Best Division in 2006? (1 Viewer)

[David Yudkin]

Now that the regular season is almost done, which division was the best this year? Here's some further stats to consider in the polling . . .

AFC East 33-27, +115 point scoring differential

AFC North 31-29, +110 point scoring differential

AFC South 32-28, -2 point scoring differential

AFC West 32-28, +66 point scoring differential

NFC East 30-30, +70 point scoring differential

NFC North 28-32, -19 point scoring differential

NFC South 28-32, -99 point scoring differential

NFC West 26-34, -241 point scoring differential

 

[gigantor]

NFC North- Superbowl champs and it also has the future hall of famer Brett Favre.

 

[sinatravolta]

Now that the regular season is almost done, which division was the best this year? Here's some further stats to consider in the polling . . .AFC East 33-27, +115 point scoring differentialAFC North 31-29, +110 point scoring differentialAFC South 32-28, -2 point scoring differentialAFC West 32-28, +66 point scoring differentialNFC East 30-30, +70 point scoring differentialNFC North 28-32, -19 point scoring differentialNFC South 28-32, -99 point scoring differentialNFC West 26-34, -241 point scoring differential

Based on these stats, it's the AFC East (best record and point differential).The AFC North and West are the only other viable alternatives - both are hurt by having one very bad team (Browns, Raiders). I think the argument for the West over the East would be:Chargers > PatriotsBroncos > JetsChiefs > BillsRaiders << DolphinsThe North and the West actually makes for a tough comparison along these lines.Chargers only barely > RavensBengals ?? BroncosSteelers ?? ChiefsBrowns > Raiders

 

[fred_1_15301]

NFC North- Superbowl champs and it also has the future hall of famer Brett Favre.

Thank you. I've had a rough day and really needed this laugh......

 

[PMENFAN]

Top to bottom, it's the AFC East. No easy games in this division. The numbers tell the story. Imagine if Nick hadn't stuck w/ Pepper for so long, and Miami hadn't started so poorly?

If the Raiders weren't so Pathetic, I'd give the A West consideration.

Chargers > Patriots - I'd agree, marginally

Broncos > Jets I disagree = if anything

Chiefs > Bills again = if anything

Raiders << Dolphins I'd agree here, way better

To say that the Broncos or Chiefs are better than the other two, they'd have to actually be better. The Jets and Broncos have the same record, and essentially the same point differntial. Both are in the same position this week, with a win they're in the playoffs. I'd say they're pretty much equal. Big difference? Jets were supposed to be the worst team in the league. Broncos were in the conference title game last year, and lost virtually nobody. Chiefs are one game better than the Bills, witha .66 pt/game scoring differential advantage. I'd call that pretty much equal. They're relative equal divisions. I just think the AFC east is better, because our worst team popped up and beat Chicago and New England. There are no easy games in the division. Yes, there is one very good team in each, two top half of the leage teams in each, and one then the fourth. I give it to the East, becauset hat fourth is just so much stronger.

As for the rest of the divisions. I just don't think it's close. These two divisions are the class of the NFL this season. And by class, there are no true elites. I think the league playoffs are as wide open as they've been since, well, last season.

 

[PsychoMan]

Not a huge fan of the AFC east ... I think the AFC west & north are the two best, but I voted North.

Ravens: look awesome. most rankings have them a top 2 (maybe top 3) team in the league.

Bengals: they're about a .500 team, but the games they have lost have been very close, and to top notch teams (denver, indy, san diego, baltimore, new england). on any given Sunday they can compete with any team.

Steelers: having a 'bad' season for them, but still beat (and destroyed) some pretty good teams. i think the AFC is quite happy this team didn't make the playoffs after what happened last season.

Browns: well i guess this is where they're hurting, but there is some talent on the team

 

[geoff8695]

Not a huge fan of the AFC east ... I think the AFC west & north are the two best, but I voted North.

Ravens: look awesome. most rankings have them a top 2 (maybe top 3) team in the league.

Bengals: they're about a .500 team, but the games they have lost have been very close, and to top notch teams (denver, indy, san diego, baltimore, new england). on any given Sunday they can compete with any team.

Steelers: having a 'bad' season for them, but still beat (and destroyed) some pretty good teams. i think the AFC is quite happy this team didn't make the playoffs after what happened last season.

