Much of the AFC’s strength lies in its exciting young quarterbacks: Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, the fast-rising Lawrence and others.
The NFC is home to Brady and Aaron Rodgers, future Hall of Famers dourly cementing their positions in the league’s eternal pantheon, followed by a bevy of familiar veterans with well-known limitations. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts is the only young NFC quarterback currently playing well, although the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray is keeping things Interesting.
Most AFC teams have also aggressively improved in the offseason: playoff hopefuls like the Dolphins and Broncos through daring trades, weaklings like the Jaguars, Jets and Houston Texans through multiple first-round draft picks. As a result, the AFC has a large, intriguing pool of second-rate competitors and newcomers. The NFC is downright feudal in comparison.
Check out the Buccaneers, Packers, Rams and Eagles and you’ll find:
The 2-1 Dallas Cowboys, whose known weaknesses make them impossible to take seriously;
The 2-1 Minnesota Vikings, the NFL teams’ like-new second-hand sedan;
The 1-2 San Francisco 49ers, whose all-time leading offensive player this season has been punter Mitch Wishnowsky;
The 1-2 Arizona Cardinals, a pickup team from the parking lot with a playbook made of cocktail napkins pinned together;
The 2-1 Chicago Bears, whose games look like colorized footage from the Great Depression;
The 1-2 Atlanta Falcons, whose salary cap situation is a ghost story told by campfire bookers;