The AFC Central in 1975, for one example, was similarly loaded. With a 14-game schedule, the final records were:
And, from the following season, the 1976 NFC East:
The '75 Oilers and '76 Cardinals didn’t even make the playoffs, because there was only one wild-card team in each conference back then.
Okay, thanks. Then by winning percentage, it does look like the NFC North is pretty historic this year. Right now, the Packers, Vikings and Lions have an average win percentage of 81% between them as the top three teams. (However, this doesn’t take the currently-ongoing Vikings game and later Packers game into account; this % could change by tonight.)
The top three teams in the 1975 AFC Central had an average win percentage of 79% while the 1976 NFC East’s top three teams had an average win percentage of 74%.
Detroit had an interesting trick play where they faked a bad snap on a run [Highlight] Ben Johnson draws up a “bad snap” trick play for a LaPorta TD : nfl
I found an example that’s a slightly different take on your question: a division where every team was at least reasonably good. The other examples (including this year’s NFC North) have one or two bad teams, but the 1984 AFC West:
That’s a 64% winning percentage for the entire division. The last place Chargers were 0-8 against divisional rivals, and 7-1 against the rest of the league.
Dan Quinn was involved in two of my favorite big comebacks ever.
The NY Giants pull ahead in the race to the bottom. Maybe Deion and Shedeur Sanders as a package deal for coach and QB.
I offer the 2013 NFC West:
Seahawks 13-3
49ers 12-4
Cardinals 10-6
Rams 7-9
If my math is right, that’s a 65% winning percentage for the division.
To add to that, the NFC Championship game that year was all NFC West, as it was between the Seahawks and 49ers. And the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in a blowout. I’ve heard the opinion (and share the opinion) that the NFC Championship game was the real Super Bowl that year.
That’s a pretty dominant division.
Speaking of the 49ers and the NFC Championship Game… the 49ers have now gone 22 years either missing the playoffs entirely or playing for the NFC Championship. The last time they made the playoffs and lost before the NFCC was the 2002 season - losing to John Lynch and the Buccaneers.
Speaking of playoff droughts, I found out yesterday that the AFC team with the longest period of not winning a playoff game is the Dolphins, who last won a postseason game in 2000.
I would have guessed the Raiders. Their last playoff win was in 2002.
This Packers team in literally any other division would be scary as hell. Their last loss to a non-NFC North team was the first game of the season.
ETA: I like this rules analyst. Yurk, I think? He says his piece and shuts up, no long-winded pointless drivel that doesn’t actually explain anything.
The Packers will most likely be 10-1 against non-divisional opponents two hours from now. The Vikings are 10-1 against non-divisional opponents. The Lions are 8-2 against non-divisional opponents. This combined 28-4 is probably getting close to, or setting, some new statistical record.
Packers and Vikings will both finish 10-1 in non-divisional games. If Detroit beats the Niners on next Monday they will finish 9-2 in those games.
So the final non-divisional record for these 3 teams would then be 29-4. I agree, that would have to be the best ever non-divisional record for 3 teams in one division.
Assuming the Bears lose next week, the entire division will finish 33-11 outside the division. At the start of the season, this had the makings of an all-time stacked division. Alas, the Bears still suck.
The Packers have 190 yards on the ground, and nine different guys have run the ball:
Something I just realized - the Bears are on a 9 game losing streak, starting with the Commanders Hail Mary. I’m pretty sure you can blame the entire season on Tyrique Stevenson.
Not any more!! Bears win at Lambeau Field on 51 yard field goal as time expired!! I was literally intoxicated by the victory!!
Do you mean by the time they won the game you had become intoxicated (by drinking throughout the course of the game), or that somehow the very act of Chicago winning that game literally made you drunk?
(If the latter I can only assume something psychosomatic was at play, but it’s still fascinating.)
In an emotionally charged situation, victory can have an effect very similar to a powerful drug. It’s euphoric, and you want more!