Is This a Real or Fake NFL Team?

If someone offers you tickets to the Albuquerque Aztecs, don't fall for it: That team is fake. The Albuquerque Aztecs was a team name used in the movie, "Any Given Sunday," about fictional pro football teams.

Sadly, the NFL franchise in the Carolinas is not named the Cobras. The Carolinas are full of great sports teams, though, including a real NFL franchise by a different name, an NBA team and an NHL franchise. The Cobras were the name of a team in the video game, All-Pro Football 2k8.

The Detroit Lions organization is a real member of their Michigan community, having been founded in 1930. The team's owner is Martha Firestone Ford, the granddaughter of the founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., who married into the Henry Ford family.

The Buffalo Bills of the National Football League played their first season in 1960, and are named in honor of Buffalo Bill Cody. A contest turned up that name for the team, which was owned at the time by a member of the Frontier Oil Company.

The Washington Redskins, whose operations are in both Maryland and Virginia (but not Washington, D.C., itself), are a real NFL team, although their disgruntled fanbase might say different. The Redskins haven't been to the playoffs since 2015.

The Buccaneers have been a part of the Tampa Bay community since playing their first season in 1976. The franchise has one Super Bowl title to its name, a victory in 2002 over the Raiders.

The Tennessee Titans are a real member of the NFL. The Titans mentioned in the Denzel Washington movie, "Remember the Titans," are also real, but they represent a high school called T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

The NFL has indeed been sending teams "across the pond" for years now, to the delight of Londoners who love American Football. The London Silly Nannies, though, are fictitious — a football franchise part of the television show, "Family Guy."

With Oregon serving as the endpoint of the Oregon Trail that connected the Missouri Valley to the West Coast, we can think of no better name for an Oregon-based team than the pioneers. Unfortunately, they are fictional; another team depicted in "Any Given Sunday."

The New York Jets are a real NFL team, but they're based in New Jersey. Say what? It's true; with real estate at a premium in New York City, the Jets took up residence just outside the city in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a facility they share with another New York-named team.

A team named after a bird of prey sounds pretty freaking intimidating, doesn't it? That's what Atlanta was going for when the Falcons' ownership selected "Falcons" from a schoolteacher who called the falcon "proud and dignified."

The Washington Federals actually did exist ... in a video game. A team in the 2007 release of the video game known as All-Pro Football 2k8, gamers could take the field as the federals, just not in the actual NFL.

The Jacksonville Jaguars joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995, starting first with team colors that included teal, gold and silver. Over the years, the team's look has been refined to incorporate black in place of silver.

Charleston, South Carolina, is an extraordinary tourist stop in the South, noted for its charm and great food. Unfortunately, they don't have an NFL team at all, let alone one named the Cougars.

It's another fictitious video game football team, this time by the name of the Minnesota Mustangs. The fictional team was featured in a video game called "Backbreaker," made for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The Houston Texans are a legitimate NFL franchise, the team that replaced the now-defunct Houston Oilers. When the Oilers franchise was moved to Nashville, Houston was left without a team. That changed in 2002 when the city was awarded an expansion team.

If you've heard of a Bearcats organization, you're not mistaken. The Cincinnati Bearcats are a member of the NCAA, though, and most certainly not based in Baltimore, Maryland. You can find them in Ohio, and you can find the Baltimore Bearcats in a video game titled, "Blitz: The League II."

The Baltimore Ravens are the real deal — both as members of the NFL and as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, thanks to the play of QB phenom Lamar Jackson. The team is named after Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven."

The Buffalo Beasts are a fictitious team that was incorporated in the video game called "Backbreaker." The Buffalo area does have its own NFL franchise, though, by the name of the Buffalo Bills.

The Minnesota Vikings are their state's team representative in the National Football League, playing in its NFC North division. The "Minneapolis Miracle" refers to a clutch catch during the 2018 playoffs that helped the Vikings win the game as time expired.

The New Jersey Blazers are, sadly, a fake franchise depicted on the television series, "Magnum P.I." The real Trail Blazers, though, do exist, in the form of the NBA franchise, the Portland Trail Blazers.

By now, we think most people probably recognize the New England Patriots as the Boston area's Super Bowl franchise, even though the word "Boston" is not in the team's name. The Boston Americans were a featured team on "The Simpsons."

The Carolina Panthers are an NFL franchise headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their name was chosen to represent both Carolinas (North and South), though. While we're at it, the Black Panther is also real — Wakanda forever!

We don't know why the Arizona Cardinals opted for, well, the cardinal, instead of the state bird, the cactus wren. Maybe the Arizona Cactus Wrens were too much to put on a jersey? The Cardinals are headquartered in Tempe.

The Las Vegas Aces are a fictitious team portrayed in the video game, "Blitz: The League II." In fact, Las Vegas doesn't have an NFL team at all ... yet. The Raiders are set to make Las Vegas their home in 2020.

It sure sounds like the Colorado Blizzard could be the real deal, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it is not; they are depicted in the movie "Any Given Sunday." Never fear, Colorado has some other place-appropriate names, including an NHL team named the Colorado Avalanche.

The Miami Dolphins are indeed a real NFL franchise and the team that the NFL's winningest coach, Don Shula, led for 26 years. The Dolphins play in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Los Angeles has two NFL teams, but neither is named the Legends. In fact, the Los Angeles Legends was a fictitious team name in the video game known as All-Pro Football 2k8. L.A.'s two teams are the Chargers and the Rams.

Sports are a big deal in the Philly area, but the Brawlers aren't one of them. The Philadelphia Brawlers were portrayed in the "Blitz: The League II" video game. If you want to see a Philadelphia football team, you'll want to check out the Eagles.

The Denver Broncos are a big part of the Colorado town known as the Mile High City. The Broncos played their first season in the NFL in 1960, winning Super Bowl titles in 1997, 1998 and 2015.

The Los Angeles Chargers, formerly the San Diego Chargers, are, in fact, a real NFL team that plays in the AFC West. They have been around since 1960 when they started in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego and staying there until they returned to L.A. in 2017.

OK, fine, all werewolves are fake ... we think, including the fictitious team, the Minneapolis Werewolves. They were a part of the video game, "All-Pro Football 2k8." But, now that we think about it, "Werewolves" would be a great team name!

If you want to be a part of the Dawg Pound, you'll have to travel to Cleveland and check out the Browns, one of only two real NFL teams in the state of Ohio. The Cincinnati Bengals in the opposite west corner are the other.

The Seattle Seahawks are a real member of the NFL's NFC West. Established in 1974, they played their first season two years later. To date, they have won one Super Bowl, a 2013 matchup against the Broncos.

While the team name "Sharks" sounds like a good fit for a Miami football team, sadly, the Miami Sharks are not real. They were a fictitious team name in the 1999 film, "Any Given Sunday."