Browns: well i guess this is where they're hurting, but there is some talent on the team

Also voted AFC North

 

[Ghost Rider]

I guess you could say that the Patriots benefited greatly by playing four of their six AFC East games in their first month and a half of the season, as they got to play those teams (and Buffalo twice) before any of them really started playing well. You have to wonder how NE would have faired had they played some of those games late, especially given the fact that the Jets won at NE in November, and that Miami shut them out earlier this month.

I give the AFC West the slight nod, simply because the Chargers and Broncos are probably better than any team from the AFC East. Yes, I think the Broncos are a better overall team than the Patriots.

 

[Iron Mike Tomczak]

I also had to go AFC north here. The steelers make the playoffs this year if it werent to 3 key losses in division games (2-balt, 1 cinci). In any other division I think they make it.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I also had to go AFC north here. The steelers make the playoffs this year if it werent to 3 key losses in division games (2-balt, 1 cinci). In any other division I think they make it.

That is faulty logic. I could say that the Bills would have made the playoffs in any other division, if not for losing to the Patriots twice and the Jets once (three division games).I could say the the Dolphins would have made the playoffs in any other division, if not for losing to the Jets twice and the Patriots once (three division games). See, what I mean?

 

[Banger]

How can anyone vote for an NFC division?

 

[PatsWillWin]

I also had to go AFC north here. The steelers make the playoffs this year if it werent to 3 key losses in division games (2-balt, 1 cinci). In any other division I think they make it.

Oakland could've made the playoffs if it weren't for 7 or 8 key losses they had. Man what a division.

 

[Ghost Rider]

How can anyone vote for an NFC division?

People being silly. And the AFC South has zero votes as of this moment, despite having three teams over .500!

 

[PatsWillWin]

How can anyone vote for an NFC division?

Especially one with 3 teams under .500.

 

[stevegamer]

I'm figuring that's a charity vote from a Saints fan, so I let it slide. The which division in the NFC is the best is kind of interesting - East or North.

AFC South does NOT have the best team in the conference, and Jax & Ten have been erratic. So they get eliminated.

 

[Banger]

I'm figuring that's a charity vote from a Saints fan, so I let it slide. The which division in the NFC is the best is kind of interesting - East or North.AFC South does NOT have the best team in the conference, and Jax & Ten have been erratic. So they get eliminated.

I think I'd have to vote NFC East. The North has the best team obviously of the two divisions but the Pack/Minn are just bad and Detroit is Detroit. The East doesn't have any terrible teams and have had some big time injuries (Portis, McNabb, etc.) to franchise players. As a division they are more balanced and if they played head to head I think the East would dominate pretty much every team except for the Bears.

 

[David Yudkin]

I since found Opponents' Strength of Schedule, if that matters to anyone . . .

AFC South .528

AFC East .522

AFC North .511

AFC West .505

NFC East .494

NFC South .485

NFC North .480

NFC West .473

 

[PatsWillWin]

AFC East has the best record, best total point differential, and the 2nd toughest schedule.

 

[AB in DC]

So far, I'm the lone vote for AFC South.

Only one other division has three teams over .500 -- that's the AFC West, and they're disqualified for having Oakland.

Only one other division has a last place team with a better record -- that's the AFC East, but they had a weaker schedule as a whole (i.e., four games against the NFC North vs. four games against the NFC East)

 

[PMENFAN]

AFC East has the best record, best total point differential, and the 2nd toughest schedule.

That said, I think the four AFC divisions are pretty much equal. I just give a slight edge to the East, because of these facts above, but I acknowledge the difference is minimal, and there are strong arguments for any of the three divisions. The peak is higher in the West and North, but the valleys cancel it out. The middle in each is about even. You can talk injuries, what ifs and whatever, but it is what it is. Taking all the Stats, Strength of schedule, point differential and win/loss, I'd still have to rank them, East, North, West, South. That negative point differential hurts the south. NOthing scientific, but the huge point differentialputs the east and north over the top. The strength of schedule is minimal, but the point differentials are pretty big, especially comparing the south to the rest. Thankfully, we have a playoff,. I love playoffs. The regular season just means you get to playoff. How you played to get there is irrelevant; you got there. How you're playing NOW matters. It's also why I love h2H over total points.

