(Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Dec. 2, 2024.)
3. With the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings winning, the NFC North moved closer to becoming the most dominant division since Roman Gabriel was the reigning MVP.
The NFC North entered Week 13 as the most dominant since the NFL realigned into eight four-team divisions in 2022, as measured by point margin per game against teams from other divisions.
With Green Bay handling Miami 30-17 and Minnesota edging Arizona 23-22 in Week 13, a question came to mind: Is this the most dominant division since, say, the 1970 AFL-NFL merger?
The answer: Yes.
I’ve expanded my research from last week to evaluate all divisions since 1970 by PPG margin in non-division games through the first 13 weeks of a season. The 2024 NFC North ranks first by that measure (9.36 points per game) and just ahead of the 1984 AFC West — led by John Elway’s Denver Broncos and Howie Long’s Los Angeles Raiders — for second in win rate (.778).
Tapping or hovering over any data points on the chart above will identify the year/division, its PPG margin and its win rate in non-division games.
| Rank | Division | PPG Margin |
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
2024 NFC North
|
+9.36
|
|
2
|
2013 NFC West
|
+8.32
|
|
3
|
1976 AFC Central
|
+8.13
|
|
4
|
2008 NFC East
|
+7.53
|
|
5
|
2002 NFC South
|
+7.29
|
|
6
|
2005 AFC West
|
+7.13
|
|
7
|
1984 AFC West
|
+7.11
|
|
8
|
2008 NFC South
|
+7.06
|
|
9
|
2022 NFC East
|
+6.54
|
|
9
|
2004 AFC East
|
+6.54
|
The 2013 NFC West ranks second to the 2024 NFC North in PPG margin to this point in a season. Third place belongs to the 1976 AFC Central, featuring the Steel Curtain-era Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ken Anderson-quarterbacked Cincinnati Bengals, the Brian Sipe-led Cleveland Browns and the Bum Phillips-coached Houston Oilers.
The current Lions (11-1), Vikings (10-2) and Packers (9-3) have left behind Chicago (4-8), one reason the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus.
The chart below shows how Eberflus and the surviving NFC North coaches have performed since taking over their teams. The Packers’ Matt LaFleur and the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell have never been below .500 during their tenures.
The Lions’ Dan Campbell hit bottom at 15 games below .500 two seasons ago. He turned it around with a 15-9 victory over the Packers in Week 9 of 2022, followed the next week by a 31-30 victory over the Bears. Campbell is now 35-27-1 (.563) with Detroit. The Bears’ current six-game losing streak dropped Eberflus to 18 games below .500, triggering the change.
(Photo of Kevin O’Connell, right, and Sam Darnold: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
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