There is not much parity in the AFC

[mgteich]

At this point, there are solid favorites for the six playoff spots.
NE
INDY
CINCI
PITT/BALT
SD
DEN

Obviously, things could still happen to upset this playoff setup. And, other than Cinci, these teams seem to have been the top 6 for the decade.

 

[BelichickFan]

The other way of looking at it is that's almost half the conference and any of them could easily end up in the SB. Parity 1-7 is very much there. NE, SD, Indy are the three best in that order IMO.

 

[Wolfpack]

At this point, there are solid favorites for the six playoff spots.
NE
INDY
CINCI
PITT/BALT
SD
DEN

Obviously, things could still happen to upset this playoff setup. And, other than Cinci, these teams seem to have been the top 6 for the decade.

If Baltimore wins tonight, there will be 6 teams within 1 game of that final Wild Card spot, so that makes 11 teams still with a vested interest in December football. And even if Pittsburgh wins, those teams that are 2 games behind will still believe there is a good chance Denver falters.

 

[HarkDawg]

it is so weird watching the success of the Cincinnati Bengals....... especially during a yr. where Cinci college is tearing **** up as well....




Bengals really took me by surprise... but Cincinatti college in a potential BCS bowl game w/ a hot Bengals team the same year....

(what are the odds of that)OMFG???????

 

[Satchboogie3]

There are 8 teams in the AFC fighting for playoff spots and another 8 in the NFC. Half the league is in contention and half isn't, sounds pretty even to me.

With a Cap there is parity, the problem is the owners and decisions their personnel make (ie, Raiders, Browns, etc).

 

[Wolfpack]

If Baltimore wins tonight, there will be 6 teams within 1 game of that final Wild Card spot, so that makes 11 teams still with a vested interest in December football. And even if Pittsburgh wins, those teams that are 2 games behind will still believe there is a good chance Denver falters.

Correction: I forgot about Tennessee. If Pittsburgh loses tonight, there will be 7 teams within 1 game of the final playoff spot, so 12 teams in the AFC can still be said to be in the race.

 

[farn]

Correction: I forgot about Tennessee. If Pittsburgh loses tonight, there will be 7 teams within 1 game of the final playoff spot, so 12 teams in the AFC can still be said to be in the race.

Uncle Rico makes his won parity. He doesn't care if Kerry starts 0-6. He goes 5-0. Isn't it bizarre that even though he is unconventional & a nutcase that his overall win-loss record is superb ? And in 4 years (2 of which he had very limited playing time, and another that was his rookie year), he has so many 4th quarter/OT comebacks ?

Would we beat Uncle 59-0 ?

 

[Kontradiction]

Correction: I forgot about Tennessee. If Pittsburgh loses tonight, there will be 7 teams within 1 game of the final playoff spot, so 12 teams in the AFC can still be said to be in the race.

I cannot believe that Tennessee has crawled their way back into the playoff race. Unbelievable. Vince Young looks like the real deal too. Everyone has been predicting that Indy will fall every week now, but I really think that it's going to happen next weekend. I think Tennessee, with that running game and a quarterback that can evade the pressure they bring on and still throw an accurate ball on the run, will beat them.

 

[IcyPatriot]

So we could play Denver at home ... serious hype for that one.
Well ... the 1st round bye will be better ... the fight for seed #2 is fierce.

 

[mgteich]

That not what parity means. I think it was only a few years ago when only 2 or 3 teams were out of serious AFC contention at this point. And I am not just talking about a team running the table to maybe get in.

There are 8 teams in the AFC fighting for playoff spots and another 8 in the NFC. Half the league is in contention and half isn't, sounds pretty even to me.

With a Cap there is parity, the problem is the owners and decisions their personnel make (ie, Raiders, Browns, etc).

 

[Synovia]

That not what parity means. I think it was only a few years ago when only 2 or 3 teams were out of serious AFC contention at this point. And I am not just talking about a team running the table to maybe get in.