 

[Riffraff]

NFC West may have been the toughest division because of the selection committee's decision for the "at large" bid to make the big dance.

Somebody HAD to go and the decision was probably pretty tough to decide which bubble team it was.

I think sentimental voting played a large part following last year's championship game. And the "12th Man" logo makes for good TV. Hope they can find some towels this time around. Somebody check Ebay...

 

[Marc Levin]

I also had to go AFC north here. The steelers make the playoffs this year if it werent to 3 key losses in division games (2-balt, 1 cinci). In any other division I think they make it.

That is faulty logic.

And for the reasons you gave after that statement.I also don't understand how anyone can vote for any NFC division. Maybe someone can make a good argument.I have not read anything further, so this may have been pointed out, but here's a stat or three to fuel an AFC East over AFC North debate (IMO, raising any other division as the "best" makes no sense and can not be statistically supported - I encourage y'all to show me the error of that thought).IMO, you must deduct the in-division games to see the teams' real worth. Once you deduct each team's in-division wins and losses:AFC-E record outside the division: 21-15AFC-N record outside division: 20-18More wins, fewer losses, the AFC-N was worse outside their own division than the AFC-E (so far). All the AFC-E teams have finished their in-division games. There is still one in-division game for the AFC-N (Cin-Pitt). If two of the AFC-E teams win their games this weekend, this debate should be over - in favor of the AFC-E.Consider that the elite teams (Bal, Chi., SD, maybe NE and NO) all had as many or more of their losses outside the division as in it. Also consider that Chicago and NE had two of their six losses against AFC-E teams. Consider that SD played a 24-21 game against their only AFC-E opponent (Buffalo), and went 3-1 against their AFC-N opponents. On the other side of the coin, one of SD's two losses was against Baltimore. While taking care of your division is important, the true mettle of the strength of your division is each team's play outside of the division. Also consider that the elite teams all struggled more against the AFC-E than the AFC-N.Anyway, like the AFC-E or not, it seems to have every number behind them in their case for best division in football.

Thankfully, we have a playoff,. I love playoffs. The regular season just means you get to playoff. How you played to get there is irrelevant; you got there. How you're playing NOW matters. It's also why I love h2H over total points.

Is that an argument that favors the NFC-E? Right now, they have the potential to place three teams in the playoffs. I'm not sure any other division can do that.Good football topic, Yuds.

 

[x260bm]

If you asked this question a month ago I defiantly would have chosen the AFC West. Three of the four teams were 7-4 or better. Now the Broncos and Chiefs have slid to the point to where I don’t know which division is best.

 

[spec1alk]

What hurts the AFC West is that the chargers beat every team in there twice except the chiefs. Its tough when you can't split games with teams in your division. If the chargers split with the broncos, they would be a definite wildcard instead of a win-n-in candidate.

Also, the scoring differential doesnt really mean anything. Can you honestly say that MIA plays NEP like any other team? I remember watching a monday night game 2 seasons ago, late in the season NEP @ MIA and MIA beat them. Very very close game that ended on brady throwing a pass while being tackled and it was intercepted.

What you should really be looking at is if all 4 teams in a division were to play all the other teams in the NFL, how many of those games do you think they would win?

Based on that I think a strong argument could be made for the AFC South. I think TEN is very very hot right now and could beat anyone. I think IND is a team that can beat anyone... at home. JAX is a tough team and HOU has their moments when Carr is not on his rear.

I agree with an earlier post that the AFC west and North are severly hurt by a single very weak team.

 

[spec1alk]

you know whats interesting. IND is going to the playoffs and they do not have the best record in their division. Same with the NFC West. Is any team more not deserving of a playoff spot than SEA? I was really hoping SFO would win out and SEA would lose their final 2 games. This would put SFO in. What a shame.

 

[Marc Levin]

Also, the scoring differential doesnt really mean anything. Can you honestly say that MIA plays NEP like any other team? I remember watching a monday night game 2 seasons ago, late in the season NEP @ MIA and MIA beat them. Very very close game that ended on brady throwing a pass while being tackled and it was intercepted.

I think that was last year.

you know whats interesting. IND is going to the playoffs and they do not have the best record in their division.

Ind. 11-4Jax 8-7Tenn 8-7Hou 5-10

 

[renesauz]

I voted NFC East. It's the only division without a true slug team. Also, since every team does not come even close to playing every other team, schedules have to be considered every bit as much (or more) then records and point differentials.

