A Note About Division Rankings: I rank the 8 divisions in the NFL in 3 categories: depth, power, and overall. For the power rankings I look at the top 2 teams in the division; for the depth rankings I look at all 4 teams in the division; for the overall rankings I look at the depth and the power together.
Division Outlooks
AFC South (Rank: #1; Power Rank: #1; Depth Rank: #2)
Outlook: The AFC South has been very strong in recent years. Last season 3 of the teams in the division had winning records and no team in the division had a losing record. This year I have the AFC South ranked 2nd in depth, 1st in power, and 1st overall among the divisions. The Colts (1 of 3 teams I consider to be on a level above the rest of the NFL) should be the best team in the AFC South this season and I have them ranked 3rd in the NFL. I think the Colts have a definite shot at getting back to the Super Bowl just as they do every season. If they can get through the AFC playoffs the Colts would be favored to win the Super Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars are also great and should challenge Indy for the division title. I think Jax could do some damage in the postseason but I can't see them getting to the Super Bowl ahead of SD, NE, and Indy. I have the Jags ranked 4th in the NFL. So, my 3rd and 4th ranked NFL teams reside in the AFC South, which is why I rank this division 1st in power. The other two teams in the division are the Texans and Titans, both of whom have no shot at the division title but should be competitive. There are no uncompetitive teams in the AFC South and that’s why I rank it 2nd in depth. I rank the Titans 21st and the Texans 22nd in the league. I think they'll be around the .500 mark but they could both easily finish with a winning record and could even make the postseason if they are fortunate. With two great teams and a couple of competitive teams that could end up being good, I feel the AFC South is the best division in the NFL in 2008.
History: Out of the 8 current divisions, the AFC North is near the bottom as far as history. None of the teams have been in their current location for more than 25 years, with the Colts moving from Baltimore in the early 80’s, the Titans moving from Houston in the late 90’s, the Jaguars beginning their history in 1994, and the Texans being the newest team in the NFL, having only played since 2002. There was little rivalry to speak of when the division was formed. The Titans and Jags had a bit of a rivalry from the last days of the old AFC Central but obviously the history and the passion from the fans wasn’t there. That rivalry is still pretty good and the Colts-Titans and Colts-Jaguars rivalries are starting to build between the organizations, if not the fan bases. The Colts have dominated this division, winning the last 5 titles, and they are the only team from this division to win or go to the Super Bowl in its 6 year history. The Titans are the only team other than the Colts to win an AFC South division title, as they won it in the division’s first year back in 2002. Last season the AFC South was the only division in football to have 3 teams win at least 10 games, and 1 of only 2 divisions to have every team finish .500 or better. 3 teams made the playoffs from the AFC South last year for the first time. 5 Wild Card teams have come out of the AFC South in the 6 years since the start of the 4-team division format.
NFC East (Rank: #2; Power Rank: #3; Depth Rank: #1)
Outlook: The NFC East is often one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Last year 3 of the 4 teams in the NFC East finished with winning records and none of the 4 teams had losing records. Some would probably argue that this is the best division this season. It's close in my opinion but I put the NFC East behind the AFC South because the AFC South has 2 of my top 4 teams in the NFL. I rank the NFC East 1st in depth, 3rd in power, and 2nd overall. The Dallas Cowboys could be the best team in the division and they are certainly favored by most to win it. I think they will be one of the top teams in the NFC and have a great shot to go to the Super Bowl. If they get to the Super Bowl I think they could play with an AFC team but I wouldn't favor them. I have them ranked as the 5th best team in the NFL. The Eagles are another very good-to-great team in the East that I rank 8th in the NFL. I believe they'll challange the Cowboys for the division title and could get all the way to the Super Bowl. I wouldn't give them a chance against the top AFC team. With two very good and possibly great teams at the top of the division I have the NFC East 3rd in power. The Giants and Redskins are the other 2 NFC East teams. The Giants are the defending Super Bowl champs who I rank as the 13th best team in the NFL. I think they'll be a good team this year but may have a bit of a hangover. If they get to the playoffs they would have a lot of confidence that they could get to the Super Bowl and repeat. The Skins are a decent team that could be good and I rank them 16th in the NFL. They could find their way to the playoffs but I don't think they can get to the Super Bowl. With all 4 teams in the division ranked in my top 16, the NFC East is easily the deepest division in the league this year. With a few teams that could be great and all 4 teams average or better, I think the NFC East is the 2nd best division in the NFL this year.
