With the offseason in full swing and the majority of big-name free agents signed, it is more than safe to start projecting next season’s teams, which means it is the start of rankings season. Today, we are going to rank from 1 to 8 (best to worst) based on how tough each division is. This will be based on last year's success combined with projected success for the 2022 season. Let us dive into each division and why they are placed where they are.

1. AFC West (Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders)

For the last few seasons, the NFC West has been known as the clear-cut best division in football. One massive trade changed that with QB Russell Wilson going from Seattle to Denver. With the Broncos being the worst team in the division last season, they are now clear postseason contenders, as well as the rest of the teams in this division. What made me put them first is that I believe this division has the highest floor, meaning the worst team may still win 10 games. You cannot say that about any other division in football. It also comes down to the quarterback play, in which there is not a quarterback outside the top 12 in this division. This is going to be a dogfight all season long, with predictions nearly impossible for who wins it.

2. AFC North (Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Steelers)

By the closest of seconds, the AFC North is next on the rankings. The Deshaun Watson trade to the Browns gave this division a massive boost, even though you can argue the division was loaded regardless. The worst team (on paper) is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they made the playoffs last year with an aging QB Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens will be getting QB Lamar Jackson back healthy, while the Bengals just made the Super Bowl. If it was not for the Wilson trade, the AFC North would be the best division by a landslide.

3. NFC West (Seahawks, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams)

With the Wilson trade, the NFC West loses a contending team in Seattle, bumping them to number three. This division features the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams, as well as two other playoff teams who look ready to make another push to the postseason. While there are massive question marks for both Arizona and San Francisco, specifically around their QB situations, both teams are playoff-ready, as well as the Rams, obviously.

4. NFC East (Cowboys, Eagles, Commanders, Giants)

While it was known as the NFC “Least” just two years ago, the NFC East is far from the worst division in football. Last season, they sent two teams to the playoffs (Cowboys, Eagles) and with the addition of QB Carson Wentz to the Commanders, they can be in the hunt too. I have them middle of the pack though because I do believe there is a ceiling for each of these teams come playoff time, but all three of these teams have a real chance to take the division. As for the Giants, they are in limbo with QB Daniel Jones and need to figure out how to rebuild their roster around him or someone else in the future.

5. AFC East (Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Patriots)

While much improved, there is still a ton of unknown with the AFC East. The Bills are the clear best team and should win the division by a landslide, but after that, it gets a little dicey. The Dolphins added Tyreek Hill and are coming off a 9-8 season, but can QB Tua Tagovailoa get them over the top to possibly 10, 11, or 12 wins? The Jets, on paper, had an incredible draft, but even if their draft picks hit, the fate of the team’s success is mostly based on QB Zach Wilson. As for the Patriots, for the first time in a long time, it seems like a massive question mark on what they are going to look like in 2022. With that being said, Bill Belichick is still the head coach and will find numerous ways to scratch out wins. This division may have three teams with a winning record, or it might have one team with over 7 wins, and that is the Bills who will probably win at least 11.

6. AFC South (Texans, Titans, Colts, Jaguars)

What pushed me to place the AFC South at sixth in the division rankings below the AFC East is that the East does not have a clear-cut bottom feeder. The AFC South has two in the Jaguars and Texans. While Houston is improved, they have massive question marks on both sides of the ball and are still in the air with their quarterback situation. As for Jacksonville, it is the reset again, something that has gone on for far too long in Duval. The two top teams are the Titans and Colts, who should both be fighting until the end for that division title. While both are good, they are similar to the NFC East in the fact that there is a ceiling on the playoff teams compared to the top divisions.

