Ranking the toughest divisions in the NFL
An ongoing debate among NFL fans is which division has the best rivalries and the toughest schedule. And while the latter half of the argument changes on a year-to-year basis, it’s still a fun and often intense debate.
The 2016 regular season brought about a few surprises that changed the divisional power dynamic, and 2017 will likely bring about more. But for the time being — at least in this writer’s opinion — the pecking order has been established.
Similar to an NFL game, where the margin of victory tends to be razor thin, the line between the best division and the worst division is nearly nonexistent. So with that in mind, here are all eight divisions ranked from weakest to toughest.
8. NFC West
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers
After any other season, the argument could be made that the NFC West is among the toughest divisions in football. In 2016 and even entering 2017, that’s not the case at all.
The Rams and 49ers are knee-deep in a rebuilding mode, and each are a few years away from regaining any type of competitive form within the NFC West, let alone becoming potential playoff contenders.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals had been legitimate Super Bowl contenders for three years leading up to the 2016 season, but suffered a dramatic fall, finishing with a record of 7-8-1. And although it’s probably a safe bet that they’ll improve in 2017, it won’t be enough to change the overall complexion of their division.
The Seahawks remain the dominant team in the West, just as they have for the last five seasons, finishing with no fewer than 10 wins and finishing no lower than second place. However, their offense took a clear turn for the worst and their conference record (6-5-1) was nothing to write home about.
7. AFC East
Teams: New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
The Patriots are the most dominant team in football, so therefore the AFC East must be the most dominant division, right? Well, anyone who pays attention knows that’s wrong.
Yes, New England is the most consistently successful team in the NFL, but they’re helped along that path by a lacking and sometimes downright terrible division. In fact, only twice since 2003 has one of their division rivals even bumped them from finishing first by seasons end.
The Dolphins carved up a relatively easy schedule in 2016, but that will not be the case in 2017. Their schedule becomes much tougher and it’s hard to imagine they’ll duplicate their 10 wins.
Finally, the Jets are clearly trending downward and are not expected to compete, while the Bills enter rebuild mode under new head coach Sean McDermott.
6. AFC South
Teams: Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars
The AFC South if full of young and exciting talent. It’s trending upwards and toward division-wide balance, but may still be a few years off from being legitimately competitive within the conference. It was also the only division in the NFL without at least one 10-game winner a season ago.
Injuries took a toll on all four teams, with superstars like J.J. Watt, Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota all being lost. That left the Titans, Texans and Colts all battling it out — finishing within one game of each other — for the division crown, and the Jaguars in the basement looking up.
The arrival of Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville, coupled with two straight years of free agency spending sprees, will soon change their fortunes. And in a division that’s already close at the top, it should make things that much closer.
Going into 2017, each team has a chance to rise above the rest, but none are likely serious contenders for a Super Bowl title as of yet. But they are inching closer.
5. NFC North
Teams: Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears
The NFC North is an old school, smash-mouth division that appears to be returning to its roots from top to bottom.
The Bears clearly reside in the basement entering 2017, but even they appear poised to finally set things right moving forward. And while it will take some time before they’re back competing with the Packers, Vikings and Lions, they should improve upon their 3-13 mark from a season ago.
At the top, Green Bay still leads the way, but their stronghold is diminishing slightly. The Lions and Vikings are both noticeably headed in the right direction, with Minnesota sporting the kind of dominant defense specifically built to compete within the division.
Similar to the AFC South, the top three teams were neck and neck for much of the season. A collapse by the Vikings left the Lions and Packers to battle it out, and 10 wins eventually got it done.
4. NFC South
Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints
The NFC South is an interesting division because you can look at all four teams and see real promise.
Yes, the Saints and Panthers left quite a bit to be desired a season ago, but any team with Drew Brees at the helm has the potential to be dangerous. Meanwhile, the Panthers should now be over their Super Bowl hangover and chomping at the bit to return to playoff contention.
Led by quarterback Jameis Winston, the Buccaneers are an up and coming team poised to compete with the high octane Falcons in 2017, who have a crushing Super Bowl collapse to overcome.
Arguably, this division could be ranked higher on this list and, in a year from, it very well may.
3. AFC North
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns
The AFC North wasn’t as competitive as it’s known to be in 2016, but based on reputation alone, they deserve a mulligan for a down year.
In 2017, the Steelers are expected to compete for a playoff spot as they usual do, while the Ravens should improve and the Bengals are poised to bounce back after an unusually poor season. The Browns… Well, they’re the Browns.
When all is said and done, it will likely be the Steelers and Ravens — a classic football rivalry — battling it out for the division crown, but Cincinnati may find themselves back in the race as well. They did solid work during the NFL Draft and if their offensive line can find a way to improve despite its losses, the AFC North could return to a legitimate three-team race where more than 10 games are needed to take the crown.
The division would be even better if the Browns were anything to write home about, but they consistently feel like they’re years away. The good news is they have talented young players to develop and should be able to win more than one game in 2017.
2. NFC East
Teams: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
One of the more balanced divisions in football, the NFC East has once again established itself among the toughest in the league.
On the shoulders of rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys surged to a division title in 2016, but it didn’t come easy. They were twice defeated by the Giants, who finished with an 11-5 record and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2011, and also took a late-season loss to the Eagles.
The Cowboys finishing at 13-3 with three division losses speaks to the volume of parity in the East.
The Redskins also finished with an above .500 record, while the Eagles showed glimpses of what’s to come. Carson Wentz’s late-season struggles are what kept Philadelphia from a .500 record of their own, but it’s clear they’re also on an upward trajectory.
With the additions of Brandon Marshall, Tyrelle Pryor, Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith and others, the NFC East will feature more explosive offensive talent than was seen a year ago — a perfect counter-balance to some of the strong defenses (particularly the Giants).
1. AFC West
Teams: Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers
In just a matter of years, the AFC West has established itself as the toughest and most competitive division in all of football.
A year removed from the Broncos winning it all, the Raiders and Chiefs finished the 2016 season with 12 wins a piece — the first division since 2013 to produce two 12-game winners. And while the Broncos faltered a bit in the aftermath of Peyton Manning’s retirement, ultimately finishing with a 9-7 record, their defense kept them competitive.
The Chargers were the odd team out, finishing at 5-11 a season ago, but their two-year run of poor play could quickly come to an end. Philip Rivers is still a top-end quarterback and their move to Los Angeles could be rejuvenating.
Add in Marshawn Lynch and the AFC West only gets that much better in 2017. It’s going to be the division to watch all season if you truly love good, competitive football.