History: The NFC East has one of the best histories of any of the 8 current divisions. The four teams in the division are all rivals with each other on equal footing. The only rivalry you could possibly elevate above the rest is the Dallas-Washington rivalry because that rivalry was so important to the NFC in the 70’s. The present day NFC East is obviously just the old NFC East without the Cardinals which has made it an even better division. Philadelphia won the first 3 NFC East titles after realignment, and 4 of the first 6. New York won in 2005 and last year Dallas won their first division title since realignment. Last year the NFC East was 1 of only 2 divisions to have no team finish below .500. 3 teams have gone to the playoffs from the NFC East in each of the last 2 seasons, and at least 2 teams have gone to the playoffs from the NFC East in 5 of the 6 years of the 4-team division format. A total of 7 wild card teams have come from the new NFC East. Last year the Giants became the first NFC East team to win the Super Bowl since realignment. The Eagles are the only other NFC East team to make the Super Bowl in the division’s 6 year history; they lost to the Patriots back in 2004.
NFC North (Rank: #3; Power Rank: #2; Depth Rank: #3)
Outlook: The NFC North was down for a few years but this season I have it ranked 3rd in depth, 2nd in power, and 3rd overall. The NFC North does not contain any teams that I would consider to be great for sure. However, I think that both the Packers and Vikings are very good teams and could become great. The Vikings are my 6th best team in the NFL and the Packers my 7th best. I would bet a lot of money that one of these two teams will win the division. I'm not sure that either team can get to the Super Bowl because of their QB's but in the NFC you certainly can't rule it out. With two teams in my top 7 in the league, I rank the NFC North 2nd in power. Chicago and Detroit are the other two teams in the division. I would consider both the Bears and Lions to be below mediocre but not awful. I can’t see either team competing for the division title however. They could both luck out and finish at .500. I rank the NFC North 3rd in depth because there are two very good teams and no truly awful teams in the division.
History: The NFC North is of course the old NFC Central without the Tampa Bay Bucs, who never really fit into the Central anyway. The Bucs and Packers did have a pretty good rivalry going for a while but it’s not one that you can’t live without. The 4 teams in the division were the original 4 teams from the NFC Central and they have all been playing each other for many, many years. The Packers-Bears rivalry is the best rivalry from the division only because the fan bases are so passionate but the other rivalries in the division are all pretty good. While it seems like the Pack has been less of force this decade, they have actually won 4 of the 6 NFC North titles, winning the first 3 and then last season. Chicago of course won in 2005 and 2006. The NFC North has had only 1 winning team in 4 of the 6 years since its creation, and the division has never had 2 teams with 10 or more wins in the same season. Only 1 wild card team has come from the NFC North and that was Minnesota in 2004 with a record of 8-8. The only NFC North team to reach the Super Bowl was the Bears in 2006 when they lost to the Colts.
AFC East (Rank: #4; Power Rank: #4; Depth Rank: #5)
Outlook: Some people may think that the AFC East is one of the worst divisions in the NFL because the Patriots seem to dominate without much competition at all. But I rank the AFC East 5th in depth, 4th in power, and 4th overall. The Patriots are 1 of the 3 teams I consider to be on a separate level from the rest of the NFL, and they are my 2nd best team this year. They are favored to win the Super Bowl. The next best team in the AFC East is the Jets, who I rank 15th. I would consider the Jets to be an above average team but they aren’t going to challenge the Pats for the division title. I only rank the AFC East 5th in depth because the other two teams in the division are below mediocre. The Bills are a below average team in my opinion and the Dolphins are among the worst teams in the NFL. I rank the Bills 24th in the NFL and I think they will be hard pressed to finish without a losing record. I rank Miami 30th out of 32 teams, and I think it would be a huge accomplishment for them to avoid a 10 loss season.
History: Like the NFC East, the AFC East merely dropped one team during realignment in 2002 but this division misses the Colts a lot more than the NFC East misses the Cards. There are a few very interesting rivalries in this division. Miami is really nowhere near the state of New York but the Dolphins have had pretty good rivalries with both the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. In recent years the rivalries between the Patriots and the rest of the division have gotten better. Pats-Bills was elevated when some of the key members from the Patriots played for the Bills earlier in this decade. Pats-Dolphins is a rivalry that seems to heat up every few years. Currently the Pats-Jets rivalry is one of the fiercest in all of football for various reasons of which we are all aware. The Pats have dominated the new AFC East, winning the last 5 titles. The Jets are the only other team to win the new AFC East, taking the title in the first year after realignment back in 2002. Only 2 wild card teams have come from the AFC East and it was the Jets in both 2004 and 2006.
AFC North (Rank: #5; Power Rank: #6; Depth Rank: #4)
Outlook: The AFC North isn't lacking in depth but there just aren't any great teams in the division, which is why I rank the AFC North 6th in power, 4th in depth, and 5th overall. The Steelers and Browns are the top two teams in the AFC North and they should battle each other for the division title. In the end I think only the Steelers will get to the postseason but they aren't going to the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh is my 11th best team in the NFL this year and I rank the Browns 12th. Baltimore is average and could compete for a playoff spot but I don’t think they’ll make it. I have the Ravens ranked 18th in the league. Cincinnati is the worst team in the AFC North. They actually could end up being competitive but I have them ranked 26th of 32 teams in the NFL. In my opinion, this is the only division in the AFC without a Super Bowl contender.
