NFC West vs AFC West: Which division is more competitive?
The storied battle between the AFC and NFC conferences has gone on for decades. The entirety of acquiring a Super Bowl ring has both sides' best teams battling it out for the final prize.
Every season, there seems to be a clear winner as far as which conference reigns supreme in competitive nature. Whichever team wins the Super Bowl doesn't necessarily mean that the conference where that team comes from has been the best during the season. Here's a look at which conference is the most competitive after Week 1.
Which AFC and NFC teams performed the best in Week 1?
Week 1 was full of absolute beatings. The New Orleans Saints destroyed the Green Bay Packers. The Arizona Cardinals absolutely stuffed the offensive prowess of the Tennessee Titans. The Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed the Atlanta Falcons.
There were plenty of performances on each side of the AFC and NFC that would prove to be the most competitive. However, with both sides having 8 winners, who can be seen as the true "winner"?
The West dominated Week 1 👊 https://t.co/8qd2djDjIj
Both the AFC and NFC West boast undefeated teams. That is no easy feat. But taking a deeper look at the teams that were all matched up with all the winners will be more telling.
AFC Teams
Given the strength of schedule for the 2021 season, the AFC currently holds 5 teams in the top 16 on that list:
Pittsburgh Steelers (1), Cincinnati Bengals (6) Las Vegas Raiders (8), Kansas City Chiefs (11), and Houston Texans (15).
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Buffalo Bills. They are also #1 on the strength of the schedule list. This is far more impressive given the fact that the Buffalo Bills made it to the AFC conference championship and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh barely beat out Buffalo 23-16.
The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Minnesota Vikings in OT. They hold the #6 spot on the strength of their schedule list. The Vikings went 7-9 last season with the Bengals going 4-11-1. It's not all too impressive, but it still bodes well for the Bengals. The final score for Week 1 was 27-24.
The Las Vegas Raiders won in a thriller on Monday night. They outlasted the Baltimore Ravens in OT with a 33-27 score. With the sixth toughest schedule and beating out the Ravens, who went 11-5, the Raiders look good.
The Kansas City Chiefs also beat out the Cleveland Browns in the final moments of the game with a 33-29 score. The Browns went 11-5 last season as well. The Chiefs looked to have their hands full with a very good Browns team. The win was impressive.
The Houston Texans looked like a completely different team than last year. After a dismal record of 4-12, they look set to rebound. Beating Jacksonville wasn't much of a task as they went 1-15 last season, but the Texans currently have the #11 spot on the strength of schedule list.
The Los Angeles Chargers def the Washington Football Team 20-16. At #17 on the strength of schedule list and beating a team that went 7-9 last season, this doesn't seem all that competitive.
The Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos both land at #27 on the list.
Dolphins def New England Patriots 17-16. Patriots record was 7-9.
Denver Broncos def New York Giants 27-13. The Giants record was 6-10.
AFC winners total points: 217
Losers total points: 152
Differential: 65
NFC Teams
Conversely, on the NFC side of things, the conference only holds 3 teams in the top 16 of the strength of schedule list.
Los Angeles Rams (10), Seattle Seahawks (11), and Arizona Cardinals (13).
The Los Angeles Rams destroyed the Chicago Bears 34-14. The Bears had a mediocre record of 8-8. That doesn't scream super competitive.
The Seattle Seahawks looked fantastic defeating the Indianapolis Colts 28-16. The Colts had a respectable record of 11-5. That is an impressive win by any measure.
Chandler Jones has THREE sacks in the first quarter 🤯
(via @NFL)
https://t.co/4o2JCTvvbe
The Arizona Cardinals embarrassed the Tennesee Titans with a 38-13 score. This is easily the most impressive win on the NFC side of things, considering the Titans won their division and went to the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Chandler Jones is also a scary man.
San Francisco 49ers def Detroit Lions 41-33. The Lions had a record of 5-11. The 49ers are #19 on strength of the schedule list.
New Orleans Saints dismantled the Green Bay Packers 38-3. The Packers were 13-3, went to the NFC Championship game, and are mostly a lock to return to the playoffs, disregarding Sunday's performance. The Saints are #22.
Carolina Panther def New York Jets 19-14. The Jets were 6-10 last season. Panthers hold the #26 spot on the strength of schedule list.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers def Dallas Cowboys 31-29. The Cowboys went 6-10 last season. The Bucs hold the #29 spot.
Philadelphia Eagles def Atlanta Falcons 32-6. The Falcons were 4-12 last season and look to remain in the same spot. The Eagles have the easiest schedule at the #32 spot.
The NFC winners total points: 261
Losers total points: 123
Differential: 123
Who wins most competitive?
The AFC has more winning teams in higher spots on the strength of schedule list. Both conferences are tied with wins coming against other teams with winning records at 3 apiece. The NFC winners outscored the losers in their conference with 261-138 points, with a differential of 123 points. The AFC winners outscored the losers in the conference with 217-152 points, with a differential of 65 points. All this data shows that the AFC losing teams put up more of a fight than the NFC teams. The AFC is clearly the most competitive at the moment, but the NFC is sure to shake things up as the season progresses.