What happened to the NFC being the elite Conference and the AFC sucking?

[Rob0729]

Early in the season, all we heard was how bad the AFC was and how all the good teams are in the NFC. Right now the consensus two best teams in the NFL are probably AFC teams with the Pats and Broncos. The Texans are still a top 5 team after the loss last night.

Right now, the elite of the NFC are wildly inconsistent. Chicago is falling like a stone. The Giants can be elite or horrible depending on the week. The Packers the same although their lows aren't nearly as low as the Giants' lows. San Fran can't beat the Rams. Atlanta just lost and have been showing cracks in recent weeks.

As of right now, the AFC Championship Game could be the real Super Bowl especially if it is Pats/Broncos. As we have seen in recent years, a team can get hot late and win the Super Bowl, but the elite teams are mostly in the AFC now.

 

[jmt57]

The AFC has won 100 games, the NFC has won 107 games.

That's a seven-game difference through fourteen week of play.

While the NFC is better than the AFC this year, the half-game difference per week isn't enough to bother characterizing one conference as being head and shoulders better than the other.



This 2012 season is nothing at all like the stretch in the 70's when you pretty much knew the AFC team would win the Super Bowl, or the late 80's to early 90's when the real championship game was the NFCCG. The talk about the NFC being so much better was (and still is) rather simple minded.

 

[RodThePat]

There's almost no way the AFC championship game will be Pats/Broncos. The likely scenario is that they'll occupy the number 2 and 3 seeds in the AFC, so they'd meet in the Divisional Round. A shame, really.

And the NFC might be better on the whole, but I'd take the Patriots/Broncos/Texans against any of the top 3 NFC teams you can come up with.

 

[PatsFan2]

Lets hope those Giants and lucky Eli gets bounced out...i don't ever want to play that lucky Team again...they have cashed in at our expense twice already.

 

[Deus Irae]

The AFC has 9 teams with losing records
The NFC has 6 teams with losing records

The worst teams in the NFC have 4 wins
The AFC has 3 teams with fewer than 4 wins

The AFC is a 2 team conference in terms of SB hopes, 3 if you believe in the Broncos
The NFC is a 5 team conference

It's possible that the Texans and Patriots are the two best teams in football, but it seems pretty clear that there are more good teams in the NFC and more bad teams in the AFC.

 

[Rob0729]

I think the bottom of the AFC is significantly worse than the bottom of the NFC and the middle of the AFC is worse than the middle of the NFC, but that isn't what I am talking about. That is really the difference between the NFC and the AFC more of the middle to low end.

But I am talking about the elite teams. The talk earlier in the year was all the elite teams were in the NFC and top team in the AFC wouldn't be in the top 3-4 of the NFC. It is all the talk of the shift of balance of power to NFC.

Now three of the top 4-5 best teams in the league are in the AFC.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I think the reason is pretty simple: QB.

In the AFC, the following has happened in the last year to change the perception of the conference's QBs:

-Andrew Luck is awesome
-Peyton Manning returned to full form
-Matt Schaub, despite last night's game, is a pretty good QB
-Andy Dalton has proven his rookie season was not a fluke
-Only QB to be downgraded is Phillip Rivers, who goes form borderline elite to average

In the NFC, big changes:

-Eli Manning continues to turn back into a pumpkin, as people realize he doesn't belong in any conversation with the word "elite"
-Drew Brees has proven to be nowhere near the juggernaut that people overrated him as
-Michael Vick is basically done
-Tony Romo is having a very bad year
-Cam Newton in a sophomore slump
-Sam Bradford is never going to be a great quarterback
-Matt Stafford is typical big-arm, mistake-prone gunslinger
-Probably the only positive for the NFC is RGIII, who looks like a stud

 

[Deus Irae]

I think the bottom of the AFC is significantly worse than the bottom of the NFC and the middle of the AFC is worse than the middle of the NFC, but that isn't what I am talking about. That is really the difference between the NFC and the AFC more of the middle to low end.

But I am talking about the elite teams. The talk earlier in the year was all the elite teams were in the NFC and top team in the AFC wouldn't be in the top 3-4 of the NFC. It is all the talk of the shift of balance of power to NFC.

Now three of the top 4-5 best teams in the league are in the AFC.

I think it's a fair argument to opine that, Rob. I don't agree withthe "elite" portion of it, but the numbers certainly leave that as a valid possibility. Personally, I think the Broncos are frauds and that the Ravens have fallen off the list because of their injuries, and I think you have been calling the Texans frauds, so I don't buy the numbers.

 

[Rob0729]

I think it's a fair argument to opine that, Rob. I don't agree withthe "elite" portion of it, but the numbers certainly leave that as a valid possibility. Personally, I think the Broncos are frauds and that the Ravens have fallen off the list because of their injuries, and I think you have been calling the Texans frauds, so I don't buy the numbers.

Denver are a bit of frauds since they haven't beaten anyone and lost to the very good teams they have faced. I think the Texans are frauds as a premiere team, but still a top 5-10 team because they can't run with the elite offenses. That said both are now considered better than any team in the NFC in most power rankings today.

But other than the Pats and 49ers, I don't know of any team that I would say are playing like elite teams (at least consistently). The Giants are elite one week and mediocre the next. Same with the Packers to a lesser extent. I think Atlanta is coming down to earth.

I would say the Pats are the best team in the NFL at this specific moment (things change fast in the NFL) and the 49ers are #2, but I think the rest of the teams are a ways behind at least until the Giants and Packers show a little more consistency.

