What Are the NFL Standings?
The NFL standings are an overlook how every team ranks in a season. The standings collate information on wins, losses, and ties, as well as win percentage. All those statistics are put into a grid to formulate the NFL standings.
The standings organize all this information into a table and is a method in which NFL teams are ranked based upon their regular-season results. The standings can change after every week and every game, depending on results, and are used to decide playoff rankings and divisional winners.
Standings can be ordered by the two conferences and eight divisions to see how your team is doing. Each conference has 16 teams, with each division having four. The NFL standings are split into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC, and the results of the standings are then used to determine who makes the playoffs, with the winner of each conference facing off in the Super Bowl.
AFC Conference
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two NFL conferences comprising of 16 teams allocated to four divisions. The AFC was the American Football League (AFL) before it combined with the NFL. The winners of the AFC win the Lamar Hunt Trophy and represent the conference in that year's Super Bowl.
The current AFC champions are the Kansas City Chiefs, who won their third title in 2022. The New England Patriots have the most conference titles with 11.
The Patriots and fellow AFC team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, both share the most Super Bowl wins with six each.
The two conferences emerged in 1970, when the AFL merged with the National Football League (NFL) with teams from the AFL going into the AFC and the teams from the NFL going into the National Football Conference (NFC).
Fast forward to 2023, and there have been many changes to the divisional structures of the NFL, including expansion teams entering the leagues. Yet, the two conferences remain, and the current divisional structure has remained since 2002.
NFC Conference
The NFC is the NFL conference that comprises of the other 16 teams and also has four divisions. The champions of the NFC win the George S. Halas Trophy and get a spot in the Super Bowl.
The current NFC champions are the Philadelphia Eagles who have won the conference four times. The Dallas Cowboys have won the conference title eight times, which is the most in the NFC.
Both the Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers have five Super Bowl wins.
What Are the NFL Conferences and Divisions?
The NFL is split into two conferences and eight divisions. The two conferences, the AFC and the NFC, are then split into eight divisions, four in each conference.
The divisions are split regionally and both conferences comprise of North, South, East, and West divisions.
The AFC is split into the following division:
AFC East: The AFC East is made up of the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. Historically, this has been a division that has belonged to the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick and the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
But, the tide has turned in recent years, with the Bills winning more. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have invested heavily with possibly the most exciting core of playmakers in the NFL, and the Jets bring over quarterback Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay, making the AFC East the division to watch in 2023.
AFC North: The AFC North has the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a division that has become synonymous with physical, tough pure football. The Bengals are the favorites to win the division, but there is hope for the other three teams to push them all the way in 2023.
AFC South: The AFC South comprises of the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have had a stranglehold on this division for the last few years, but the Jaguars have made a resurgence under head coach Doug Pederson and star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, making them the clear favorites for the division title.
AFC West: The AFC West is made up of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Los Angeles Chargers. With the current face of the NFL, Patrick Mahomes, leading them at quarterback, this division belongs to the Chiefs. With Mahomes under center and Andy Reid as head coach, it’s difficult to view Kansas City as anything other than contenders.
The NFC is split into the following divisions:
NFC East: The NFC East has the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders. This division features some of the most historic rivalries in the NFL. In 2023, the Eagles believe they are building something of a dynasty with quarterback Jalen Hurts being one of the top players in the NFL and his future secured.
NFC North: The NFC North contains the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings. This division is also stacked with intense rivalries and has been dominated by the Packers in modern times. But with Aaron Rodgers no longer in the division, the title is up for grabs.
NFC South: This division consists of the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers have had success in recent times with Tom Brady, but with him now retired, this could be the most wide open division in all of football.
NFC West: The NFC West division contains the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers are the favorites to win the division with last year's breakout quarterback Brock Purdy back as the team's starter.
How Many NFL Teams Are There?
There are 32 teams in the NFL. Sixteen teams in each conference and four in each division spread across the league, which are listed in the divisions above.
Each team plays each of their division rivals twice (home and away) over the 17-game season. With the league allocating the other 11 games a particular team plays based upon the previous year’s final divisional standings and a split between two other divisions on a rotation.