History: The AFC North contains 4 of the teams from the old AFC Central that had grown to 6 teams by the time realignment took place. The Bengals, Browns, and Steelers of course all have long time rivalries with each other but they miss the Houston Oilers. The Ravens and Browns rivalry is one of the best of the newer rivalries in the NFL, and the Ravens and Steelers have also stirred up a pretty good rivalry. Control of this division has been pretty well spread out in the 6 years since realignment. The Steelers have won the most division titles with 3, the Ravens have won 2, and the Bengals won in 2005. The Browns have never won the AFC North division title and no team has ever repeated as AFC North champs. Surprisingly, only 2 wild card teams have come from the AFC North, and the division has had 2 teams win as many as 10 games in the same season just twice. The Steelers are the only team from the division to win or get to the Super Bowl during the 6 year history of the AFC North.
NFC South (Rank: #6; Power Rank: #5; Depth Rank: #6)
Outlook: The NFC South may not have any teams that we know are great but there are some teams that are close. I rank the NFC South 5th in power, 6th in depth, and 6th overall. The top team in the NFC South this year figures to be the Saints, who I rank 9th in the NFL. I think the Saints could definitely get to their first Super Bowl this year but I wouldn't give them a chance to win against the top AFC team. I think the Bucs will be good as well, and I rank them 14th. They should challenge the Saints for the division title but I don't see them getting all the way to the Super Bowl. The Panthers should be a mediocre team and they might find a way into the playoffs. I rank them 19th. I feel the Falcons are the worst team in the NFL this season and that’s why I only rank the NFC South 6th in depth, despite it having 3 teams ranked in my top 19.
History: The NFC South is a “young” division in terms of both how long the teams in the division have been in existence and the length of time that they have been in the same division as each other. None of the teams in the division were in existence during the early days of the NFL, with the Falcons and Saints being a couple of the first expansion teams back in the mid-60’s, the Bucs being an expansion team in the late 70’s, and the Panthers coming into existence in the mid-90’s. Also, with the possible exception of the Panthers, none of the franchises in the NFC South have been associated with winning for the majority of their existence. Really the Panthers are neutral in that regard. They don’t have a great history of losing but you can’t really say that they have a long tradition of consistent success either. The Bucs, Falcons, and Saints on the other hand have all spent great portions of their history losing. The Bucs have done more to change their image and reverse the way they are seen as a franchise than perhaps any team in the NFL. For essentially the first 20 years of their existence they were a laughing stock of the league and synonymous with losing. In the mid-90’s the Bucs changed their uniforms and it did much to help them start over as a franchise. Then when they started winning consistently with a group of players who were tough and full of personality the franchise really started to create a completely new image. They have continued to be competitive for over 10 years now. The Falcons and Saints are really a different story. These two franchises share as similar a history as any two teams in sports. They came into the league at the same time in the mid-60’s when the NFL was first expanding. At that time little help was given to new franchises to get them on their feet compared to recent times. Over the next few decades, wins and successful seasons were rarities in both New Orleans and Atlanta. The two franchises have shared the same division throughout their entire history and there is a great rivalry between the two teams and fan bases. Over the years, both teams have gone through short periods of time when it looked like their luck and their image was going to change. But in the end these two franchises have never really been able to make sustain success long enough during any period of time to become relevant for more than a few years. Since the formation of the NFC South in 2002, rivalries have formed between all of the teams in the division. The NFC South has been one of the more competitive divisions since realignment. One bizarre trend in this division has been a worst to first pattern. The last 5 NFC South division title winners accomplished the feat after finishing last in the division the year before. All 4 teams in the division have won the division at least once in its 6 year history. The Bucs have won 3 times and the other 3 teams have each won once. Only 2 wild card teams have come out of the NFC South, and only once in 6 years have 2 teams from the division won 10 or more games in the same year. The Bucs are the only team from the NFC South to win the Super Bowl in the division’s 6 year history. The Panthers are the only other team to make the Super Bowl during the division’s history, losing to the Pats back in 2003.
NFC West (Rank: #7; Power Rank: #8; Depth Rank: #7)
Outlook: The NFC West is the weakest division seemingly every year but I won't give it that label this season. I rank the NFC West 8th in power, 7th in depth, and 7th overall. Seattle should be by far the best team in the NFC West as usual this season. I rank them as the 10th best team in the NFL. They definitely have a shot to go to the Super Bowl but I wouldn't give them a chance at winning it. There are no other good teams in the division, which is why I rank it 8th in power. Arizona and St. Louis are mediocre teams, ranked 17th and 20th by me respectively. I expect both of them to be around .500 and perhaps over but I don't think they'll make the playoffs. The only truly bad team in the NFC West is San Fran. They are my 29th best team in 2008 and I don't see them losing less than 10 this season.
