The race for the best division in football has hit full steam. Unfortunately, so has the battle for the worst.
The NFC West had two intra-divisional contests that lived up to the hype, flexing how strong the division is from top to bottom. As for the AFC West, the top division in last week’s rankings, it had an opportunity to solidify its standing at No. 1. The Kansas City Chiefs are still — somehow — in last place of that division.
As for the worst division in football? The NFC East stated their case why they aren’t the NFC “Least,” while the AFC South continues to embarrass itself. This caused a bit of a reshuffling of the divisional rankings this week.
Through four weeks, it’s hard to get a grasp on a Super Bowl favorite — along with the best and worst divisions in football.
8. AFC South
Last week’s ranking: 7
The AFC South deserves to be in the basement after a poor showing this week. The New York Jets earned their first win of the year thanks to the Tennessee Titans, who lead this division with a 2-2 record. Thanks to Tennessee, the Indianapolis Colts (who lost their first three games to open the year) are just one back of first place after a much-needed victory over the Miami Dolphins — the only win the AFC South earned this week.
A tough loss for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night kept them winless, but the 0-4 start is the least of their problems (Google Urban Meyer). The Houston Texans lost by 40 points to the Buffalo Bills — while being shutout.
No team has a winning record in this division, and the AFC South is just 2-10 against teams outside the division. This is the worst division in football after four weeks.
7. NFC North
Last week’s ranking: 6
One intra-divisional matchup between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions canceled each other out, although the Bears are back to .500 with the victory. The Lions remain one of the two winless teams in football — and the only winless team in the NFC — yet continue to compete in every game. Sunday’s loss to the Bears was a setback, but Detroit will have an opportunity to get in the win column against the Minnesota Vikings this week.
Speaking of the Vikings, they took two steps back after going one step forward with an upset win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. Minnesota could only muster seven points at home against a Cleveland Browns team that struggled to throw the football, yet gashed them on the ground for 184 yards. The Vikings are hard to get a read on after four weeks. What’s this team’s identity?
Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers are the class of this division. The Packers dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers to remain atop the division while continuing to showcase that they’re one of the best teams in the NFC.
This division could be the worst in football if it weren’t for the Packers, as the NFC North is just 3-9 in inter-divisional games.
6. NFC East
Last week’s ranking: 8
What a statement for the NFC East this week after falling back to the basement in the power rankings the week prior. Let’s start with the Dallas Cowboys, who are emerging as a serious contender in the NFC after a dominating victory over the previously unbeaten Carolina Panthers. Dallas has one of the best offenses in the NFL and Ezekiel Elliott appears back to his 2016-2018 form. It also appears that they may run away with this division.
If it wasn’t for the Washington Football Team’s comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas would be up two games on everyone in the NFC East. Washington’s defense is still a major problem, but the offense is potent enough to stay alive in this division. Erasing an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road was impressive, considering we expect the worst out of the NFC East.
The New York Giants had an impressive road win over an NFC South foe as well, erasing an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to upset the New Orleans Saints in their return to the SuperDome. Daniel Jones has been playing at a high level despite a poor offensive line. It also helped that the Giants got Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay involved, which they’ll need facing Dallas this week.
The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t get massacred by the Kansas City Chiefs (well the defense did), staying in the game for the majority of the contest. Maybe the NFC East isn’t as bad as we think. They are 5-7 in games outside the division.
5. AFC East
Last week’s ranking: 5
There’s certainly a case for the AFC East to be lower than its ranking, considering they are just 3-7 in inter-divisional matchups and the Buffalo Bills have two of those victories. The Bills are running away with the division with their second shutout win in four games, giving them a two-game lead on the rest of the division. Buffalo is the class of the AFC through four weeks, which takes some merit in ranking these divisions.
The New England Patriots were inches away from upsetting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tom Brady’s return, and the New York Jets earned a massive upset win over the Tennessee Titans for their first victory. The Jets’ victory really helped the stock of this division, which needed a boost after the performance the Miami Dolphins turned in. Getting beaten by the winless Indianapolis Colts did not help Miami’s 2021 chances, as the Dolphins’ season appears to be slipping away in a tough AFC.
The AFC East is still trying to form an identity outside of Buffalo, which can really showcase its strength with a win over Kansas City this week.
