffalo Bills: The Grand Theft Auto video game did have a car called the Buffalo and of course the Chevrolet Colorado and Silverado both have special AEV “Bison” off road version. Close, but no cigar.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Besides every car being made of steel, often from Pittsburgh, I couldn’t find a model named the Steeler. But we motor-heads are with the Steelers in spirit!
Green Bay Packers: Say “Packard” fast and its a tie-in, but still not technically the same. So even though Green Bay’s spitting distance to Michigan, its never had its own car.
New Orleans Saints: The Canadian market Pontiac Laurentian was named after Saint Lawrence, and the Volvo P1800 is often referred to as “The Saint” because it appeared in a TV show with the same name. I decided neither was clean enough to squeak by.
San Francisco 49ers: Countless automotive brands made a ’49, or a car built in 1949. But that wasn’t the model name. And of course the 49ers’ name refers to the 1849 gold rush. Maybe one of the California-based EV startups will roll out a 49ers edition soon.
Cleveland Browns: I was so close with this one! The Cleveland Automobile Company existed from 1904-1909. But of course that’s not the team name. And the Aston Martin DB series is just short for the name of David Brown. But listing the DB5 for the Cleveland Browns feels like a stretch.
If I missed any cars that would work for these teams, click on the Twitter link up above and let me know in the comments. And without any further ado, here are the cars corresponding to every other NFL team:
| NFL Team Name | Car Make and Model | Car Details |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 1968 Ford Mustang Cardinal Edition | Bright red Mustang trim available only in Virginia and North Carolina. |
| Atlanta Falcons | Ford Falcon | Nameplate Ford has used worldwide, including on a 1960-1970 compact car for North America. |
| Baltimore Ravens | Bentas Raven | Custom convertible, hand built by Arthur Bentas in 1959. |
| Carolina Panthers | Panther | British sports and luxury car manufacturer active from 1972-1990. Also, pantera is Spanish for panther. |
| Chicago Bears | Lenco BEAR | Armored personnel carrier currently offered by a Massachusetts-based company. |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Buick Bengal | 2001 roadster concept car with a supercharged V6 and stick shift. |
| Dallas Cowboys | Jeep Cowboy | 1969 coupe utility truck concept to compete with the El Camino and GMC Caballero (which happens to be Spanish for cowboy). |
| Denver Broncos | Ford Bronco | SUV series Ford has built on-and-off from 1965 to present. |
| Detroit Lions | Lion Lion | Lion Motor Company built the self-named Lion car from 1909-1912 in Adrian Michigan, until a fire destroyed the factory. |
| Houston Texans | Texas Motors’ Texan | The Texas Motor Car Association sold the Texan from 1918-1922. Dodge also offered a 1956 “Texan” special edition model. |
| Indianapolis Colts | Mitsubishi/Dodge Colt | Mitsubishi has been building Colts since 1962, Dodge rebadged them for import from 1971-1997. |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Jaguar Cars | British company building luxury cars and sports cars since 1933. |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Indian Chief | V-Twin-powered Harley Competitor built from 1922-1953, resurrected in 1999. |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Dodge Raider | Rebadged version of the two-door Mitsubishi Montero (1987-1990). |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Dodge Charger | Muscle car Dodge has made on-and-off since 1966. |
| Los Angeles Rams | Ram trucks | A model name since the 1980s, a standalone brand since 2010. |
| Miami Dolphins | BYD Dolphin | 2021-present EV built in China and sold worldwide. |
| Minnesota Vikings | GM Viking | Oldsmobile sub-brand offering the “Viking” V8-powered luxury car from 1929-1931. |
| New England Patriots | Jeep Patriot | Compact crossover SUV offered 2007-2017. |
| New York Giants | Giant trucks | Name used by the Chicago Pneumatic company for its truck line from 1918-1923. (Previously called, “Little Giant” trucks). |
| New York Jets | Hudson Jet | Compact automobile, offered as both a sedan and coupe 1953-1954. |
| Philadelphia Eagles | AMC Eagle | 4WD coupe/sedan/station wagon: 1980-1988 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Datsun Z-Hawk | 1977 Seahawks-themed Datsun 240z special edition. |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bentley Buccaneer | 1996 Bentley special edition coupe, limited to six examples. |
| Tennessee Titans | Nissan Titan | Full-size pickup truck, and naming sponsor of the Titan’s Nashville stadium. |
| Washington Commanders | Jeep Commander | Mid-size SUV available in North America 2005-2010. A nameplate Jeep still uses in foreign markets. |