History: The NFC West has been perhaps the least successful divisions in terms of both producing winning teams and creating rivalries. The NFC West was at a disadvantage from a few of the other divisions because it was not one of the divisions formed primarily out of an existing division. The Seahawks weren’t even in the same conference as the other 3 teams and their rivals were all teams from the AFC West. The Rams and Niners had both been in the NFC West together for years, but naturally that rivalry had fallen off considerably since the Rams had relocated from Las Angeles to St. Louis. The Cardinals had been in the NFC East for over 30 years. Also, most of the franchises in the division had shorter histories in some way. As stated, the Rams had moved from LA to St. Louis in 1995. The Cardinals had moved from St. Louis to Arizona in 1988. Seattle had been an expansion team in the late 70’s. The Niners were the only team in the division that was both an older franchise and in the same location they had been in for a long time. Another problem was that “natural” rivalries were not as likely to form among the teams from the NFC West because they weren’t located all that closely to one another. The Seahawks are really the most isolated team in the NFL up there in the Pacific Northwest. The Cardinals are also fairly isolated in the Southwest corner of the country. San Fran is in Northern California and not really close to either of those other teams. And then St. Louis is in the friggin mid-west and not anywhere near the other teams in the division. Finally, the other problem the NFC West has had is that most of the teams in the division have been struggling since realignment. The Cardinals have a long, long history of losing and haven’t had a winning season in the 6 years since the divisions were realigned. St. Louis went to the Super Bowl in the last year that they were in the old NFC West, but their loss in that game really ended that era. During the 6 year history of the NFC West, the Rams have had 1 winning season. The San Francisco 49ers were losers during the majority of the first 35 years of their history. Then from 1981 to 1998 the Niners were the most successful team in the NFL, winning 13 division titles and 5 Super Bowls. But in 1999 Steve Young suffered a concussion that eventually forced him to retire and the Niners had their first losing season in 17 and they haven’t really recovered since. They have had just 1 winning season in the 6 year history of the new NFC West. The Cards, Niners, and Rams have combined for 2 winning seasons during the 6 year history of the NFC West. Someone had to capitalize on the struggles of those other 3 teams, and in this case it was the Seattle Seahawks. San Francisco won the division in the first year of the new NFC West and the Rams won it in 2003. The Seahawks have won each of the last 4 division titles and they are the only team from the division to post a winning record in any of the last 4 seasons! Seattle is also the only team from the division to go to the Super Bowl during the 6 years since realignment, losing to the Steelers in 2005. Just 2 wild card teams have come from the NFC West. The Rams made the playoffs as a wild card team in 2004 with an 8-8 record and the Seahawks made it in 2003. 2003 was also the only year that 2 teams from the NFC West won at least 10 games. It was actually the only year that 2 teams from the NFC West had a winning record.
AFC West (Rank: #8; Power Rank: #7; Depth Rank: #8)
Forecast: Last season I thought the AFC West would be really strong as it normally is but it had a down year. This season the weakest division overall is the AFC West. I rank the AFC West 7th in power, 8th in depth, and 8th overall. Strangely, the AFC West is where you will find my top rated team, the San Diego Chargers. They should cruise to a division title and this might be the year they get to the Super Bowl. If they get to the Super Bowl they will win it. The Chargers are ranked 1st by me but no other team in the division is better than 23rd on my list. Oakland and Denver could end up being mediocre but going into this year I have them ranked 23rd and 27th respectively. I think they will both be around .500 this year. The worst team in the division is KC who is awful. I have them ranked 31st out of 32 teams in the NFL. They will have a very hard time avoiding a 10 loss season.
History: The AFC West has about as much history as any division in the NFL. All 4 teams came from the old AFC West and have been playing each other since they were all members of the AFL. The Chargers do not have as big of a rivalry with the other 3 teams in the division, only because their fan base is not quite as passionate as the others. The Chiefs, Broncos, and Raiders all have bitter rivalries with each other, and when those teams are decent it is very tough to win on their home field. In the 6 years since realignment the AFC West has been one of the better divisions. 3 wild card teams have come out of the AFC West and the AFC West has had 2 teams win 10 or more games in the same year 3 times. In 5 of the 6 years since realignment, at least 2 teams in the AFC West have had winning records, 3 teams have had winning records in the same year twice, and in 2002 no AFC West team finished below .500. The Raiders are the only team to make the Super Bowl in the 6 year history of the new AFC West, losing to the Bucs in 2002.
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