Shake-up of the NFL
It happened a few years back, but having four divisions in each conference, each with four teams, is quite a new concept for me. I remember a time when Denver were accompanied in the AFC Central by the L.A. Raiders (who have now moved to Oakland), the Seattle Seahawks (now heading up the NFC West) along with the Chiefs and the Chargers. Their division is now called the AFC West.
The old structure had a West, Central and East division in each of the conferences, each with either four or five teams. The introduction of expansion teams means that we now have more symmetry: a North, South, East and West in each of the conferences, each with four teams.
The transitory nature of the NFL franchises, along with the uneven distribution of teams across the country, makes the geographical definition somewhat bizarre. Indianapolis are in the AFC South, St. Louis in the NFC West and Dallas in the NFC East.
The good part about this is that Seattle no longer accompany Denver. Thanks to Jay Feely missing all three would-be game-winning field goals (from 40 yards in regulation, and 54 and 45 yards in overtime), Seattle were able to pull off a 24-21 win against the Giants, matching Denver’s similar OT win against Dallas, taking them to 9-2. During their time in the AFC Central, it was almost unheard of for Seattle to achieve a positive record at the end of the season, something that tonight’s win guarantees.
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