AFC West is NFL's best division

Division power rankings: From top to bottom, AFC West is NFL’s best

http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/234751/division-power-rankings-from-top-to-bottom-afc-west-is-nfls-best

The AFC West is going places. And we don’t just mean L.A. and Vegas.

No division in the NFL is better from top to bottom, according to ESPN’s post-free agency power rankings — thanks in large part to the Oakland Raiders’ rise under young stars such as Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper.

The AFC West boasts three teams in the top 10 (No. 7 Raiders, No. 8 Chiefs and No. 10 Broncos), according to votes from a panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities.

Only one other division had two top-10 teams (the NFC East, with the No. 4 Cowboys and No. 9 Giants).

ESPN took those rankings, assigned a point value for each team (the No. 1 Patriots received 32 points, all the way down to one point for the 32nd-ranked Browns) and created a division-by-division power index — which starts and ends on the West Coast:

1. AFC WEST: Last year, the AFC West was the first division since 2013 to produce two 12-win teams (the Raiders and Chiefs), and the Broncos just won a Super Bowl 14 months ago. The Chargers, meanwhile, aren’t exactly dead weight, with Philip Rivers capable of leading a resurgence as they move north to Los Angeles. None of these teams made major waves in free agency, but it wasn’t necessary to earn this ranking.

2. NFC EAST: The dynamic sophomore duo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott has the Cowboys aiming for their first Super Bowl in 22 years (even though their secondary took a bit of a hit in free agency). Credit the Giants for making free agency cool again last year when they spent mega-millions to radically revamp their defense, and now they’ve boosted their offense with the addition of receiver Brandon Marshall. The Redskins are coming off back-to-back winning seasons. And the Eagles just added perhaps the biggest impact newcomer in the division with receiver Alshon Jeffery.

3. NFC SOUTH: Before that epic Super Bowl collapse, the Falcons were the NFL’s breakout team of 2016 (a trend that should continue with their addition of disruptive defense tackle Dontari Poe). A year earlier, the Panthers were the breakout team. Now it seems like the Buccaneers are a popular pick for 2017 — thanks in part to the arrival of dynamic free-agent receiver DeSean Jackson. The Saints traded away their own dynamic deep threat in Brandin Cooks, but they have sleeper potential, too, if they can finally fix the defense.

4. NFC NORTH: Leave it to the NFC North to make its biggest moves in free agency on offensive linemen, running backs and tight ends — an ode to the division’s classic smashmouth reputation. The improved offensive lines in Detroit and Minnesota and the addition of running back Latavius Murray to the Vikings should help both teams gain a little ground on the No. 3-ranked Packers. The Bears made the biggest splash in the division by signing quarterback Mike Glennon, but for now they’re the anchor in this group, all the way down at No. 29.

5. AFC NORTH: Of course the Browns deserve the biggest share of the blame for this ranking, since they’re dead last at No. 32. But the Bengals have quietly plummeted over the past year, too. They’re down to No. 23 now after losing two key free-agent offensive linemen: Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler. The Steelers are still the class of the division, but the Ravens hope to close the gap after signing free-agent safety Tony Jefferson, among others.

6. AFC EAST: We’ve come to the flaw in this power rankings formula — there is no extra credit available for the Patriots. The reigning Super Bowl champs maxed out at 32 points with their No. 1 ranking despite adding the likes of receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore in a rich-getting-richer offseason. The Dolphins (No. 15) did make the playoffs last year, but the Bills and Jets are both ranked among the bottom seven teams.

7. AFC SOUTH: The good news: Any of the four teams in the AFC South could realistically win the division this season — assuming the Jaguars’ latest free-agent spending spree (defensive lineman Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye, safety Barry Church, etc.) can finally lift them out of mediocrity. The bad news: Any of the four teams in the AFC South can realistically win because they don’t have a single one ranked higher than 13th. This division needs J.J. Watt, Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota all to come back strong from injuries.

8. NFC WEST: My, how the mighty divisions have fallen. It wasn’t long ago that the NFC West would have ranked first on a list like this (they went a combined 42-22 in 2013). But now they are the only division that has two bottom-five teams in the power rankings (the 49ers at No. 31, the Rams at 28). Both of those teams are hoping to change that by hiring offensive whiz kids Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay as head coaches. Other than that, none of the four teams made a major splash in free agency.