7. NFC North (Packers, Bears, Vikings, Lions)

The second to last division in the NFL is the NFC North. It is basically Green Bay and others at this point, with Minnesota being the second-best as of now. Detroit made some moves so they should progress in theory while the Bears are starting to jumpstart their process. Regardless, the Packers will be there in the end, and the Vikings are so Jekyll and Hyde that you never know what team you are getting. That risk gives them an extremely low floor, compared to teams like the Steelers, Patriots, etc. If Detroit does improve though and Minnesota finally plays to expectation, they can easily move up this list

8. NFC South (Buccaneers, Saints, Falcons, Panthers)

By far the worst division in football is the NFC South, which ironically carries the “G.O.A.T.” QB, Tom Brady. Even though the Buccaneers will most likely make the playoffs, the other three teams have a very slim chance. All three teams outside of Tampa Bay do not have their QB situation fully resolved, making those teams that much easier to pick against.

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-By: RIchie Dordas

Dallas Cowboys: Will the Defense Be Able to Complement the Offense?

2020 was a lost season for the Dallas Cowboys once QB Dak Prescott got hurt, but Dallas was going to have issues all year defensively regardless. Dallas struggled on every level of their defense and, expectedly, struggled even more once Dak got hurt. In the 2021 draft, the Cowboys used their first-round draft choice on LB Micah Parsons. Along with that, Dallas changed their defensive coordinator which should help their defense that struggled with last year’s scheme. Dallas’ defense does not have to be elite, but even just average will be enough to complement the potent potential of the Dallas offense.

New York Giants: Is Daniel Jones For Real?

Over the past few seasons, the New York Giants have done a good job of rebuilding their roster and closing the book on the Eli Manning era. As a result, the Giants have a stout defense and an offense that is very complete. The only question is the quarterback. Through two seasons, QB Daniel Jones has been somewhat underwhelming and will need to be better if the Giants want to go anywhere in 2021. If he is good, expect the Giants to compete for a playoff spot this year as well as a division title.

Philadelphia Eagles: Is Nick Sirianni the Right Guy for the Job?

With the Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson era over, there is a changing of the guard in Philadelphia with QB Jalen Hurts, and newly acquired head coach Nick Sirianni. Sirianni was on the Colts staff in 2020 and is known as an offensive mastermind, something the Eagles badly need. With a young roster, the Eagles are going to go through some growing pains in 2021, but the Eagles will need to see progress with their offense, specifically QB Jalen Hurts, for the Eagles to feel good about their season.

Washington Football Team: Can Ryan Fitzpatrick Limit the Turnovers?

2021 was a weird year for the Washington Football Team. After QB Dwayne Haskins struggled and was eventually benched. Kyle Allen took over, but then he eventually got hurt. Washington turned to veteran QB Alex Smith, who was coming off an injury where the word gruesome is an understatement. Regardless, Smith led them to the playoffs with a losing record, only for the team to be forced to turn to their fourth-string quarterback Taylor Heinecke as Smith was hampered by injury late in the season. In the offseason, Smith retired, and Washington went out and signed veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Washington will win games with their defense, but they will need a quarterback that will limit the turnovers. Fitzpatrick has a big arm but has been turnover-prone in the past. If Fitzpatrick can limit the turnovers, he will stick around, but that is a huge “if”.

Info from nfl.com

Writer

-By: RIchie Dordas

This last Wednesday the fans of the NFL got a look at the full 17 game schedule for their favorite teams. Last season the NFC East went through a brutal schedule that resulted in a divisional championship for Ron Rivera and the 7-9 Washington Football Team. This upcoming season this division will have matchups with the AFC West as well as one singular matchup against the AFC East against the team that finished in the same spot in the previous season. There are a lot of questions to be answered within this division and possibly an easier schedule compared to the 2020 season can help these young teams continue to grow.

Washington Football Team

Since the Football Team won the division in 2020, it would only make sense for them to have the hardest strength of schedule within the division. Washington ranks 15th in strength of schedule heading into this 2021 season. Ron Rivera and his young promising squad will play 5 division champs, including the Bills, Saints, Chiefs, Packers, and Seahawks. As well as a possible revenge game against the reigning Super Bowl champs in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Unfortunately for Washington the added game against the AFC East has them playing the Buffalo Bills. Along with the 5 division champs Washington will need to play, they end the year with 5 straight divisional matchups starting with the Dallas Cowboys in week 14 and ending with the New York Giants in week 18. Washington’s season will ride heavily on the outcome of those games heading into postseason play.