No team in the NFC East is a laydown, and that to me, means just as much as the records.

The NFC-E is deeper in strength overall then the others.

That said, the top 3 or so teams in the league are arguably in the AFC. I just don't QUITE buy into the thought that the AFC is hugely superior. It seems to me that the AFC simply has a clearer division of "very good" teams to very bad teams. It's funny how when most compile a list of the five best AND the five worst teams in the NFL, the AFC dominates both lists (Think Houston, Oakland, Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay, Washington, and Arizona.)

Not to take anything away from the AFC's best teams, but despite overall W-L records, AFC teams in general have faced more laydown teams because there are more of them in their conferance to face!

PS: San Diego is still the best single team in the NFL right now!

Edited to add: The AFC East would be my second choice for similar lines of logic. Buffalo is closer then generaly given credit for. I'm just not sold on the strength of the Patriots this year.

 

[PMENFAN]

I voted NFC East. It's the only division without a true slug team. Also, since every team does not come even close to playing every other team, schedules have to be considered every bit as much (or more) then records and point differentials.No team in the NFC East is a laydown, and that to me, means just as much as the records. The NFC-E is deeper in strength overall then the others.That said, the top 3 or so teams in the league are arguably in the AFC. I just don't QUITE buy into the thought that the AFC is hugely superior. It seems to me that the AFC simply has a clearer division of "very good" teams to very bad teams. It's funny how when most compile a list of the five best AND the five worst teams in the NFL, the AFC dominates both lists (Think Houston, Oakland, Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay, Washington, and Arizona.)Not to take anything away from the AFC's best teams, but despite overall W-L records, AFC teams in general have faced more laydown teams because there are more of them in their conferance to face!PS: San Diego is still the best single team in the NFL right now!Edited to add: The AFC East would be my second choice for similar lines of logic. Buffalo is closer then generaly given credit for. I'm just not sold on the strength of the Patriots this year.

The NFC East? You're kidding me. The Cowboys have run hot and cold, and right now they're looking mighty cold, needing a win last week to salt away the division, and they laid an egg. Philly is looking good, but the rest of that division looks pathetic. Bottom team in each conference has two wins, Oakland and Detroit. Pretty much even. Next tier is 4 wins, and each conference has one team there, Tampa and Cleveland. Next tier is five wins, Washington and AZ in the NFC, but only Houston in the AFC. Your theory is falling apart. The NFC is laden with mediocrity. There are 2 good teams in Chicago and NO in the conference, four dogs and ten others that were in the playoff hunt until pretty much week fifteen. Philly has been playing well of late, and I'd call them the 3rd best team in the conference, at 9-6. But, , if Philly losees to Dallas last weekend, they're possibly sending two 8-8 wildcards to the postseason. As it is, somebody has to win this weekend to get to .599 to clinch the last wildcard and be a top 6 team.

 

[Weapon of Mass Instruction]

On the heels of our AFC vs NFC debate a few days ago, I found it interesting that I was debating between 3 AFC divisions for the best division in football, with the other AFC division being 4th.

I think you have a toss up between AFC's East, North, and South -- with West being next just because I think KC is on the downside (QB-wise).

Kind of hard to argue it.

 

[Weapon of Mass Instruction]

I since found Opponents' Strength of Schedule, if that matters to anyone . . .AFC South .528AFC East .522AFC North .511AFC West .505NFC East .494NFC South .485NFC North .480NFC West .473

And AFC South has 3 teams over .500. That does mean something.

 

[Kirby]

It's close between the AFC North and West. They went 8-8 and the games between the top teams were close.

 

[Weapon of Mass Instruction]

Also, the scoring differential doesnt really mean anything. Can you honestly say that MIA plays NEP like any other team? I remember watching a monday night game 2 seasons ago, late in the season NEP @ MIA and MIA beat them. Very very close game that ended on brady throwing a pass while being tackled and it was intercepted.

I think that was last year.

you know whats interesting. IND is going to the playoffs and they do not have the best record in their division.

Ind. 11-4Jax 8-7Tenn 8-7Hou 5-10

He's talking DIVISION record. Baby Horses 4-2Titans 4-2, split with the filliesHags 4-2

 

[MLBrandow]

I thought the AFC East would be the weakest division this year... that I considered picking them for this leads me to believe I was wrong.

