When you take a closer look at the 2008 NFL season, it is clear to see this is the season which can be described with one word—parity. I don’t feel that is necessarily a bad thing, for unlike many people, I felt just about every NFL team had a chance coming into this season. I love that.
Of course, there were just a couple of exceptions.
With the manner in which the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII after completing a perfect 16-0 regular season, I believed there was a definite possibility of a let-down coming into 2008. I had no idea Tom Brady would be lost for the season, but there has to be a reason why six of the previous seven Super Bowl losers did not qualify for the playoffs the following season.
This season makes it is seven of the last eight.
Parity was clearly defined in many division races, and this was the polar opposite of last season, with the Detroit Lions posting the very first 0-16 NFL record.
Look at it this way, Lions fans, it can never possibly get worse for you. I truly feel for you all.
The AFC East Posted a Collective 38-26 Record
Of course, the odds-on favorites to win this division coming into the 2008 NFL season were the Patriots.
Their season began on an ominous note, with not only the injury to their star quarterback on the second offensive series. Many forget that New England fumbled the ball away on that play as well as on the first offensive series in the home opener against the Chiefs. The first two offensive series of the 2008 season resulted in two turnovers.
The Chiefs had a legitimate shot at pulling this game out. A hustling play by recent acquisition Deltha O’Neal where he chased down a rookie receiver inside the five-yard line following a sixty-five yard catch-and-run saved the day.
I had felt if any team would contend with the Patriots this year it would be the Buffalo Bills. They finished second in this division last year with a 7-9 record. However, it just wasn’t in the cards.
Nobody saw the Miami Dolphins turning the 1-15 worst record in the NFL in 2007 into an 11-5 record and Division Championship in just one season. It is amazing what great leadership at the top and key free-agent signings can do for a team in this era of the NFL.
The Patriots finished with an identical 11-5 record, and both teams posted identical 4-2 division records. The Dolphins were crowned champions due to the next tie-breaker, which is conference records. They went 8-4 in the conference, while New England fell just short, at 7-5.
The AFC North Posted a Collective 31-32-1 Record
The outcome of this division was a little more cut-and-dried. The Steelers' No.1 ranked defense played a key role in propelling the team to a 12-4 record to win the division.
The Ravens were a close second, as they posted an 11-5 record.
Upon further review, the Steelers surely earned this championship by defeating the Ravens twice during the regular season. I don’t mean to take anything away from the Ravens, as both games were close. The Steelers benefited from a very controversial call late in the second meeting.
The thing that impressed me the most was the Steelers beating the Ravens for a third time this season in the AFC championship game. The victory was impressive and difficult to accomplish.
The AFC South Posted a Collective 38-26 Record
The Tennessee Titans emerged as the class of the NFL during the 2008 regular season by jumping out to a 10-0 record. Their first loss would be to the New York Jets by the surprising score of 34-13. The Titans were totally dominated by the Jets in this game.
At the time, many felt the Jets were stepping forward as an AFC favorite. However, shortly thereafter they suffered a late-season collapse that included a shocking loss at Seattle in a game in which the Jets could only score three points.
The Titans would go on to lose twice more in their last five games. Tennessee’s 13-3 record proved to be the best in the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts, who were the second place finisher in this division, sat at a very mediocre 4-4 after the first eight games of the season. A very impressive eight-game win streak to close out the season had them fall just short at 12-4. Wins over the eventual AFC champion Steelers, the Chargers
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