Is The NFC East The NFL’s Worst Division?

The NFL certainly has its share of bad teams, all of whom fall into divisions that are made worse by their presence. But has the NFC East cemented its claim as the worst division in the National Football League thanks to its combination of injuries, ineffective coaching, and poor play on the field? And should American football betting experts write them off?

The Case Against The NFC East

NFC East football fans recently enjoyed the best division in the sport, with the New York Giants winning multiple Super Bowls, Philadelphia Eagles competing for championships yearly, and the Dallas Cowboys having their moments as well. But recent seasons have seen those positives disappear, with nothing but doubt surrounding those clubs.

For the New York Giants, poor coaching and execution have been the issues, with the team losing both of their first two games despite leading both by double digits in the fourth quarter. For reference, they are the only team in the history of the league to manage to lose their first two games in such a fashion.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, has seen head coach Chip Kelly come in, try to change the entire roster of quality players, swapping in players of lesser quality to fit his specific strategy, only for the players he brought in to perform poorly, losing each of their first two games. Kelly now needs to hope things turn around, or the blame will be squarely on his shoulders.

In Dallas, things aren’t horrible yet, as the team has two wins and no losses. But injuries to quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant will be an issue as both are out for long periods of time.

Also worth mentioning here is the fourth team in the division, the Washington Redskins, who are easily the most dysfunctional franchise in all of professional sports, which fits the motif of this division to the letter.

Is There A Worse NFL Division?

As you can see, things aren’t going well for any team in this division, which is different from all seven other divisions that all have at least one bright spot.

In the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons are relatively healthy and can find ways to win no matter what. The NFC North boasts the always talented Green Bay Packers, as well as the strong, young Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. And the NFC West has four solid teams in the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ers.

Meanwhile, the AFC’s four divisions all look stronger than the NFC East, with the AFC East featuring four competent teams, the AFC South boasting at least last year’s AFC runner up Indianapolis Colts, the AFC West boasting three teams who can make playoff runs, and the AFC North being a gauntlet filled with strong defenses and quality quarterbacks.

So, to sum things up, there doesn’t appear to be a division in the NFL that combines dysfunction, poor play, and the inability to finish games quite like the NFC East, a division that is going to have a long year in the NFL.

By: Jason M. Sanin