What year was that?


Parity means that over the course of a couple of years every team has a chance to be competitive. It doesn't mean that every team should be in the playoff hunt every year.

It just means that every team has an even playing field. Teams that can't get their **** together (like Oakland, or Detroit) aren't a knock on parity at all.

 

[mgteich]

You might check out 2002 AFC and 2004 NFC. You will lots more teams close even with 2 games to go, never mind five.

What year was that?


Parity means that over the course of a couple of years every team has a chance to be competitive. It doesn't mean that every team should be in the playoff hunt every year.

It just means that every team has an even playing field. Teams that can't get their **** together (like Oakland, or Detroit) aren't a knock on parity at all.

 

[Satchboogie3]

What year was that?


Parity means that over the course of a couple of years every team has a chance to be competitive. It doesn't mean that every team should be in the playoff hunt every year.

It just means that every team has an even playing field. Teams that can't get their **** together (like Oakland, or Detroit) aren't a knock on parity at all.

Exactly. The structure of the NFL today (Salary Cap, free agency, revenue sharing, etc) ensure that every team has a level playing field, and they do. It's up to the actual owners to put together good teams. The reasons there are some terrible teams right now is because their owners have made a lot of terrible decisions in the past and continue to make mistakes.

I personally wouldn't want an NFL where "dominant" teams and dynasties were impossible and every team floated around .500.

If you want to see a sport without parity, watch some MLB. The top 3-5 teams are almost always the big market teams. Money actually buys championships.

 

[mgteich]

Nowhere did I suggest that I thought that parity (many teams hovering around .500) was a good thing. I am quite fine with 3-5 dominant organizations/franchises in teh AFC, with others in and out depending on the year.

I happen to like the idea of the pats, colts, steelers, broncos and chargers being in the hunt almost every year.

 

[Satchboogie3]

Nowhere did I suggest that I thought that parity (many teams hovering around .500) was a good thing. I am quite fine with 3-5 dominant organizations/franchises in teh AFC, with others in and out depending on the year.

I happen to like the idea of the pats, colts, steelers, broncos and chargers being in the hunt almost every year.

Parity does NOT mean all .500 teams. Parity has NOTHING to do with actual performance. Parity is simply an even playing field. Every team gets the same and equal opportunities. What those teams decided to do with their opportunities is completely different. Parity is a great thing.

A perfect example of this would be MLB. If the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Jays, and Orioles finished the season with similar records, it would mean it was an extremely competitive season, but there still wouldn't be parity. The Yankees and Red Sox still have a HUGE advantage over the Rays and Orioles, no matter what unfolds during the season. Just because you have an unfair advantage does not mean you will outperform teams with a lesser advantage (such as 2008 Rays). Parity is completely different from competitiveness.

 

[patsfan-1982]

At this point, there are solid favorites for the six playoff spots.
NE
INDY
CINCI
PITT/BALT
SD
DEN

Obviously, things could still happen to upset this playoff setup. And, other than Cinci, these teams seem to have been the top 6 for the decade.

all the team's that have good to great QB's are the top team's its the same in the NFC the team's that have a good QB's win's

its all about the QB in today's NFL

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

AFC vs NFC
As of December 1st just one AFC team is eliminated from post season, Mangini's Cleveland. No surprise here.
Detroit, Tamper, & St Louis are already eliminated from the NFC. The NFC also has 2 of the 3 elite teams with the best records.
Perhaps the title could be changed to "There is not as much parity in the NFC"

 

[patchick]

Anybody else surprised this thread is about the AFC?

IMO, there's much more parity in the AFC than the NFC, where the Saints and Vikings are the only legit teams. After those two there's only Dallas with a solid record, and the Cowboys don't stack up too impressively against any of the AFC's 3-loss teams (NE, SD, CIN).

Edit: just noticed the previous post beat me to it!