Ever wonder what it would be like if the NFL's franchises actually played in divisions that reflected their geographic location?
Get ready to imagine new divisional rivalries like Bengals and Colts, Cowboys and Saints, Jaguars and Dolphins, and more because this NFL division realignment not only makes more sense geographically. It also highlights the amazing history and culture of the league and its storied franchises. Geographically close teams naturally build up rivalries, so the new contenders placed in over half the NFL divisions in my realignment below already have a contentious history with the teams in their new division, especially if they're in the same state.
Here is the new realignment by division, with the new team in bold:
AFC East
Baltimore Ravens |
Buffalo Bills |
New England Patriots |
New York Jets |
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals |
Cleveland Browns |
Indianapolis Colts |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
AFC South
Houston Texans |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Miami Dolphins |
Tennessee Titans |
AFC West (no changes)
Denver Broncos |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Las Vegas Raiders |
San Diego Chargers |
NFC East
Carolina Panthers |
New York Giants |
Philadelphia Eagles |
Washington Commanders |
NFC North (no changes)
Chicago Bears |
Detroit Lions |
Green Bay Packers |
Minnesota Vikings |
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons |
Dallas Cowboys |
New Orleans Saints |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
NFC West (no changes)
Arizona Cardinals |
Los Angeles Rams |
San Francisco 49ers |
Seattle Seahawks |
With football season upon us again, talk of rivalries sweeps the nation. Some of those rivalries are pretty heated because they've lasted so long and therefore run deep. Realigning the divisions to reflect teams' geography would mix things up, spark new rivalries, and take some of the sometimes violent pressure off the old ones. Not only that, this realignment would pretty much eliminate some inappropriate current division rivalries, like those between the Cowboys and all their NFC East rivals. (I respect the Cowboys' legacy and all, but---let's be honest---they never belonged in the NFC East).
The realignment would split the country into four regions; north, south, east and west. Quite simply, a team would be placed in the division corresponding to their region.
Starting alphabetically with the AFC East, the new kid on the block would be the Ravens from the AFC North. They would replace the Dolphins, who would move from the AFC East to the AFC South.
The Indianapolis Colts would get the boot out of the AFC South and join the AFC North. This just makes so much more sense. They shouldn't be in the AFC South because Indiana simply is not a southern state. Also, placing the Colts in the AFC North would create a very intriguing rivalry between them and the Bengals, since Cincinnati and Indianapolis are only about two hours apart by car.
The AFC West would stay the same.
The Panthers would join the party in the NFC East, while the Cowboys would go to the NFC South with the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Saints.
The NFC North is fine the way it is, as is the NFC West.
So, there really would only be five changes:
The Ravens move from the AFC North to the AFC East
The Dolphins move from the AFC East to the AFC South
The Colts move from the AFC South to the AFC North
The Panthers move from the NFC South to the NFC East
The Cowboys move from the NFC East to the NFC South.
Just think of the time, money, energy and gas teams would save. As we try to become more environmentally aware as a society, it just makes sense to cut down travel distance between rivals since they meet twice a year. I was curious, so I did the math. I used the mileage by car as the metric (except for Miami to Houston).
Starting with Baltimore:
Currently, the Ravens and their division rivals have to travel to and from Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. In the new alignment, they would travel to and from New York (East Rutherford, NJ), Buffalo, and Foxborough.
Ravens:
Current rival cities | Miles | New rival cities | Miles |
Cleveland | 373 | New York | 205 |
Cincinnati | 508 | Buffalo | 369 |
Pittsburgh | 247 | Foxborough | 392 |
Total | 1,128 | Total | 966 |
The Cowboys wouldn't have to travel all the way to the Northeast three times a season, and their division rivals wouldn't have to travel all the way to Dallas.
Cowboys:
Current rival cities | Miles | New rival cities | Miles |
New York | 1,458 | New Orleans | 506 |
Washington, D.C. | 1,328 | Atlanta | 782 |
Philadelphia | 1,467 | Tampa | 1,103 |
Total | 4,253 | Total | 2,391 |
The Colts wouldn't have to travel all the way to Jacksonville and Houston, and the Jaguars and Texans wouldn't have to go all the way up to Indianapolis every year. Here's the breakdown for each city:
Colts:
Current rival city | Miles | New rival city | Miles |
Nashville | 288 | Cincinnati | 112 |
Jacksonville | 879 | Cleveland | 317 |
Houston | 1,015 | Pittsburgh | 359 |
Total | 2,182 | Total | 788 |
And look at the Dolphins. OK, technically it is in the east part of the country, but they have to travel all the way to New York, Buffalo, and New England every year; and the Jets, Bills, and Patriots have to go all the way to Miami. It just doesn't make sense.
Dolphins:
Current rival city | Miles | New rival city | Miles |
Buffalo | 1,393 | Jacksonville | 353 |
New York | 1,290 | Houston | 967 (flight line) |
Foxborough | 1,488 | Nashville | 913 |
Total | 4,171 | Total | 2,233 |
Panthers:
Current rival city | Miles | New rival city | Miles |
Atlanta | 244 | New York | 630 |
Tampa | 575 | Philadelphia | 543 |
New Orleans | 713 | Washington, D.C. | 401 |
Total | 1,532 | Total | 1,574 |
Oh, c'mon Panthers! Why do you have to mess up everything? Still, it's just an extra 42 miles the Panthers and their new rivals would have to travel.
All in all, the new division alignment would benefit everyone. As for the Panthers, for a few dozen extra miles a year they'd get games in the nation's largest markets. For the Cowboys, maybe this new change would snap their playoff woes.
Just think of the new division rivalries. There'd be an interstate rivalry between the Jags and Dolphins. The Cowboys would shake things up in an NFC South that just seems to be growing stagnant in recent years (even though the Saints, Bucs, and Falcons do look exciting the beginning of this year). The Panthers would get their chance to solidify their legacy by playing the NFC East's storied franchises.
And yes, I did take this opportunity to change Washington's logo back to their old one while making the map above. Let's admit it, everyone wants it back. If "Redskins" will never return, let's at least bring back the old uniforms and call the team the Natives or something. As a Giants fan, the Redskins were the one division rival I didn't hate. They had a respectable franchise. Now, with their new name, I can't stand all three rivals. Let's honor tradition, people. Anyway, that rambling tangent ends here.
What do you think? How would this change the dynamics of the NFL? Would it be good or bad for competition, for fan bases, and for football in general? Let me know in the comments.
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