OT: NFL Parity? Not in the AFC East. Patriots dominant in best division in Football since 2002

[Cantabrigian]

I was a little bored so I put this chart together to see how much parity there really was in the respective divisions in the NFL. I started from 2002, when the current 8 division format was implemented.

The Patriots have been the most dominant throughout this period and only Indy and Green Bay comes close. At the other end, the NFC South has been surprisingly even, with 3 division wins apiece for each of the teams and none of them winning 2 years in a row.

Here's looking forward to more of the same in 2014 in the AFC East. :-D

 

[dales804]

Good chart. Bill Barnwell wrote yesterday of the parity or "chaos" as he put it, for division winners since 2002 in the NFL.

The one thing you can count on from season to season in the NFL is change. Since the league moved to its eight-division format in 2002, the average season has seen just three division winners retain their titles the following season. Given the strangleholds the Patriots and Colts have had on their divisions during that time frame, the rest of the league has amounted to chaos on an annual basis.

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I like that your chart gives it a visual.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Moreover, the two years the Patriots didn't win the division, it was on tiebreakers.

 

[meatface]

its a little creepy how much parity the NFC south has had, espechially with the fact that no team has repeated their division title. But still there is no parity in the AFC east because all the other teams are crap most years, same with the AFC south

 

[ctpatsfan77]

its a little creepy how much parity the NFC south has had, espechially with the fact that no team has repeated their division title. But still there is no parity in the AFC east because all the other teams are crap most years, same with the AFC south

The JEST are crap all years, of course. Even the year they "won."

 

[tasmlab]

Everybody here knows this, but year Miami won it the Pats had 11 wins without Brady. Dominating indeed.

 

[jmt57]

its a little creepy how much parity the NFC south has had, espechially with the fact that no team has repeated their division title. But still there is no parity in the AFC east because all the other teams are crap most years, same with the AFC south

Respectfully I will disagree.

In my opinion it has more to do with how well the Patriots have performed, than the (perceived lack of) quality of the division.

Since the NFL went to the current 8-division format, the AFC East has had the best cumulative record outside its division. If the three other teams were total crap, that couldn't happen.

The line about the Patriots winning only because they play in a weak division is one of those myths that has been repeated so often that it has been accepted as fact. I hear it more and more this year with lines like 'well, the good news for the Pats is that they should make the playoffs because the division is so awful', but I can't recall anyone ever saying the same thing about the Colts over the last couple of years.

Even this season there are other divisions that are worse than the AFC East. Here are the current records for each division in games played outside their division

8-3-1 ---- AFC North
11-7 ------ NFC East
10-7 ------ NFC West
9-7 ------- NFC North
9-8 ------- AFC West
7-10 ------ AFC East
5-11 ------ AFC South
4-10-1 --- NFC South​

 

[Cantabrigian]

Just to back up JMT57's statement that the AFC East has had the best cumulative outside the division record since 2002. The table above shows the wins per division per year minus inter-division wins.

Of course, the bulk of the AFC East's out of division wins are also provided by the Patriots Nonetheless, I think it's not going too far to say that the Patriots have been the most dominant team in the most dominant division in the NFL. If only that had lead to 1 or 2 more superbowl wins!

 

[Deus Irae]

Just to back up JMT57's statement that the AFC East has had the best cumulative outside the division record since 2002. The table above shows the wins per division per year minus inter-division wins.

Of course, the bulk of the AFC East's out of division wins are also provided by the Patriots Nonetheless, I think it's not going too far to say that the Patriots have been the most dominant team in the most dominant division in the NFL. If only that had lead to 1 or 2 more superbowl wins!

The bold kills the entire AFCE argument. It would do the same for the AFCS with Indianapolis, too.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

http://pfref.com/tiny/q2pIL

Non-division records, sorted by W-L%, 2002–2013.

Sorted by division here:

1 NE .750
16 NYJ .500
19 MIA .475
26 BUF .433

2 IND .658
12t TEN .533
24t JAX .442
24t HOU .442

3 PIT .596
6 BAL .583
18 CIN .488
29 CLE .392

7 DEN .575
10 SD .550
20 KC .467
31t OAK .333

4t PHI .588
11 DAL .542
12t NYG .533
22t WAS .450

4t ATL .588
8t NO .567
17 CAR .492
22t TB .450

8t GB .567
14 CHI .517
21 MIN .458
31t DET .333

15 SEA .508
27 SF .417
28 ARI .400
30 STL .375