Dallas Cowboys

Heading into 2021, the Cowboys’ strength of schedule is ranked 31st in the league only ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas will start the year with two straight road games, including an enticing primetime Week 1 game against Tom Brady and the Bucs.

The Cowboys will play in two Thursday night matchups this season, one being the opener against the Buccaneers and the other is a December trip down to Mercedes Benz Stadium to play Jameis Winston and the Saints. These two Thursday night matchups actually give the Cowboys more time to prepare and stay healthy as they go through their season. Currently, sportsbooks have the Cowboys at 9.5 wins for the 2021 season which is barely over .500 but is also the best over/under in the entire division.

The toughest part of Dallas’ schedule will be down the stretch with 4 road matchups in their last six games of the season. Four of these games as well are against their NFC East opponents, and the other two being matchups against the Saints and Cardinals. Dallas is going to need everyone healthy for their final stretch. One important aspect to keep an eye on is the status of their offensive line. If the Cowboys can keep a consistent front for Dak Prescott’s first year off a major injury, they will have a shot to take the NFC East crown and save Mike McCarthy’s job.

Philadelphia Eagles

Even though the Cowboys have the 31st strength of schedule in the league, the Eagles are the only team in the NFL with a strength of schedule below Dallas and below a .450 win percentage. The Eagles had a lost season in 2020 with a 4-11-1 record. Philly plays only three games against teams that finished above .500 last season. These matchups are no joke though being that they will have to play the two conference winners in the Chiefs and the Bucs as well as an explosive Saints offense. Nick Sirianni will only have to face five teams that went to the playoffs in his first season as the Eagles head coach.

The Eagles along with the rest of the division will have to improve from last year quickly. But Philly at least gets to play both the Bucs and the Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field. With full capacity stadiums in play for the 2021 season that should give the Eagles some more life and energy like it has for many years. I’m sure Sirianni in his first year in one of the more pressuring cities in the country to win will not be complaining about having the easiest schedule in the league. 

While the Eagles’ schedule is the easiest analytically speaking, the number should not mean much being that teams like the Chargers, Panthers, 49ers, and Falcons should improve dramatically from last season. At the end of the day, Philly is entering a rebuilding season, and Sirianni and his staff need to focus on the development of Jalen Hurts and staying competitive in every game on their schedule before all else. But even so, the Eagles’ schedule is only going to get easier down the stretch. If the Birds can stay in the mix heading into those last 5 weeks of the season where we will see an NFC East round-robin, who knows they may be more competitive than we thought. Isn’t that what the NFC East is about after all?

New York Giants

Thanks to the blunders in the NFC East in 2020, the Giants are tied for the eighth-easiest schedule in the NFL. Other than their six division games Big Blue faces a rather interesting schedule that will determine Daniel Jones’ fate as a New York Giant. 

Joe Judge’s team will start the year at home against the Denver Broncos. They follow that with a road trip to Washington, a home game against the Falcons, and a trip to New Orleans. Right off the bat, the Giants are going to be tested. If they start out the season off on the wrong foot the coaching staff and front office’s seats are only going to get hotter.

Since they finished in second place in the division last year, the Giants also will play the NFC wild-card Rams and Bears on top of another long-awaited matchup with Tom Brady. From the AFC East, the up-and-coming Dolphins will be their 17th opponent.

For the latter half of the New York Giants 2021 season, they will finish with 6 games, 3 being against their division foes and another 3 against the Dolphins, Bears, and Chargers. All of these teams, much like the Giants are going to be improved compared to last year, it will be up to Joe Judge and his staff to get the most out of this roster that now is considered amongst the most talented in the league.

Writer

-By: Sam Kirk