2011 NFC West: Another Division Champion Without a Winning Record

April 22, 2011   ·   Darin Pike   ·   Jump to comments

Call it bad timing, call it a bad division, call it another excuse to bring up the bad idea of playoff re-seeding...but I am calling it right now.  The winner of the NFC West won't have more than eight wins.
At different times over the last nine years, bad timing has hit several divisions.  The AFC West was won by the San Diego Chargers with a .500 record in 2008.  The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons both had losing records a few seasons ago, and their division has had a revolving door at the top spot.
The law of averages finally caught up with the NFL following the 2002 realignment.  Having four teams in each division does create some great rivalries and makes the playoff structure cleaner for six teams.
There is also a downside to small divisions, and having a team with a losing record was bound to happen at some point.  
16 teams had losing records in 2010, up from 12 the prior year.  Over the last 10 years, though, the NFL ha...

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