NFL Week 11 Division Power Rankings

For the first time this season, after Week 11 of the NFL season, the NFC East does not have the most non-divisional wins out of the eight NFL divisions.

The NFC East has been the consensus best division in football all season long and has had the best record over all NFL divisions in non-division games.  They still hold on to the top record in the league, but sit very close to the NFC South.

The NFC East went 1-0-1 in Week 11 non-divisional games as the Giants beat the Ravens and the Eagles tied with the Bengals. 

The NFC South went 3-1 as the Panthers defeated the Lions, the Buccaneers beat the Vikings, and the Saints edged the Chiefs.  The only blemish was a close loss by the Falcons at the hand of the Broncos.

The AFC East, who went 1-1 in non-divisional games in Week 11, and the AFC South, who went 3-1 in non-divisional games in Week 11, remained within striking distance of the NFC East and NFC South to lay claim to the best division in the NFL.

Here are the updating conference standings for non-divisional games after Week 10 (Rank, Team, Record, Average Margin):

1.  NFC East:  19-6-1 (7.42)

2.  NFC South:  20-8 (6.29)

3.  AFC East:  17-9 (4.08)

4.  AFC South:  15-9 (2.67)

5.  AFC North:  12-13-1 (0.15)

6.  NFC North:  7-17 (-3.42)

7.  AFC West:  7-21 (-7.61)

8.  NFC West:  6-18 (-9.33)

There was no change in the ordering of the divisions in the rankings.  The AFC West and NFC West remain tied for last, but the AFC West receives the higher ranking based on the fact that their teams lose by fewer points on average.

The NFC South is still two games back of the NFC East in the loss column, but they have several advantages over the NFC East at this point.  They have more games played, more wins, and they also do not have a tie like the NFC East does.

Another thing to note is that the AFC North is getting closer and closer to the .500 mark on the season.  Had Shayne Graham connected on a field goal to win the game for the Bengals on Sunday against the Eagles, then the AFC North would have an even win-loss record against non-divisional teams on the season.

The fact that nearly five teams have .500 records or better indicates just how bad the bottom three divisions are in the NFL.  The NFC North, AFC West, and NFC West have a combined record of 20-56.  Their 20 total wins is matched by the NFC South alone.

Some of the key non-divisional pairings for Week 12 to look forward to are:

Cowboys vs. 49ers

Eagles vs. Ravens

Redskins vs. Seahawks

Giants vs. Cardinals

Buccaneers vs. Lions

Saints vs. Packers

Jets vs. Titans

Bills vs. Chiefs

Texans vs. Browns

Jaguars vs. Vikings

Colts vs. Chargers

There is plenty of non-divisional action in Week 12 to look forward to, meaning there is a good potential for some shifts in the standings next week.

The NFC East and AFC South each have four non-divisional games in Week 12, while the NFC South and AFC East each have two.

These key non-divisional games include two match-ups of division leaders.  The NFC East-leading Giants take on the NFC West-leading Cardinals, while the AFC East-leading Jets square off against the undefeated and AFC South-leading Titans.

The Colts and Chargers game should also be interesting as both teams are extremely talented but have underperformed for the majority of the season. 

The Ravens also get another opportunity to record their first win against a team with a winning record when they play the Eagles.