4. NFC South
Last week’s ranking: 4
Week 4 wasn’t exactly a banner week for the NFC South. The Atlanta Falcons lost to Washington in the final minutes (which shouldn’t have been a surprise), but there was no reason for the New Orleans Saints to blow an 11-point lead to the winless New York Giants in the fourth quarter. The Saints want to be labeled as a defensive team — yet allowed 193 yards on 21 plays in the final 7:01 in the fourth quarter and overtime. A bad loss for the Saints and the division.
The NFC East had their way with the NFC South this week, as the Dallas Cowboys thoroughly beat the Carolina Panthers in the second half. (Dallas was up 36-14 in the fourth quarter before allowing two touchdowns late.) Carolina is still a good team, even though the previously unbeaten Panthers should have put up a better performance against Dallas.
The lone win in the division was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ huge win over the Patriots during a return for a certain quarterback you might have heard about. New England gave Tampa Bay everything it had, but a fourth-quarter comeback by Tom Brady kept the Buccaneers atop the division with the Panthers.
If the Saints were better, this division has a case to be in the conversation with the best in the league. Instead, their ceiling for 2021 may be fourth (NFC South is 7-5 outside the division).
3. AFC North
Last week’s ranking: 3
Quite the impressive week for the AFC North, which have three teams sitting atop the division at 3-1. The Cincinnati Bengals survived an upset bid by the Jacksonville Jaguars, yet face a true test in the NFC North-leading Packers this week.
Cincinnati is a much better team, which is why this division deserves to be in the conversation amongst the best in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens used Lamar Jackson’s arm to take care of the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos on the road, while the Cleveland Browns used an impressive defensive performance to shut down Minnesota’s offense. Baker Mayfield completing under 50% of his passes is a concern, but the Browns can run with any team in the league. The battle for division supremacy will be fun to watch all season long.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were beaten down by the Green Bay Packers and appear destined for last place in this division. Pittsburgh isn’t as bad as it looked the last two weeks, but there are serious problems on offense this team needs to address. They have a good test this week against Denver.
Through four weeks, it’s hard to rank the AFC North ahead of the divisions out west. A 9-5 record in inter-divisional games states its case.
2. AFC West
Last week’s ranking: 1
The AFC West still has an argument to be the best division in football. Look, the Kansas City Chiefs are still in last place of this division with a .500 record while flexing their muscle — scoring six times on seven possessions — in a convincing win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The Chiefs can showcase the power of this division against the Bills in Week 5, but let’s give some credit to the Los Angeles Chargers. Los Angeles looks to be a contender in the conference after an impressive win against the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football.” The Raiders offense had no answer for the Chargers’ pass rush, showing some vulnerability on their roster.
The Denver Broncos’ easy schedule caught up to them, laying a dud against the Baltimore Ravens. Denver is just the second team to allow 300 yards passing to Lamar Jackson, but it also didn’t help that Teddy Bridgewater left the game with a concussion. Getting the Steelers may be just what the Broncos need in Week 5.
The AFC West is 9-3 in matchups outside the division, but Denver’s loss to Baltimore dropped them one spot this week.
1. NFC West
Last week’s ranking: 2
No games outside the division this week, yet the NFC West found a way to move past the AFC West and back into the top spot. The Arizona Cardinals being the league’s only unbeaten in a division with no teams under .500 certainly help the division stake the top claim.
Arizona’s impressive win over the Los Angeles Rams raised some eyebrows, as the Cardinals put up 465 yards against one of the league’s top defenses. The Cardinals also lead the NFL in points per game and yards per game while also boasting a top-10 scoring defense.
The Seattle Seahawks also had a good win over the San Francisco 49ers to get back to .500. Russell Wilson is the highest-rated quarterback in the NFL, but two takeaways by the defense played a role in the victory. The 49ers losing Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t help their cause, nor did the Seahawks fumbling three times and recovering all of them.
This division will get to beat each other up next week with the Rams facing the Seahawks and the 49ers squaring off against the Cardinals. The NFC West is 9-3 in out-of-division matchups, as the .750 win percentage is tied with the AFC West for best in the NFL.
The battle for the best division in football is neck-and-neck between the NFC West and AFC West, but the Cardinals being the lone unbeaten team give the NFC West the edge — this week.
