It’s the slowest time of the football calendar now that the 2025 NFL Draft is over and there are months to go before training camp.
What better time to debate which divisions are the best in the league?
Analyst Warren Sharp recently shared a stat that shows how the AFC North has been by far the best division in the NFL over the past five years, with 128 combined wins since 2020.
best division in the NFL
(win % in non-division games since 2020)
60.0% (128-85) – AFC North
55.1% (119-97) – AFC West
53.9% (116-99) – NFC North
53.7% (116-100) – NFC West
50.2% (108-107) – NFC East
49.3% (106-109) – AFC East41.7% (90-126) – NFC…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 7, 2025
The AFC West ranks second with 119 wins in that span, while the AFC South is firmly in last place with 78 wins.
All four AFC North teams have made multiple playoff appearances, while every other division has at least one team lagging behind.
Only twice over the past five years has an AFC North team won fewer than seven games, as last year’s Cleveland Browns (3-14) and the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 (4-11-1) failed to reach that milestone.
The Bengals won nine games in 2023 and finished last in the division, which is a testament to how deep it is.
While the Browns look to be headed toward another rough season, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Bengals should have no problem competing for playoff berths again.
A stat like this shows how wide the gap is between the AFC North and other divisions.