I expected the Jets to be where they are right now and the Patriots, but I similarly expected the Dolphins/Bills to be lobbying for the #1 draft pick, not working on 8-8. Very impressed by both squads.

 

[spec1alk]

Also, the scoring differential doesnt really mean anything. Can you honestly say that MIA plays NEP like any other team? I remember watching a monday night game 2 seasons ago, late in the season NEP @ MIA and MIA beat them. Very very close game that ended on brady throwing a pass while being tackled and it was intercepted.

I think that was last year.

you know whats interesting. IND is going to the playoffs and they do not have the best record in their division.

Ind. 11-4Jax 8-7Tenn 8-7Hou 5-10

I meant division record. They are 3-3 while tenessee is 4-2.

 

[Assani Fisher]

I'm figuring that's a charity vote from a Saints fan, so I let it slide. The which division in the NFC is the best is kind of interesting - East or North.

AFC South does NOT have the best team in the conference, and Jax & Ten have been erratic. So they get eliminated.

Every division has a ton of teams that have been erratic. Pittsburgh and Cincy have. Buffalo and Miami started slowly. KC and Denver. I don't follow your logic here.

 

[thayman]

Depends on how you want to look at it. The NFC East will probably end up with 3 teams in the playoffs.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.

It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

 

[thayman]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

3 out of the 4 teams from the NFC East should be in the playoffs.

 

[cstu]

AFC East based on how the teams have played the 2nd half. Buffalo has went 5-3, losing those 3 games by a total of 5 points. The Dolphins have been much better since the bye and 2 of their 3 losses since then have been against the division.

 

[cstu]

As much as I wanted to vote AFC West, the Raiders are just too terrible to make it the best division.

 

[Marc Levin]

Depends on how you want to look at it. The NFC East will probably end up with 3 teams in the playoffs.

I was just about to ask about this phenomenon. Since the league went to 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams, this would appear to be even more impressive than in years past.Or is that simply an indictment of the NFC?I am sure we can all agree that the NFC-E is the best division in the NFC.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

if you just look at the top-3 teams, I think the AFC West, AFC North, and AFC South are all better than the AFC East. But, the Dolphins are the best 4th place team in the AFC so that closes the gap when you take all 4 teams into consideration. The 4 AFC divisions are pretty even, IMO.

 

[bentley]

Depends on how you want to look at it. The NFC East will probably end up with 3 teams in the playoffs.

I was just about to ask about this phenomenon. Since the league went to 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams, this would appear to be even more impressive than in years past.Or is that simply an indictment of the NFC?I am sure we can all agree that the NFC-E is the best division in the NFC.

I think your last two sentences are correct. Impressive showing relative to the rest of the NFC but still inferior to most AFC divisions.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

3 out of the 4 teams from the NFC East should be in the playoffs.

3 of 4 are going to barely limp in in the super-weak NFC. Hardly impressive.

 

[thayman]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

3 out of the 4 teams from the NFC East should be in the playoffs.

3 of 4 are going to barely limp in in the super-weak NFC. Hardly impressive.

It depends on what stats you like I guess, some would argue that making the playoffs is better than missing out, a ugly win is better than a pretty loss. Would you rather be limping in the Super-weak NFC and getting a playoff berth? Or sitting home for the playoffs?ETA that I find it pretty impressive since the NFC East is the first division to have 3 teams in the playoffs since the re-alignment.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

3 out of the 4 teams from the NFC East should be in the playoffs.

3 of 4 are going to barely limp in in the super-weak NFC. Hardly impressive.

It depends on what stats you like I guess, some would argue that making the playoffs is better than missing out, a ugly win is better than a pretty loss. Would you rather be limping in the Super-weak NFC and getting a playoff berth? Or sitting home for the playoffs?ETA that I find it pretty impressive since the NFC East is the first division to have 3 teams in the playoffs since the re-alignment.

Which I would rather be doing has absolutely no correlation as to which team is actually better. If the AFC West were in the NFC they'd have 3 playoff teams as well, and they did it with a tougher schedule. 3 playoff teams from the NFC East but not from the AFC West has absolutely nothing to do with how good those teams are, and everything to do with how lucky they are that so many other teams around them are borderline inept.

