Which NFL Conference is Stronger: NFC or AFC?

Every NFL team has played 10 games this season and had their annual bye done and dusted too. You can view my snapshot of how the playoffs would be if the season ended today.

It's been an eternal debate as to which conference is stronger.

Like every competition in the world, the NFL has gone through cycles which have seen NFC or AFC teams take turns to dominate the scene.

From 1998 to 2009, AFC teams won 9 out of 12 Super Bowls with 4 wins in a row between 2004 and 2007 courtesy of the Patriots, Steelers and Colts.

And of course John Elway's Broncos won in 1998 and 1999 and the Ravens won in 2001.

However, this period of dominance by the AFC was preceded by a very long period of NFC dominance starting in 1985.

During this time, the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins & San Francisco 49ers took turns to build up their Super Bowl ring collections with the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears also laying out their hands for those glorious rings.

And it looks like we could be witnessing the rise of the NFC teams again.



The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints have undoubtedly the two best quarterbacks in the competition at the moment - that is when form and talent are combined in harmony.

Plus, Aaron Rodgers is still only in his mid-20s and could still break many more records while Drew Brees' zenith feels like it has only just begun.

There are also a few young quarterbacks who could be very potent in years to come, i.e. Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford.

Then there's the San Francisco 49ers who have their coach - Jim Harbaugh.

Amidst the 49ers' tremendous winning streak, it's easy to forget that the younger Harbaugh is making his NFL coaching debut only this season - he was Andrew Luck's coach at Stanford last year, remember.

So the NFC has three outstanding teams at the moment with the Bears, Lions, Cowboys and Falcons, Eagles and Buccaneers playing catch-up miles ahead of the likes of the Rams, Redskins, Vikings, Seahawks, etc.

The AFC on the other hand is very much a dogfight at the moment.

The Texans, Ravens, Patriots & Steelers share the best record in the conference of 7-3 - the Patriots are the best team in the AFC by dint of their superior conference record over the Texans and Ravens.

The Ravens are ahead of the Steelers due to their better divisional record.

After the Bengals (6-4), there's a big chasing pack including the Titans, Jets, Bills and Broncos, then another chasing pack including the Chargers and Chiefs (although you could say those two are pretty much out of the running).

If Manning was playing this season, the Colts probably would be in there.

So where does that leave us? Yes, the AFC may be closer as a conference than the NFC but does that mean it is the better conference in the NFL?

Maybe we could compare division by division. Both North divisions have been very competitive while the NFC East and South divisions have been more competitive than their AFC equivalents.

The nowadays weak West divisions have seen quite a contrast. There has been one clear standout team in the NFC West in the 49ers but the AFC West is as tight as can be - the Raiders are only just ahead of the rest.


Conclusions?

It's a fair draw.


Fact is while the NFC does have two of the most dominant teams in the NFL this season, it doesn't quite have the dominance over the AFC as it used to. And while the AFC has been a dogfight in the last few seasons, that appears not to have helped the AFC rep in the Super Bowl in the last two seasons - so thereby that cliche that having more competition in the buildup to the final makes a team better equipped to win.

What I can say though is that the best teams in the NFC have focused on throwing the football to a variety of receivers - look at the Packers and Saints. But they do have some of the best linesmen and defence in the NFL making them the ultimate balanced teams. That is what the Patriots are trying to emulate a bit at the moment - and it seems to be working for them. 

Hence, why I have tended to look forward more towards the NFC encounters as they are a bit more open affairs. But I'm still very much an AFC man.