|
|
Welcome to the 2020 NFL divisional power rankings. If you're wondering why we're ranking divisions, it's because we love to rank things here at CBSSports.com. As a matter of fact, over the past few weeks, we've been by who has the at . For instance, in our ranking of quarterbacks, which , the NFC South earned the top spot thanks in large part to the fact that and both play in the division.Brady's move to Tampa was the biggest and although it moved the NFC South to the top of our divisional quarterback rankings, it had absolutely no impact on the our overall divisional rankings. Despite the addition of Brady, the NFC South is that it was in a year ago.As for the AFC East, it actually moved UP a spot even though Brady is no longer in the division. So how did that happen?Let's get to the rankings and find out.8. NFC EastThis division was so bad in 2019 that even NFC East fans were willing to admit it was bad.NFC east trash this year  ) Depre sedCowboysFan (@DaviddaveC) The majority of NFL fans on Twitter also agreed that the NFC East was bad, which is notable, because people on Twitter generally never agree on anything.What is the worst division in football right now?NFC East - Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, RedskinsAFC East- Bills, Patriots, Jets, Dolphins,AFC South - Titans, Colts, Texans, Jaguars It' Cody Stashak Jersey s Titans Time (@itsTitansTime) If you need a quick refresher on how bad the division was last year, just consider this: Every team had a losing non-divisional record, no team hit double-digit wins and three of the four coaches in the division got fired. Also, Washington, a team that went 3-13, somehow tied for the second-best record in non-divisional games, going 3-7 (The also went 3-7 while the led the division with a 4-6 record).Overall, the NFC East finished with a 12-28 non-divisional record last season, which was the worst record for any division since 2016 when the NFC West also finished 12-28. The NFC East's record was also just two lo ses away from tying the 2008 NFC West for the worst record of any division since divisional realignment in 2002.Unfortunately for the NFC East, it doesn't look like things are going to get much better in 2020. Let's start off with the fact that we're in the middle of a global pandemic. Due to coronavirus, the NFL canceled OTAs and mini-camps this year, which hurts some teams more than others. The teams impacted the most are the ones with new coaches who will be trying to install new offensive and defensive systems, and as you read above, three of the division's four teams will be going into the season with a new coach. Basically, the players in Washington, Dallas and New York are going to be getting a crash-course on their new play books during training camp, which kind of feels like a recipe for disaster.Eventually, this division will get better, but this probably won't be the year where that happens.NFC East out-of-division record in 2019: 12-28 (4-12 vs. NFC North, 5-11 vs. AFC East, 2-2 vs. NFC South, 1-3 vs. NFC West2020 out-of-division schedule:vs. NFC West and AFC North7. AFC EastAfter in the NFL last year, the AFC East has actually moved UP one spot, even though it lost Tom Brady. Apparently, Brady was holding the division back. The biggest reason the AFC East moved up is because it dominated the NFC East last season, going 11-5, which means there was no good argument for ranking the AFC East behind the NFC East. Although the division lost Brady, the have replaced him with , and if he's healthy, the Patriots might not mi s a beat in 2020. You know what, now that I'm thinking about it, let's check-in on Twitter and see how confident Patriots fans are feeling about the signing of Newton.Cam Newton winning MVP, Super Bowl MVP, & Comeback player of the year all in the same season with the pats this year M (@_MOUB) Not overly optimistic at all.The thing about the AFC East is that it could actually be wide open this year. If Newton isn't healthy, that could open the door for another team to win the division for the first time since 2008. Of course, even if Newton is healthy, the division could still be a dogfight this year and that's because every team seems to have gotten better.In Miami, coach Brian Flores has overhauled nearly his entire defense, so the should be better. In New York, the went 6-2 over their final eight games last season and if that momentum carries over into 2020, they could be a surprise team in the division. Of course, Adam Gase is their coach, so it's also completely po sible that the Jets will fall flat on their face coming out of the gate, kind of like they did last year when they started the season 1-7. As for Buffalo, the have quietly built one of the best defenses in the NFL and the team will be looking to win the division after earning a wild-card berth in two of the past three years. Even though Brady is gone, this is arguably the deepest the division has been in nearly 10 years.AFC East out-of-division record in 2019: 22-18 (11-5 vs. NFC East, 7-9 vs. AFC North, 2-2 vs. AFC South, 2-2 vs. AFC West2020 out-of-division schedule:vs. NFC West and AFC West6. AFC NorthThe AFC North was the hardest division to rank this year and that's because every team seemed to get better, but every team also seems to have . The had the best record in the NFL last season, but when it comes to winning playoff games, they have as many postseason victories as the and over the past five seasons (AKA zero). The have a dominant defense and should be good, but health is still a giant mystery. The Steelers didn't do anything to upgrade at backup quarterback, which means they're putting all their eggs in the Ben Roethlisberger basket, which is a plan that blew up in their face last season.As for the Browns, they always seem to be one competent head coach away from competing for a division title, and GUESS WHAT? They now seem to have that competent coach, which means this might actually be the year where they end their nearly three-decade drought without a playoff win (Fun fact: Bill Belichick was the Browns' coach the last time they won a playoff game).At the bottom of the division, there's the Bengals, who finished with the NFL's worst record last year at 2-14. The good news for the AFC North is that it doesn't seem like there's any way that the Bengals could po sibly be any worse this year than they were last year. With and a revamped defense, it won't be surprising if the Bengals win some games this season that no one expects them to win.AFC North out-of-division record in 2019: 18-22 (6-10 vs. NFC West, 9-7 vs AFC East, 2-2 vs. AFC South, 1-3 vs. AFC West)2020 out-of-division schedule:vs. NFC East and AFC South5. AFC WestIf these rankings were based solely on how good the best team in your division is, then the AFC West would probably be ranked first this year, but that's not how things work around here. For our divisional rankings, we take into account all four teams, which definitely doesn't work out in the AFC West's favor.Yes, the won the Super Bowl last season, but no other team in the division even had a winning record, making the AFC West the only division in the AFC that produced three teams that finished under .500. Although the , and all got better on paper this offseason, they're still stuck in the same division as Kansas City, which is bad news, because those three teams have combined to go 3-27 against the Chiefs since the start of the 2015 season. If you thought that number was ugly, here's an uglier one: The Raiders have gone 0-14 against playoff teams under Jon Gruden. vs playoff teams since Jon Gruden returned in 2018: 0-14, average score 34-15 Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) Thanks to the Chiefs, the AFC West has turned into the most predictable division in football. The Chiefs have won t Simeon Woods Richardson Jersey |
|
发表于 2026-3-27 10:36:39
