We have a long way to go to really rank divisions, but there’s not much going on in the NFL right now. Tom Brady is signed. The draft isn’t until late April. We are in a bit of a dead zone. That’s exactly why it’s time to rank the divisions. We got the time. Obviously, things could change over the next few months, but most teams have their core squad already set. Let’s rank the divisions from first to worst.
NFC West
The NFC West is stacked. The Niners will compete to try and make back to back Super Bowl. Although they did trade DeForest Buckner, there is enough talent on that defense where they shouldn’t take a step back. Another year of Jimmy Garoppolo in Kyle Shanahan’s system should help the continuity of the offense and now they have a high draft pick to go and take a wide receiver in the first round of the draft.
The Seahawks always figure out a way to remain competitive and will do so as long as Russell Wilson is at the helm of the offense. Seattle made it to the NFC divisional round in a year where a lot of people thought they would be rebuilding.
The Cardinals will be a trendy pick to make a massive leap this season. It will be Kyler Murray’s second year at the helm of Kliff Kingsbury’s system and now they added DeAndre Hopkins. If they can figure out how to be average on defense they could have a big year.
It could be argued that the Rams will be picked as the worst team in the division before the season starts. Think about that. It’s the same Rams team that would have made the playoffs last year if this year’s format was used. It’s the team that was in the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
NFC South
The argument for the NFC South being the top division in the NFL is a strong one. They are neck and neck with the NFC West. The Saints will be back. They kept Drew Brees and added Emmanuel Sanders to their receiving corps. They had a strong running back duo in Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. The Saints even added some defensive help with Malcolm Jenkins.
We don’t need to rehash how the Bucs have improved. They already had the fifth-best defensive according to DVOA rankings and they are bringing mostly everyone back on the unity. They went from turnover machine Jameis Winston to Tom Brady who would rather chuck the ball into the ground than see it in a defender’s hands. The Bucs move from +3300 to win the Super Bowl to +1600.
The Falcons are trotting out an offense with a ton of first-round picks. They still need to figure out if Todd Gurley will be useful or not, but if he’s at 80-percent he is still an additional threat to an offense that has a ton of weapons. They could be a sneaky pick to make the playoffs.
The Panthers are the only team that looks like it will be in rebuild mode when it comes to the NFC South. It will take some time for Matt Rhule to get the players he likes in Carolina.
AFC North
The AFC North was supposed to be the best vision in football last year and it ended up with exactly one playoff team and the worst team in football by record. It did not live up to the hype.
This year could be the year it does though. The Ravens will be back and looking for revenge after their first game ouster in the playoffs. Imagine another year of this team together. They went 14-2 and looked unstoppable toward the end of the regular season. Lamar Jackson will have another year to get better and will work on his weaknesses. The Ravens defense will be good because it’s always good.
The Steelers defense was one of the best in the league and now they will hopefully get back to having an explosive offense now that Ben Roethlisberger will be back and fully healthy — with an amazing beard.
The Browns have to be better than their disappointing 2019. Kevin Stefanski looks like he’s setting up for more two tight-end sets which could allow for some interesting mismatches for the Browns. They have all the tools they need on offense to be successful.
The Bengals are the only weak spot in the AFC North. Joe Burrow tore up competition in the SEC, but he will need time to adjust to the NFL. It helps that the Bengals are investing a bit in their offensive line.
NFC North
The Packers have to be considered on an upward trajectory after last season. They did outperform their Pythagorean win estimate by three games, but 10 wins are still good and they should get better in their second year with Matt LaFleur as head coach. They just need to add some offensive weapons for Aaron Rodgers.
The Vikings are going to be solid and unspectacular again this season. They have a boatload of draft picks thanks to the Stefon Diggs trade. Their cap situation was a bit tight heading into this offseason but it is looking better.
The Bears will go as Mitch Trubisky goes so that’s probably bad news for fans in Chicago. Still, even in a bad year, they 8-8. Matt Nagy brought in Nick Foles in case the team decides to move on from Trubisky sooner than later.
The worst team in the division is Detroit. They are continuing to try to emulate the Patriots but that usually doesn’t work without Bill Belichick. Still, the Lions would project to be a middle of the road team if Matt Stafford can come back healthy.
AFC South
The second best division in the NFL comes in at fifth in these rankings and may have been worse if the Colts didn’t make the moves they did to improve their defense and offense.
Yes, the Colts should be considered the favorite to win the AFC South next year. They added DeForest Buckner who is one of the best defensive linemen in football. They also added Philip Rivers for his likely swan song. The Colts have a solid roster and are looking to win now.
