|
With
only 16 games per team, every game is critical.
But those six games on the schedule against
your division seem to have even more
significance.
“Division
games are so important,” says
Indianapolis
head coach TONY
DUNGY, who guided the Colts to victory in Super
Bowl XLI last season.
“That’s where you’ve got to win if
you’re going to win your division.”
These
always-intriguing matchups take center stage this week
as eight of 14 games feature divisional opponents.
And while no single factor can predict playoff
fortunes, recent history is clear: if a team hopes to
hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February, success within
the division is key.
Since
the current eight-division format was instituted in
2002, the 10 teams that have advanced to the Super
Bowl have posted a combined divisional record of 47-13
for an impressive .783 winning percentage.
The
Week 4 division slate:
|
Division
|
Visitor
|
Home
|
|
AFC
East
|
New
York
Jets
|
Buffalo
|
|
AFC
North
|
Baltimore
|
Cleveland
|
|
AFC
West
|
Kansas
City
|
San
Diego
|
|
NFC
East
|
Philadelphia
|
New
York
Giants
|
|
NFC
North
|
Chicago
|
Detroit
|
|
NFC
North
|
Green
Bay
|
Minnesota
|
|
NFC
South
|
Tampa
Bay
|
Carolina
|
|
NFC
West
|
Seattle
|
San
Francisco
|
Among
the most anticipated division matchups this week is
the NFC East meeting between the Eagles and Giants on
Sunday night.
Philadelphia
enters the game fresh off a 56-21 victory over
Detroit
, the most regular-season points scored by the Eagles
since 1953 (56-17 over Chicago Cardinals), while the
Giants used a late goal-line stand to defeat division-
rival Washington.
“The
NFC East is an important part of our schedule and you
want to take care of business there,” says Eagles
head coach ANDY
REID. “It’s
great competition in the division this year, so
we’re looking forward to it.”
Since
2002, the Eagles have compiled a 21-10 (.667) record
against the division, one of the best marks in the
NFL.
Philadelphia
has won the NFC East four times in that span, tied
with
Indianapolis
and
New England
for the most division titles in that time.
“Division
games are big,” says head coach JON
GRUDEN of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who take on
NFC South-rival
Carolina
on Sunday. “You’ve
got to take care of business not only in your
division, but also in your conference because those
are the tiebreakers.
Those are the things that come down to making
the playoffs at the end of the season.”
Following
are the teams with the best division record and the
clubs with the most division titles since divisional
realignment was introduced in 2002:
|
TEAM
|
DIVISION
RECORD
|
PCT.
|
|
TEAM
|
DIVISION
TITLES
|
|
Indianapolis
|
25-7
|
|
.781
|
|
Indianapolis
|
4
|
|
New
England
|
25-7
|
|
.781
|
|
New
England
|
4
|
|
Pittsburgh
|
22-9
|
|
.710
|
|
Philadelphia
|
4
|
|
Philadelphia
|
21-10
|
|
.677
|
|
Green
Bay
|
3
|
|
Green
Bay
|
20-10
|
|
.667
|
|
Seattle
|
3
|
|
