The 18 Best Foods for Watching a Game

Nothing on this table needs cutlery and nothing survives past halftime. Rank the spread, not the score.

1. 1
   Buffalo wings

   Fried, sauced and stacked in a basket, invented in a Buffalo bar and now inseparable from televised sport.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Pizza

   Arrives in a box, needs no plates and survives being ignored for a whole quarter.
   818pts
3. 3
   Mozzarella sticks

   Breaded cheese that has roughly ninety seconds of perfect stretch before it gives up.
   568pts
4. 4
   Sliders

   Miniature burgers built for eating three of without admitting to eating three.
   515pts
5. 5
   Barbecue ribs

   The ambitious choice, requiring napkins, planning and a willingness to miss a touchdown.
   454pts
6. 6
   Onion rings

   Battered, fried and structurally doomed the moment anyone tries to eat one politely.
   454pts
7. 7
   Nachos

   A communal tray where the middle chips are always better than the ones at the edge.
   454pts
8. 8
   Potato chips

   The baseline. No preparation, no cutlery, and nobody has ever complained about them.
   454pts
9. 9
   Seven-layer dip

   Beans, guacamole and sour cream stacked in a glass dish so the layers can be admired before destruction.
   384pts
10. 10
    Deviled eggs

    The plate somebody's relative brings, which turns out to be the first thing finished.
    384pts
11. 11
    Chili

    A pot that sits on the stove all afternoon and gets ladled out between plays.
    303pts
12. 12
    Soft pretzels

    Warm salted knots with mustard, borrowed straight from the concession stand.
    303pts
13. 13
    Guacamole

    Mashed avocado and lime that vanishes fastest of anything on the table.
    303pts
14. 14
    Jalapeño poppers

    Cheese-stuffed chillies in breadcrumbs, hot enough that someone always misjudges the first one.
    303pts
15. 15
    Pigs in a blanket

    Sausages rolled in pastry, the tray that empties before anyone has sat down.
    206pts
16. 16
    Pulled pork sandwich

    Slow-cooked shoulder piled on a soft bun, the meal disguised as a snack.
    206pts
17. 17
    Popcorn

    Cheap by the bucket, endless by design, and the only item here nobody feels guilty about.
    206pts
18. 18
    Hot dogs

    The stadium food that transfers to a living room with almost no loss.
    91pts