With the new 7 team playoff in place, the playoff picture will be heavily dependent on the strength of the division. The divisional games tend to be intense and full of mayhem. These games usually turn out to be some of the most important games of the season.
Today, we rank all of the divisions, and see which teams have easier division games that allow them to go to the playoffs, or teams with harder games that work the hardest to find a spot in the playoff bracket.
These rankings will consider rankings from last year, along with each team’s acquisitions during the offseason.
8. AFC East
The AFC East used to be a fairly dominant division when the Patriots were controlling the league. However, the departure of Tom Brady has caused the AFC East to only have one above average team, the Bills. The Bills will likely be the division winner for the next few years. With Stefon Diggs on their team, Josh Allen will have many deep threats in Diggs and John Bown. Unless Jarrett Stidham steps up for the Patriots, you can expect one team to regularly go to the playoffs from the East. If Stidham does perform, the defense will certainly show up for the Patriots, as they were the best defense in 2019. The Jets have been struggling for years, and the departure of Robby Anderson doesn’t help. The Dolphins have made some good Free Agency moves, but still don’t impose a real threat to AFC powerhouses like the Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers, etc.
Prediction for Winner of AFC East in 2020: Bills
7. NFC East
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There have been many complaints over the NFC East from this past year. It has disappointed many fans that the 9-7 Eagles can make the playoffs simply because they won a very weak division. In 2019, not team in the NFC East had more than 10 wins, and the Eagles were first round exits. The Giants and Redskins have had strong off seasons, with the Giants acquiring James Bradberry, and the Redskins hiring new coach Ron Rivera. The Redskins are a dark horse team to watch out for, especially if Haskins performs at a high level. The Cowboys have yet to resign Dak Prescott, but the Eagles have made a major improvement by trading for Darius Slay to fill in their weakest spot of the team. The division will likely be fairly similar to 2019, and no team has a real chance of being Super Bowl contenders.
Prediction for Winner of NFC East in 2020: Eagles
6. AFC West
This may surprise some fans, that the division with the Super Bowl winner is the 3rd worst division in the league. However, these rankings consider every team in the division, and the AFC West is actually very weak. Aside from the Chiefs, this division is very below average.. The Raiders last good season was back in 2016, and the Broncos last good season was their Super Bowl winning team in 2015. Since those years, all 3 of these teams (beside the Chiefs) have been irrelevant. The Broncos did get Melvin Gordon this past off season, and the Chargers acquired Chris Harris Jr. The Chiefs also resigned Sammy Watkins, and the Raiders didn’t do much aside from signing Mariota. Overall, the FA for all 4 teams was merely average, and the division should be dominated by Kansas City once again in 2020. Don’t be surprised to see 2 AFC West teams in the playoffs however, as the Broncos and Chargers could put up a quiet run this upcoming season
Prediction for Winner of AFC West in 2020: Chiefs
5. NFC North
The NFC North was one of 2 divisions with 2 playoff teams this past postseason, with the Vikings and Packers. The Packers had advanced to the Conference Championship, and lost, and the Vikings lost in the Divisional Round. The Packers had a very strong regular season last season, going 13-3 and securing a first round bye. The Packers were not too involved in this years Free Agency, but they did secure underrated WR Devin Funchess. They did lose one of their star defensive players, Blake Martinez. The Vikings traded away Stefon Diggs to the Bills, and lost Trae Waynes and Linval Joseph. The Lions traded away Darius Slay, and the Bears traded for Nick Foles. If the Bears offense performs, they are very well playoff contenders with their stellar defense. Foles has shown us what he can do as a QB with the Eagles, and I have no doubt he can do it again with David Montgomery and Allen Robinson. The Lions, even with the loss of Slay, will definitely improve with new addition Desmond Trufant. The division could see some shakeups, because I believe the Bears could possibly win 10 games, simply because of their defense.
Prediction for Winner of NFC North in 2020: Bears
4. AFC North
The AFC North could send 3 teams to the playoffs this season. The Ravens did choke in this past playoffs, but with experience, they are 100% ready for a Super Bowl run with Lamar Jackson and co. The Bengals will surely select Joe Burrow with their 1st overall pick, which gives them a shot at winning a lot more games if he plays at the level he did with LSU. The Bengals also signed Trae Waynes and D.J. Reader, so they will likely see an improvement from last season. The Steelers were SO close at the playoffs last year. They did this without their starting QB as well. With James Connor, Juju, and Minkah Fitzpatrick leading their defense, the Steelers will surely be one of the wildcard teams in this upcoming years playoffs. Finally, we have the Browns. After all the buzz with Myles Garrett and the helmet, the Browns have slowed down. Less analysts are talking about them, and that is a great thing for Kitchens. With dramatic players like OBJ and Baker Mayfield, the last thing the Browns need is media talking about them. With less drama off the field, the Browns can be an extremely dangerous team on the field with their superstars, including Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham Jr., and many more. Watch out for the Browns, as they could be a potential 7 seed in 2020.
