Here’s something for American Football fans. ESPN did a survey that asked people to name their favorite division in the NFL. For those of you who don’t know, the NFL is divided into two conferences (the NFC and the AFC) and those two conferences are each divided into four region-based divisions (East, South, North, and West). So, there are eight divisions. The most popular is the NFC East, which has the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Washington Redskins.
You might think that the voting would follow population density. There are a lot of people living in the I-95 corridor between New York and DC, so that might explain why the NFC East is the most popular. I don’t think the numbers really bear that out, though. For example, the AFC East ranks third, not second. In any case, the rankings pretty much follow how I would rank them.
Anyway, this is my list.
1. NFC East– (Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins)- this is the home of my team, the Giants. But every rivalry in the division is great and the teams all have rich histories. Collectively, this division has won 12 Super Bowls.
2. NFC North– (Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings)- The Packers are just a flat-out cool franchise. They’re so small-market, they’re publicly-owned, they have Lambeau Field, and Vince Lombardi. The Bears-Packers rivalry is one of the coolest in all of sports. If the Lions and Vikings still played outdoors, this division might top my list. Collectively, this division has won 5 Super Bowls.
3. AFC North– (Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers)- like the NFC East, these teams all play outdoors. And they all play in cold, windy conditions. These are gritty towns with real working class fans. It’s too bad that the two Ohio teams have been bad for so long, although the Bengals made the playoffs last year. The Steelers are one of the greatest sports franchises, and the Ravens have developed a great brand as a fearsome defensive team. Collectively, this division has won 7 Super Bowls.
4. AFC East– (Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots)- I only really have positive feelings about the first three divisions. Fourth place was a close call because I don’t really like any of the teams in the AFC East. But the Jets-Patriots rivalry is strong and the Bills and Dolphins have strong histories. Collectively, this division has won 6 Super Bowls (seven, if you include the Baltimore Colts win in 1971). And the one team that hasn’t won one, the Bills, once lost 4 Super Bowls in a row. This is probably the most balanced division in football, historically speaking.
5. AFC West– (Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders)- I liked this division better when it contained the Seattle Seahawks, who have since left for the NFC West. The Oakland Raiders are one the most storied franchises in the NFL with the most colorful (and menacing) fans. The rivalries are fierce and the weather conditions in Kansas City and Denver can be harsh. All the teams play outdoors, too, which helps. They’ve always had some great quarterback play, and with Peyton Manning joining the Broncos, that will continue to be the case. Collectively, this division has 6 Super Bowls.
6. NFC South– (Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, Saints)- This is a division filled with teams known for being perennially bad. But when they were put all together in one division, someone had to win every year and make the playoffs. Since then, the division has had some successes. Ever since Drew Brees and Katrina showed up in New Orleans, their team has been compelling. The Bucs have shown flashes, and the Falcons have been good now and then. Cam Newton looks like he’ll keep the Panthers exciting for years to come. I don’t like that there are two dome teams in this division, yet, for southern teams, they at least come from cities I like. Collectively, the division has won 2 Super Bowls.
7. AFC South– (Colts, Jaguars, Texans, Titans)- I’ll be honest. I’m not a fan of any of these cities. I don’t like how the Colts left Baltimore in the dead of night. It’s an uncompetitive division that has been dominated by Peyton Manning for a decade. The Jaguars are the worst franchise in any major sport. There’s nothing to like here. This division has one Super Bowl, although the Colts won a second one when they played in Baltimore in the East.
8. NFC West– (49ers, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks)- this is the worst division in football. It was nice to see the 49ers play well last year because prior to that this division was having trouble fielding a single team with a winning record. The 49ers have a rich and successful history, but that was in a totally different division. The rivalries are weak and unestablished. There is a tremendous distance between the cities. If the level of play were better, I’d rank them ahead of the AFC South simply because I like the cities and teams better. Collectively, (a version of) this division has 6 Super Bowls.
Predictions for next year: watch out for the Buffalo Bills. They’ve built a very talented team. The Giants are great but I’ve never seen a tougher schedule. After the first few games, every team they play is very good. Will Cam Newton break out? Could be, but the team still needs more pieces. I can’t wait for training camp to start.
The Giants almost always find a way to beat an NFC North team. They get the crowd fired up with special events and really get them behind the team. I’ve been disappointed by that a number of times. 😉
It would have been really interesting to see a survey that included the media market of voters and use that to adjust the weight of the results to account for viewers’ home markets.
I don’t care that much though anymore. An active kid and my growing impatience with the negative aspects of pro sports have me focusing on other things. And I’m lucky to get time to see a game anyway.
But I do have some fond memories of living in NFC North. The Vikings training camp was in my home town and my dad often encountered one of the Purple People Eaters in the halls of the college that provided the training facilities. Bud Grant had the ideal temperament for the stoic nordic folks in MN.
