Power Ranking the NFL's strongest divisions: Where does the NFC East land?

For better or worse, conversation about a team's NFL fortunes often start with the division they play in. Certain franchises have six rough and tumble games against divisional opponents, while others can really boost their playoff odds by dominating their division rivals. Which division is the NFL's best heading into the season? Join us as we rank all eight before training camp.

Last year saw the Bucs win the NFC South with a slightly above-average 9-8 record, only just beating out the Saints, who finished with the same record. No team in this division has massively upgraded this season apart from the Falcons, who signed Kirk Cousins, making them the Bucs rivals for the NFC South crown in 2024.

Jeff Kerr for CBS Sports ranked the AFC West here, which we understand, but we can’t have the back-to-back Super Bowl champions in the second-weakest division. For us, the potential mediocrity (or potentially just plain bad) group of the Jaguars, Colts (we’re optimistic here), and Titans can’t back up the up-and-coming Texans.

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As Bleacher Report puts it, “The NFC East is one of the NFL's more polarizing divisions right now,” with two Super Bowl contenders in the Eagles and Cowboys and two basement dwellers in the Commanders and Giants. A strong showing from Jayden Daniels and this could become a three-horse race very quickly.

What was probably the highest-ranked division in football last year has taken a backward step despite including the Chiefs. The Broncos could be looking at a first-overall pick in 2025, the Raiders kinda stink, and the Chargers may need more than one offseason to turn things around. Kansas City is in great position to coast to another AFC West title. 

The AFC East could be a little higher if we trusted Aaron Rodgers could stay healthy for 17 games. As it is, the Bills and the Dolphins are doing most of the heavy lifting, with the Pats in the midst of a rebuild bringing up the rear. New England will hope for improved health on defense, which could raise the overall ceiling of this division.

A real toss-up between the NFC West or North for the number three spot, but ultimately we feel the North has multiple Super Bowl contenders and the West has one. The Niners aside, the Rams, Seahawks, and Cardinals are all potentially good teams, but none fill us with confidence come playoff time.

As Jeff Kerr puts it for CBS Sports, “The NFC North could compete with the AFC North for the best division. It depends on how the Bears and Vikings progress.” The Packers and Lions are going to be in the mix, the Bears could compete this year if Caleb Williams is as good as advertised, and the Vikings look well set up to rebound from a mostly disappointing 2023.

Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and are both surrounded by loaded rosters, beyond them, the Browns and Steelers boast two of the best pass rushers in the NFL. The AFC North is a division built on hatred, grit, and usually boasting at least one legit Super Bowl contender at any one time.

Do you agree with our rankings ahead of the 2024 season, or do you think we’ve got it all completely wrong? Either way, we would love to hear from you in the comments!

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