Prediction for Winner of AFC North in 2020: Ravens
3. AFC South
The AFC South is coming off one of the best years as a division. Both the Texans and the Titans made the playoffs. The Titans were one of the greatest stories from last season, as the 9-7 team miraculously won 2 games against the Patriots and Ravens on the road before losing to the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in the AFC Conference Championship. The Texans were the 10-6 division winners, but ended up losing to the Chiefs as well, but in the divisional round. You can expect the Texans and Titans to have 9+ wins next season. The Titans were able to resign Tannenhill to a 4 year deal, and franchise tagged Derrick Henry, securing their 2 key pieces on offense. However, the Colts could also make a run. After bringing in Phillip Rivers, the Colts have the ability to compete with the Texans and Titans, with play makers like T.Y. Hilton on offense, and a great defense led by the great Darius Leonard. The Colts also traded for DeForest Buckner, and are surely a 10+ win team if Rivers performs. However, I don’t think the Jaguars change too much, and I believe they stay as the last place team in the division. They finished 6-10 in 2019, which isn’t bad for Gardner Minshew’s first season. Minshew showed bright spots throughout the season, but was unable to finish out most games. I could see the Jags winning around 8-9 games, but there is too much competition in the AFC South for the Jaguars to have a chance at the playoffs.
Prediction for Winner of AFC South in 2020: Titans
2. NFC West
The decision between the NFC West and the 1st place division was an extremely close one, but the NFC West came 2nd on my list. Nonetheless, this division is LOADED. From the 49ers star-studded defense, to the Seahawks and Cardinals high-powered offenses, this division will be a fun one to watch. The 49ers have had a very underrated off season. DeForest Buckner is obviously an extremely talented player, but the 49ers ultimately won the trade with the Colts. With their new 13th pick, they open up more options, and have the ability to draft a young stud receiver to pair with Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. The 49ers last regular season was one of the craziest jumps ever, going from 3-13 to 13-3. I do not believe they win 13 games again, but they are surely playoff locks with Jimmy G and co. Next up, we have the Cardinals. All I can say is that Steve Keim is a genius. They traded for DeAndre Hopkins, arguably the best receiver in the game, for David Johnson and a 2nd round pick. With Kenyan Drake, the Cardinals don’t need to fill many holes. Kyler Murray has proven to be worthy since being the 1st round pick. The defense of the Cardinals can also perform at a high level, with Terrell Suggs, Chandler Jones, Patrick Peterson, and many others. The Seahawks are always a threat to win the Super Bowl with Russel Wilson. Him and Tyler Lockett have proven to be one of the best duos in the league, and it will stay that way. With Bobby Wagner leading the defense, the Seahawks are also another playoff lock. Finally, the Rams. The Rams have gotten extremely worse since their 2018 Super Bowl appearance. They have lost Gurley, and traded Brandin Cooks. You can expect them to be in 4th place in this stacked division
Prediction for Winner of NFC West in 2020: Seahawks
1. NFC South
The NFC South had one of the greatest off seasons by a division ever. The Saints were probably the most quiet team out of this division, but still filled some major holes. First off, they acquired Emmanuel Sanders from the 49ers, which fills their hole of a WR2. The Saints have lost in the playoffs 3 years in a row, from the Minneapolis Miracle, the notorious no-call PI by the referees, and Kyle Rudolph’s game winning TD. Saints fans can only hope for this postseason losing to stop, but have nothing to complain about in the regular season, as they have a very good chance at winning the NFC South for the 4th straight year. The Buccaneers have had one of the biggest off seasons so far. Now that WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans have the GOAT as their QB, the best Wide Receiving core in the league can finally be used to the Bucs advantage. With Tom Brady as your QB, you can basically guarantee that the Bucs are a playoff team in 2020. The Falcons have also filled some major holes, replacing Freeman with Todd Gurley. Now, the Falcons have an offense consisting of only 1st round picks. They also added pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. which fills one of many holes on defense. There have been rumors spiraling of the Falcons moving up in the draft, and they could fill some more defensive holes. Also, the Falcons new uniforms are probably the best new released jerseys so far. And then we are left with the Panthers. Unfortunately for Carolina fans, the Panthers have split ways with MVP QB Cam Newton. They signed Teddy Bridgewater, who is an underrated QB that can perform with some good weapons, which the Panthers have. The Panthers have one of the better offenses in the league, with DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Christian McCaffrey, and an upgraded offensive line. However, their defense sets them apart from everyone else, as their defense has numerous holes that will need to be filled in the draft. Overall, this division is certainly the most competitive, and will feature a lot of interesting high scoring games.
Prediction for Winner of NFC South in 2020: Buccaneers