I assume the fancy new stadium that was just authorized will be indoors and comfortable. If the Vikings would just make people play them outside, they’d be back to the Super Bowl in no time.
There’s probably something to that. When they had an outdoor stadium, they went to four Super Bowls between 1969-1976 (the famed Purple People Eaters defensive line).
Yes, well, they gave up the best home field advantage in the sport for an air-conditioned Baggie Dome. Duh.
Just imagine the Vikings in later December. Football is not meant to be played indoors. Look at the weather during a lot of the most famous football games(pre-Super Bowl era).
Someone should do a lawsuit to force the games outside. Something about mental cruelty to fans perhaps. Alan Page sits on the MN supreme court and would have a sympathetic ear for the cause.
I think there is something to that and the kinds of protection against cold they can use these days is much better than back in the 70s. But I’m so used to northern winters I often forget how freaked out folks from southern climes can get about it. It’s got to be a solid psychological weapon.
But even on a purely aesthetic basis I really miss those games when it was hard to see the ball due to the falling snow.
I absolutely loved playing in cold/bad weather. I didn’t get tired and it can be a great equalizer.
Heat of August, not so much. I found it exhausting and mindnumbing.
the middle ground between playing in dirt and cold and playing in the RCA Dome is playing a West Coast offense in Candlestick. It can be very successful if you don’t encounter a Jim Burt or a Leonard Marshall.
Or if the Candlestick field doesn’t happen to be a swamp. I swear that field must be below see level. They never should have moved out of Kezar Stadium.
Didn’t bother Jerry Rice.
Nothing much did.
But I always found it interesting that Walsh introduced a precision timing offense to a team which plays half their games in the slop.
I guess a power running games might be tougher for lineman to get the footing for drive blocks.
NFC East.Definitely.
They play outdoors, though their stadiums are getting a bit over the top.
Rivalries are epic. Who doesn’t hate the Cowboys? Eagles/Giants has been a twice a year war since Bednarik nearly killed Gifford. Snyder is doing his best to ruin the Skins, but there is a ton of history that hasn’t been forgotten.
Steelers/Ravins is a great rivalry. Cinncy looks like it actually might be good again. The Clowns blow and probably always will. But it is a good division. Second best to NFC East.
Packers Bears is one of the best rivalries in sport. Too bad the Vikes no longer play at Metro and the Lions no longer play in Tiger stadium. But they may actually be good now.
Other than that I don’t care about any other conference. Expecially AFC East. Styles they play is beginning to look to much like fast break basketball.
My ranks would definitely favor the divisions which I predict will offer the most “Hunger Games”-like thrills throughout the season.
So AFC North & NFC North are on top, with NFC East third.
I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but Buffalo and Miami aren’t exactly the heart of the East Coast megalopolis—which may explain part of the gap between the AFC East and NFC East popularity rankings. (That, and the Giants dominating the metro NYC market and retaining residual pre-AFL loyalties among some New Englanders.)
I mean, they can open the roof, but you really call this playing outdoors?
I agree that the Bills will be formidable, but don’t understand why you don’t have anything good to say about the Texans. I have them as the favorites for the AFC championship this year. Oddsmakers have them behind only New England and on some sites Denver (whose odds are inflated because people are betting on Peyton, IMHO).
How did the Texans get better by losing their two best defensive players? Manning left their division, which is helpful. But I don’t see them as more than a playoff team.
I don’t think they needed to get any better, they need to be healthy. I don’t want to discount the departure of Mario Williams because the dude is a freak, but their defense was still stifling without him. Losing DeMeco Ryans arguably hurts more (and especially if Brian Cushing turns out to be seriously hurt) but this team damn near made the AFC championship with TJ Yates at QB. TJ Yates!!
I’m not a Texans fan, but I watched a few of their games last year and when healthy, they were the only team in the AFC that did not have a glaring weakness.
I don’t know. Their special teams kind of suck, although they tried to deal with that in the draft. They don’t have a very good receiving corp, after Andre Johnson. Their offensive line is good but not great. And unless their first-round pick is an instant stud, their defense won’t be as good as it was. I definitely see them winning their division and maybe even getting a bye. I can’t see them as favorites to beat out the many great QB’s they’ll be contending with.
Cushing IMO is their best defensive player. Watched him play in HS and he was already a natural freak then.
Does have a little problem with steroids and staying healthy though.
Texans are solid and well coached. Like Boo though I don’t see them going very far in the playoffs.
Texas Stadium was an almost-dome with a rectangular hole in the roof. It made me think of an open grave.
I suspect it’s no coincidence that the three most popular divisions have a team with a nationwide fan base: the Cowboys, Packers, and Steelers.
But speaking as a long-suffering Redskins fan, you can’t beat the NFC East overall. Every team hates every other team. 6 guaranteed grudge matches on every team’s schedule!