Is the AFC still the NFL’s supreme conference? Be likely not, but let’s put it this way; the top half of the AFC is better than the top half of the NFC .The bottom half of the NFC is better than the bottom half of the AFC. The top half of the AFC went 25-7 against NFC opponents (Patriots, Colts, Chargers, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Texans). The top half of the NFC went 19-13 against AFC opponents (Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, Bucs, Giants, Redskins, Vikings, Eagles). Does this make sense? Are you confused?
The cycle is beginning to turn back to the NFC, but we think there will be about 3-5 more years of AFC dominance or not?
The dominant Super Bowl champion New York Giants dwells in the NFC. Two of the AFC’s top players (New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman) are lost for the entire season. The NFC is 4-2 vs. the AFC in interconference play after two weeks of the season.
The NFC has not had a winning record against the AFC since 1995. Last season, the conferences were even (32-32) in head-to-head competition for the first time since 2001. Entering last season’s Super Bowl, the AFC had won six of the last seven title games.
Improved offensive play is a big reason why the NFC is flourishing once again, as 13 of the 16 NFC teams are averaging 20 or more points per game this season. A few star players in the conference have successfully returned from injury this season. Donovan McKnabb is healthy, rejuvenated and the Philadelphia Eagles are once again one of the top scoring teams in the league. Jake Delhomme has brought his signature enthusiasm and triggerman personality back to the undefeated Carolina Panthers after missing all of last season, due to ligament-replacement surgery in his right elbow.
Scoring has been a staple in the AFC, thanks largely to the play of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Historically, the AFC has always been considered “the conference of the quarterback” and on most Sundays they will have more first-round starting quarterbacks than their NFC rivals. Brady’s season-ending knee injury and the struggles of Carson Palmer have hurt the QB quality in the AFC.
Typically, the NFC has been a conference that features strong defenses and solid running games, but that philosophy could be changing, as some NFC teams are copying the AFC formula(check copycat league) basing their success on the play from the quarterback position. The statistical numbers do not lie; Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees are all having hot starts to their seasons. The passing numbers haven’t been this good in the NFC since the Kurt Warner era in St. Louis and during this recent AFC’s domination; Brett Favre and McKnabb have been only premier quarterbacks the NFC had to offer in competition.
The supremacy of the AFC could be ending this season, as the gap seems to be closing between the two conferences. Perhaps now the NFC will get the respect it deserves.
