The saying goes that the easiest way to make it into the playoffs for an NFL team is to win their own division. This guarantees you a playoff berth without having to worry about clinching scenarios in Week 18 for a wild card spot. This is easier said than done though, and some divisions are much harder to win than others. My personal ranking of the NFL divisions is based on mixture of competitiveness, watchability, and overall records.
8. NFC South
The NFC South is filled with teams who are trying to decide which direction they should go with their franchise.
The Falcons have a good team and are probably the favorites to win the division. They also have a major hole at the QB position and have turned to journeyman Taylor Heinicke to help them make a playoff push.
The Saints went all in for this season and traded/extended former Raiders QB Derek Carr. The experiment hasn’t gone as well as they hoped and have been mediocre all season long.
The Buccaneers are dealing with life without Tom Brady. Baker Mayfield has been fine at QB, but it doesn’t appear that he is the long-term answer.
Finally, the Panthers have been immensely disappointing under HC Frank Reich and rookie QB Bryce Young. Young has been okay but was overshadowed by other QBs that were drafted after him. Also, Reich has given up play calling duties just 7 games into his Panthers tenure. Not great.
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Whoever wins this division is looking at a 1st round exit in the playoffs.
7. NFC North
The North has one (unlikely) powerhouse in the division, followed by teams that are trending downwards.
Detroit is balling right now, and they look like real contenders to win the NFC. Jared Goff has been playing excellent and the Lions defense is fast and feisty under HC Dan Campbell. An excellent recipe to postseason success.
The other 3 teams, on the other hand, are filled with question marks. They all have issues at the QB position.
The Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for the year due to injury and he is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Justin Fields and Jordan Love have both underwhelmed this year despite having high expectations going into the season, and both are in jeopardy of being replaced at the end of this season.
This division is by far the Lions division to lose. Which feels weird to type considering the Lions history of winning (or lack thereof).
6. AFC South
This division has the potential to be one of the best, most fun divisions within the next few years.
But it isn’t the case quite yet. It’s too early.
Jacksonville is running away with the division this year and should win it barring any miracles.
But looking ahead to the future, it could end up being fun.
The Texans and Colts appear to have found their HC-QB duo in CJ Stroud/DeMeco Ryans and Shane Steichen/Anthony Richardson, respectively. They have both shown flashes of greatness this season, unfortunately Richardson had his season cut short due to an injury.
The Titans have a good coach in Mike Vrabel, and although I’m not ready to crown Will Levis the franchise QB in Tennessee, he has looked good in the time he has played so far.
Come back to this division in a season or two, and it could be one of the best in the NFL.
5. AFC West
I call this the division of disappointment.
Except for Kansas City, who just so happens to have the best football player on planet earth. So good for them.
But the other 3 teams? It hasn’t been good.
The Chargers have one of the best young QBs in football and still can’t manage to win games. Brandon Staley’s days as a Head Coach are numbered. I’d be surprised if he made it past this season.
The Broncos are stuck. They have an aging QB they gave up a haul for that has underperformed (although he has been much better than last season). And a horrendous defense that gave up 70 points in a game this season. It wouldn’t shock me if they made big changes this offseason.
And then there’s the Raiders. They have already fired their GM and HC and benched the QB that they signed to a 70-million-dollar deal in the offseason. At this point, they are playing spoiler and to get a higher pick.
The AFC West had promise, but instead its just another year of the Patrick Mahomes show.
4. NFC West
A genuinely good division that is fun and very competitive with the Seahawks and 49ers going back and forth for the division lead.
It looked like the Niners were going to run away with it before losing a few games and letting Seattle catch back up. It’ll be fun to see who pulls ahead of the other as the season ages.
The other two teams in the division may not be great, but they are still good watches and play hard. The Rams are an experienced team and could always flip the switch and end up backdooring their way into a wild card spot. The Cardinals are awful record wise but are a young and fast team that can beat you if you get caught sleeping.
The NFC West has been a great division for years, and nothing has changed.
3. NFC East
They may be 3rd on this list, but I consider this a down year for this division.
The Giants are downright awful and look better when they play Tyrod Taylor instead of “franchise” QB Daniel Jones (yikes). The Commanders have a fun team and good weapons, but Sam Howell takes so many hits every week that it’s hard for them to be taken seriously.
The big dogs in this division are the Eagles and Cowboys. Philly are the betting favorites to win the NFC, and Dallas should be in contention for the division title the whole year. Worst case scenario for them should be a wild card spot.
Weirdly enough though, neither team has really impressed me too much. The Eagles have been good, but Jalen Hurts hasn’t quite looked as good as he was last year. Dallas has a dominant defense, but can Dak show up and perform when he’s needed?
But remember, this is the NFC East. Anybody can beat anybody, and you never know what may just happen next.
2. AFC East
We knew this division was going to be a good one at the start of this season, and it has lived up to the hype.
It started off badly, when Jets QB Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury just a few plays into his Jets career. Regardless, the Jets have still been ok. It makes you wonder just how good this Jets team could’ve been with Rodgers though.
The Dolphins and Bills are two offensive powerhouses who can put up 30 points in any given game, regardless of situation. They are some of the most fun teams to watch in the entire league. One of (or maybe both) of them could absolutely be in the AFC title game at the end of the season and I wouldn’t question it at all.
The Patriots have been bad all season and are definitely the reason why this isn’t the best division in the NFL. From Mac Jones being benched to Bill Belichick rumored to be on the hot seat, it’s been all bad over in New England. I would expect big changes sooner rather than later.
1. AFC North
If I had to pick only one division to watch for the rest of the season, it would be the AFC North.
4 teams in contention for the division title. 4 teams who could realistically make the playoffs. 4 teams who play hard no matter what.
This is top notch football. The best part is that the teams know this, and really embrace the rivalries between each other.
The Ravens and Bengals have 2 of the top young QBs in the NFL, it hurts with Burrow being done for the season now. While the Browns and Steelers may not have a top QB necessarily; but the teams around that QB can get hot and making a deep playoff run.
So, who will win this division? My pick is Baltimore, but you could make an argument for every single team in this division. It’s the only division in the entire NFL that you can (realistically) do that for.
AFC North football in the cold is peak NFL football.
Buckle up.