 

[Marc Levin]

FreeBaGel, do you agree with my last two statements above?

Or is that simply an indictment of the NFC?I am sure we can all agree that the NFC-E is the best division in the NFC.

 

[thayman]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

3 out of the 4 teams from the NFC East should be in the playoffs.

3 of 4 are going to barely limp in in the super-weak NFC. Hardly impressive.

It depends on what stats you like I guess, some would argue that making the playoffs is better than missing out, a ugly win is better than a pretty loss. Would you rather be limping in the Super-weak NFC and getting a playoff berth? Or sitting home for the playoffs?ETA that I find it pretty impressive since the NFC East is the first division to have 3 teams in the playoffs since the re-alignment.

Which I would rather be doing has absolutely no correlation as to which team is actually better. If the AFC West were in the NFC they'd have 3 playoff teams as well, and they did it with a tougher schedule. 3 playoff teams from the NFC East but not from the AFC West has absolutely nothing to do with how good those teams are, and everything to do with how lucky they are that so many other teams around them are borderline inept.

Luck is part of football. By your argument the Colts have been the best team the past few years. If that does not translate into post-season success no one cares.At the end of the year your goal is to first get to the playoffs, then to the superbowl. The NFC East has 3/4 of its teams representing the postseason.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

So where's everyone that was pencilling in the NFC East as the toughest division at the start of the season? That collapse was about the easiest thing to possibly foresee, all of those teams are so finnicky. Any time we're talking about one of them being the best team in the NFC you can just about guarantee that 3 weeks later we'll be talking about what has gone so wrong with them, if their coach should be fired, if their QB should be benched, etc.It's an endless rotating cycle of those teams, I've been saying it for 2 years now.

3 out of the 4 teams from the NFC East should be in the playoffs.

3 of 4 are going to barely limp in in the super-weak NFC. Hardly impressive.

It depends on what stats you like I guess, some would argue that making the playoffs is better than missing out, a ugly win is better than a pretty loss. Would you rather be limping in the Super-weak NFC and getting a playoff berth? Or sitting home for the playoffs?ETA that I find it pretty impressive since the NFC East is the first division to have 3 teams in the playoffs since the re-alignment.

Which I would rather be doing has absolutely no correlation as to which team is actually better. If the AFC West were in the NFC they'd have 3 playoff teams as well, and they did it with a tougher schedule. 3 playoff teams from the NFC East but not from the AFC West has absolutely nothing to do with how good those teams are, and everything to do with how lucky they are that so many other teams around them are borderline inept.

Luck is part of football. By your argument the Colts have been the best team the past few years. If that does not translate into post-season success no one cares.At the end of the year your goal is to first get to the playoffs, then to the superbowl. The NFC East has 3/4 of its teams representing the postseason.

That's not even an argument. Saying the NFC East is better because they're weaker records with a weaker schedule netted them more playoff berths in the weaker conference is no different than saying the NFC East is better because they have more teams located in Texas.Sure luck is a part of football, but in a conversation like this luck in terms fo where the teams are located in is in no way any indication of which team/division is better. If a 7-9 team were to make the playoffs while an 11-5 team missed out, would that make the 7-9 team better? Not even in the biggest fantasy world imagineable it wouldn't.If the Chargers were left out of the playoffs because there were some secret stipulation that teams that play 6 games in San Diego when the temperature is greater 92 degrees at 4:57pm are disqualified from the playoffs would that make the 8-8 Giants better than them? It in no way, shape, or form has any effect or is any indication of how good those two teams actually are.

 

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Luck is part of football. By your argument the Colts have been the best team the past few years. If that does not translate into post-season success no one cares.At the end of the year your goal is to first get to the playoffs, then to the superbowl. The NFC East has 3/4 of its teams representing the postseason.

I will agree that the first goal is to make it to the playoffs. But I don't see how that factors into determining which division is better than another.The AFC west missed having 3/4 of their teams in the playoffs by some impressive wins by NYJ the last few weeks.The ONLY reason the NFC East has 3 teams in the playoffs is because they have a much easier schedule and conference.I think the AFC East being the best division is close, but I choose the AFC West. Other than the raiders, I think the other 3 teams in the AFC West have a shot at beating ANY other team in the NFL. All 3 of the SDC, DEN, KCC have good defenses and can run the ball.