2015 NFC East: Winnable by 16 other NFL teams – NFC Least
By Dan Salem
The 2015 NFC East has fallen on hard times, winnable by 16 other NFL teams if they swapped into the division. Definitely the NFC Least this season. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
Headlines this week tout that no team deserves to make the playoffs out of the NFC Least; who wins the NFC Least; NFC Least, the division no one wants to conquer; etc.
First of all, the term NFC Least is the low-hanging fruit of NFL divisional name puns. Second, it doesn’t matter who actually ends up winning this thing or even that that team will make the playoffs. Whoever the champion is will surely lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks or whoever grabs the sixth seed in the conference.
The more pressing question is about a hypothetical. How many other teams in football would you legitimately take to win this division if said team could be swapped? Right now, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins lead the way with 5-6 records. There are 14 other teams in the NFL with better records, including two members of the AFC South. But there are just four teams in the entire NFC with records more than a game above .500. This isn’t exactly the best year for this conference as a whole.
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My number is 16. There are 16 NFL teams who I think would win the NFC East if they resided in that division. It would have been 17 just two weeks ago before Joe Flacco got hurt. Yes, I would have thrown the Baltimore Ravens onto this prestigious list.
My 16 are New England, NYJ, Buffalo, Cincy, Pittsburgh, Indy, Houston, Denver, KC, Oakland, Minnesota, Green Bay, Carolina, Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis.
Even though Atlanta is 4-0 in real life against the NFC East, I do not think the Falcons are good enough to make this list. Nor are the Bears, but the latter is close. I would also hear arguments about the Lions, who even after starting the year 0-5 would be just a game out of first place in the NFC Least.
What’s your number?
Oct 4, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
Sam Bradford(7) is sacked by Washington Redskins outside linebacker
Ryan Kerrigan(91) and Redskins outside linebacker
Trent Murphy(93) in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
DAN:
I never quite thought of an NFL division like that, but much like last season with the NFC South, there are a lot of other teams which would win the NFC Least if they swapped into the division. My number is 16, with one difference. The league is very obvious in the middle, but I honestly didn’t think I’d have as many teams as you.
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My 16 are New England, NY Jets, Buffalo, Cincy, Pittsburgh, Indy, Houston, Jacksonville, Denver, KC, Oakland, Minnesota, Green Bay, Carolina, Arizona, and Seattle.
First my holdouts. I wanted to include the Buccaneers, but they sit behind Atlanta, and I agree with you on the Falcons. They don’t deserve to make this list. Neither do the Rams. St. Louis lacks a starting quarterback presence, and is on a major losing streak.
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With the AFC much stronger this season, I’ve included one more team from the conference. The Jaguars are only a game back of the NFC Least leader, having played a much stronger schedule. Take a look at some of their losses: Carolina, New England, Houston, NY Jets, and Indy. I like their chances against four flawed teams in the NFC East.
Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at College Sports Madness, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.