Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid.
Last week it was the best, this week it’s the worst! We will decide which division is the worst right now, week 14, on a Wednesday, anno Domini 2022. That’s Sunday Night Football level of accuracy. We’re very scientific here at 64tacos. We have three entrants in this competition: the AFC South, the NFC North, and the NFC South. Why are each of these teams here? The AFC South only has one winning team, ditto for the NFC North, and the NFC South has none. Special mention for the AFC West, whose second best team is the 6-6 Chargers, so they technically only have one winning team, but only the Broncos are truly bad (thanks to three wins on the trot from the Raiders). And the Chiefs are true contenders. You may now see yourself out, AFC West.
Let’s compare and contrast. First up is winning percentage. We’ve got the AFC South at .340 (16-31), the NFC North at .460 (23-27), and the NFC South at .380 (19-31). Advantage: AFC South. Second criteria will be point differential. The AFC South, with all four teams sporting a negative differential, are a cumulative -223. The NFC South, also all below sea level, add up (or down) to -94. And the NFC North (look, a team with a positive point differential!) limps in at -101. So far we have a clear leader in the clubhouse, the AFC South.
How about 64tacos metrics? The NFC North has accumulated -21 points and has an average ranking of 17.25. The NFC South scraped together -1124 and averaged a ranking of 24.5. And the AFC South lumbers in at -1203 and 23.25. I think we can eliminate a division at this point: the NFC North. Admittedly, the Bears look pretty bad. But the Packers, while disappointing, aren’t terrible. And the Lions, winners of four out of five (and they nearly knocked off the Bills in that fifth game), are looking dangerous. Do I think the Vikes are really the second best team in the league? Definitely not, but they are not a poor team. Without some luck and some key mistakes from their opponents, I think they’re more like 7-5, but probably better than almost every team in the two Souths.
So we know it’s not the NFC North. What about the other two? The worst team in football is in the AFC South. I’m not sure how Houston won a game (nice one, Jags) or managed a tie (looking at you, Indy), but they’re locking in having their choice of QBs in the next draft, not looking to be good right now. The best team among these eight is either Tampa (by point differential) or Tennessee (by record). I’m going to give the edge to the Titans because they’ve looked better by the eye test than the Bucs, but it’s razor thin. In the end, I think I will crown the AFC South the best worst division. The division has a worse record, worse point differential, fewer power ranking points, and only a slim lead in the average position battle. Congratulations, AFC South. You suck!
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