Which is the toughest division in the NFL?
When you think of the most difficult division in the NFL, the NFC East is the one that normally springs to mind. In the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, this division combined has sent teams to 19 Super Bowls – 11 of whom have returned with the Lombardi Trophy in hand.
Due to the bitter rivalry and history of these teams it is difficult to suggest that any other league comes close. However, with many teams that have remained dormant for the last few years now beginning to flourish, does the NFC East still lead the way?
To realistically be considered the top division in the NFL, the division title must be winnable for any team. In most divisions, this simply isn’t the case. Even in the NFC East, the Redskins have been on the decline in recent years. They are currently in a rebuilding phase, waiting for an opportunity to improve their roster with upcoming draft prospects Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore. So which divisions are the main contenders to assume the NFC East’s mantle at the top of the pile?
A lot of people are suggesting the NFC North is now the toughest division. I still doubt this, however, because although the Lions are an up and coming team that has the potential to pose a threat, past seasons suggest they are the pushover side in the division, averaging just one divisional win per season since 2002. I appreciate this sounds similar to the NFC East, but I seriously believe the Packers will win that league by a country mile for the next few seasons to come.
What about the other divisions? Most recently the NFC South, AFC East and AFC North have sent a team to the Super Bowl on three occasions since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002. Having said that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the sole reason for the AFC North having success in the Super Bowl. Out of the seven times a team from this division has won the Super Bowl, the Steelers have scooped the big prize on six occasions. The only other team to win were the Ravens in 2001.
It would be difficult to suggest that the AFC North was the toughest division, as it seems that the league is top-heavy in favour of the Steelers and Ravens. The Cleveland Browns have been unfortunate enough not to visit a single Super Bowl, and in divisional matches they have only averaged two wins per season since 2002.
It is a similar scenario with the AFC East. Obviously, over the last 10 years, the most prominent team in the division has been the New England Patriots. They have definitely been the most consistent. The Patriots have visited three times and were unlucky not to be victorious in all of them, when their attempt at perfection was thwarted by the Giants in 2008.
The Patriots have averaged a divisional success rate of five out of six games since the league included the Texans, but in comparison with the other teams in the division it would suggest they have it relatively easy. The Bills and Dolphins only average two wins a season in their division, and despite the fact the Bills have been to four consecutive Super Bowls over the years, they have lost every single time.
So this leaves the NFC South. The division made up of the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers has produced three different Super Bowl teams over the last decade, two of whom were victorious. The only team not to visit most recently, despite having a shot in 1999, are the Falcons, who look like they are due a visit again very soon. Interestingly, out of the six divisional games played within this division each team has averaged a win percentage of three out of six games, suggesting a balance and parity unmatched by the other divisions.
The NFC South has actually produced the fewest number of Super Bowl teams, but each team has visited, so is it a division on the rise? I would suggest definitely, but I believe it isn’t quite as strong as the NFC East just yet.
Content courtesy of Jack Tonkin
