It’s a much easier year to make the playoffs in the NFC than in the AFC.
The AFC playoff picture is crowded with 11 teams that have winning records and only five teams with losing records. The NFC has 11 teams with losing records and only five teams with winning records.
In the AFC, some good teams are going to get left out. The Bills, who are 7-6 and have outscored their opponents by a cumulative 104 points, are currently in the 11th position in the conference. If the playoffs started today the Texans, Broncos and Bengals would also miss the playoffs with winning records.
In the NFC, some bad teams will make it. That’s certainly true in the NFC South, where there are no good teams, but the 6-7 Buccaneers currently have the division lead and the inside track to host a first-round playoff game. The 6-7 Packers remain in playoff position as well. Even the Giants and Bears, teams that were left for dead early this season, are now 5-8 and only a game out of the playoffs.
There’s plenty of parity in the NFL this season, with 13 teams at either 6-7 or 7-6. But there’s not much parity between the two conferences. The AFC is a whole lot better than the NFC.