The Titans are right up there with the Colts. Their amazing run at the end of the season and into the playoffs essentially dealt the death knell to the Patriots dynasty. Ryan Tannehill was one of the top quarterbacks in the league after taking over when we consider advanced statistics. Derrick Henry will be back — and may get run into the ground — on a franchise tag deal. The Titans defense should improve this year, and Mike Vrabel has to be considered one of the best young coaches in the league.
Somehow the Texans, a team that won the division last year is third in the AFC South. No one knows what Bill O’Brien is doing with his star players. He somehow didn’t get a first-round pick for DeAndre Hopkins — or Jadeveon Clowney last year — and now there are some big question marks that the Texans need to address before the season starts.
The Jaguars are in for a rebuild. They won’t be good enough to compete in the AFC South. That’s bad news for the folks trying to keep their jobs but if they can show growth, they may be able to stick around.
NFC East
The NFC East has two teams that could make the playoffs and two teams that look like they have no shot at making the playoffs.
The Eagles are in contention every year. They haven’t fixed their issues at wide receiver but they have loaded up again on defense. Having Darius Slay lead the defensive backfield will be a nice change of pace from the past few years. The Eagles offense still has some question marks. Miles Sanders needs to build on last season. Philadelphia may target more outside weapons in the draft.
The Cowboys were consistently held back by Jason Garrett. They resigned Amari Cooper. Dak Prescott will be there either by long-term extension or through the franchise tag. The Dallas defense underperformed last season, but they have a roster that is playoff-caliber.
There is rebuild ahead of Joe Judge and the New York Giants. This won’t be a quick fix. At least they don’t have to kowtow to their historically .500 quarterback — who also won two Super Bowls — and they can finally move forward. The defense needs to be reworked from front to back. The entire unit needs work.
There is an even longer rebuild for the Redskins and they seem like they know that’s what is ahead of them. A lot of veterans are being traded out of the nation’s capital. Ron Rivera will have to bring in his guys and it won’t happen in one year.
AFC West
The AFC West is the new AFC East. It’s the division with the best quarterback in football with three other teams that are trying to simply compete. It’s tough to say that any team other than the Chiefs is a lock for the playoffs in 2020.
The Chiefs are going to run it back and will be the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl entering the season. They have everything they need and by that, I mean Patrick Mahomes. Chris Jones will be there for at least another year. There’s no real contender to take over the AFC West crown.
The Chargers have the defense to do well, but their offense is going into rebuild mode. Tyrod Taylor is a perfectly fine quarterback, but he’s not winning a playoff game. Kennan Allen is another year older. Hunter Henry was franchised but has a history of injuries. It’s great that Austin Ekeler got paid this offseason, but he’s going to need some help in the backfield.
The Raiders are loading up for a playoff run and now it’s time to figure out if Derek Carr is the answer or not. This may be his shot to prove he is the quarterback that led the Raiders to the playoffs a few years ago and not the one who has a crazy good completion percentage buy an average yard per completion that wouldn’t pick up a first down in three attempts.
The Broncos feel like they are in a weird holding pattern. Drew Lock could be the answer. If he takes a big step in 2020, the Broncos could be back in the playoff race. We just don’t know if they are going to do that. Otherwise, the Broncos could look exactly like they have the past few years which is a middle of the road team.
AFC East
For years people have said that the Patriots have feasted off the worst division in football. That was a bit unfair because the AFC East was never that bad, and the Patriots always had to play the best teams in the AFC every year. This year, the AFC East could live up to its reputation as the worst division in football.
The Bills should be the favorites entering the season but they aren’t heavy favorites in any sportsbook. In fact, some sportsbooks still have the Patriots as early betting favorites or right even with the Bills — this may change since the Bills seem like they are looking to improve and the Patriots look like they are trying to do the opposite. The Bills need to build on their playoff season last year. Josh Allen needs to be more accurate and maybe better receivers — like Stefon Diggs — help him get there.
The Jets should be considered the second-best team in the division. They need a healthy Sam Darnold to step up and play to the level they expected when the Jets drafted him two years ago. A lot of folks had the Jets breakout season coming last year, and now the Jets have their shot.
The Patriots are still expected by betting markets to be in the thick of things in the AFC East, but it’s tough to see a way where they make next year’s playoffs. Jarrett Stidham won’t be a plug-and-play replacement even if Tom Brady didn’t look great last season. The Patriots defense may be good enough for six wins by themselves, but the dominant team in the AFC East won’t be dominant anymore.
The Dolphins still have at least a year of rebuild. They were active in the free-agent market, but they most likely won’t be in the playoff race this year. That’s fine. If they can get Tua Tagovailoa they will be set for the future.