 

[Patsrock]

There's almost no way the AFC championship game will be Pats/Broncos. The likely scenario is that they'll occupy the number 2 and 3 seeds in the AFC, so they'd meet in the Divisional Round. A shame, really.

I wouldn't say that quite yet. This weekend will clear up it a little. The reason if Pats lose Sunday and Baltimore wins. Baltimore jumps to #2 seed, Pats #3 and Denver #4

 

[pazrul72]

Denver are a bit of frauds since they haven't beaten anyone and lost to the very good teams they have faced. I think the Texans are frauds as a premiere team, but still a top 5-10 team because they can't run with the elite offenses. That said both are now considered better than any team in the NFC in most power rankings today.

But other than the Pats and 49ers, I don't know of any team that I would say are playing like elite teams (at least consistently). The Giants are elite one week and mediocre the next. Same with the Packers to a lesser extent. I think Atlanta is coming down to earth.

I would say the Pats are the best team in the NFL at this specific moment (things change fast in the NFL) and the 49ers are #2, but I think the rest of the teams are a ways behind at least until the Giants and Packers show a little more consistency.

Just curious why you put the 49ers higher then other NFC teams? They tied and lost to a team the pats destroyed over in London and have been very hit or miss lately, to be fair, like every NFC power over the past month. I do not see them having any better, or worse chance in the playoffs then Atl, GB, or the giants. Any one of them bringing their A game could beat the rest. Talking specifically the past month or so no team has been as consistent as the patriots.

 

[manxman2601]

Just want to say this as there's nowhere else to put it.

the Seahawks and Pete Carroll deserve a huge amount of respect for what they've achieved this year. They worry me as much as any NFC team right now.

 

[resdubwhite]

Yeah.

But its Peter Carroll.

so screw him.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The AFC has won 100 games, the NFC has won 107 games.

That's a seven-game difference through fourteen week of play.

In the only games that can really matter (interconference) the NFC is 31-23.

 

[BradyMossWelker]

Just want to say this as there's nowhere else to put it.

the Seahawks and Pete Carroll deserve a huge amount of respect for what they've achieved this year. They worry me as much as any NFC team right now.

Nah.

We play the Seahawks now, and our defense easily handles their weak offense, and Brady doesn't let that defense fool him again, we win easily by 2 or more TDs.

 

[Froob]

Denver are a bit of frauds since they haven't beaten anyone and lost to the very good teams they have faced. I think the Texans are frauds as a premiere team, but still a top 5-10 team because they can't run with the elite offenses. That said both are now considered better than any team in the NFC in most power rankings today.

But other than the Pats and 49ers, I don't know of any team that I would say are playing like elite teams (at least consistently). The Giants are elite one week and mediocre the next. Same with the Packers to a lesser extent. I think Atlanta is coming down to earth.

I would say the Pats are the best team in the NFL at this specific moment (things change fast in the NFL) and the 49ers are #2, but I think the rest of the teams are a ways behind at least until the Giants and Packers show a little more consistency.

49ers elite? I don't think so. They got hammered by the giants and couldn't beat the rams.

 

[mgcolby]

There's almost no way the AFC championship game will be Pats/Broncos. The likely scenario is that they'll occupy the number 2 and 3 seeds in the AFC, so they'd meet in the Divisional Round. A shame, really.

And the NFC might be better on the whole, but I'd take the Patriots/Broncos/Texans against any of the top 3 NFC teams you can come up with.

I think the Texans split with the Colts and the Pats win out.

1. NE (13-3)
2. Hou (13-3)
3. Den (13-3) Lose head to head tie breakers with NE and Houston
4. Bal (9-7) Win Division Record tie breaker over Bengals
5. Indy (11-5)
6. NYJ (9-7) win conference record tie breaker over Cincy

WC round
Denver destroys the Jets
Indy beats Baltimore

Divisional Round
Denver beats Houston
NE beats Indy

AFCCG
NE over Denver

 

[mgcolby]

Just curious why you put the 49ers higher then other NFC teams? They tied and lost to a team the pats destroyed over in London and have been very hit or miss lately, to be fair, like every NFC power over the past month. I do not see them having any better, or worse chance in the playoffs then Atl, GB, or the giants. Any one of them bringing their A game could beat the rest. Talking specifically the past month or so no team has been as consistent as the patriots.

That is a divisional game. It's hard to knock teams for that. How many times have the Pats headed down to ol' South Beach with every one expecting a blow out, only to either lose or find themselves in a dog fight with an inferior opponent?

The Vikings and G-men losses were bad for them. And to a degree I think they should have won the home game against the Rams, that would be the counter argument to my point as the Pats have always handled the Fins in Foxboro with the exception of the wildcat game in 08.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

There's almost no way the AFC championship game will be Pats/Broncos. The likely scenario is that they'll occupy the number 2 and 3 seeds in the AFC, so they'd meet in the Divisional Round. A shame, really.

And the NFC might be better on the whole, but I'd take the Patriots/Broncos/Texans against any of the top 3 NFC teams you can come up with.

All I care when it comes to any Pats Broncos match-up is that it be in Foxboro. Peyton is on the record as hating to play there in January. On the other hand, the Pats' "issues" playing late season games in Denver, even before Manning, are well known out here.

PS: Denver is really the only place where I really care about having Home Field Advantage in this year's playoffs...if we were in the NFC, I'd probably feel the same way about playing in Seattle.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Lets hope those Giants and lucky Eli gets bounced out...i don't ever want to play that lucky Team again...they have cashed in at our expense twice already.

I think we can take them this year.