All division foes above, or below, 500 well into a season

[74_75_78_79_]

In regards to, now, the current state in the NFC West with every team at the moment having a winning record after seven weeks, what other historic examples can be given with every team in a division having winning records at a certain point into the season? It was mentioned during the SF/NE game about the AFC West in '84 after seven games (Denver & Raiders each at 6-1, Seattle at 5-2, KC & SD both at 4-3). What makes this example more impressive, of course, was that there were five teams above-500 instead of just four!

And then you got the current state of the NFC East with all teams having losing records! Other than the obvious NFC West in 2010 when the season actually finished with all teams in such a state, what other examples well-enough into a season can be offered? Without going straight to Wiki or PFR first, I think of the AFC Central - also in '84. But not sure if all four teams were, indeed, beneath-500 at any given time.

Yes, it seems that if one division has all winners at a given time, sure enough some other division - especially in the same conference - may be the complete opposite or close-enough to it!


EDIT - I was actually thinking of the '85 season when mentioning the AFC Central. However, (again, without looking it up right away) that very '84 AFC Central race may have an example as well!

[JameisLoseston]

2014 NFC South - Panthers were quite lucky to go 7-8-1, and were one of the worst teams in football for a large stretch of the season. A month prior, this division was every bit as bad as the East is now, led by two 5-8 teams. I can't recall a division ever existing where the last-place team finished with a winning record, nor 8-8 for that matter.

Boosting the NFC East and West situation this year, of course, is that the East plays the West. So they vulture off each other, with the West eating Ws from the East, and the East taking Ls from the West. Has there ever been a case of divisions mutually reinforcing their respective winner/loser status like this before? Is this what happened with the 84 AFC West/Central? For that matter, how long has the "each division plays an entire other division" scheduling strategy been in place?

[Gary Najman]

In 1984 all 5 NFC East teams were .500 or better after eight weeks (Cowboys, Redskins and Cardinals 5-3, Eagles and Giants 4-4).

[74_75_78_79_]

A weak division that I wasn’t aware of until a post by Reaser a while back in which he mentioned the ’48 Buffalo Bills thus that AAFC East race from that year. After eleven games, those Bills, Baltimore Colts, and New York Yankees were tied for first at 5-6 with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the basement at 2-9.

Of course in ’85 Cleveland, Cincy, and Pittsburgh were tied atop the AFC Central at 5-6 with Oilers at 4-7. As for that very division in ’84? Other than Week #1 in which all four teams lost, no such other case/week where everyone was below-500.

2014 NFC South - Panthers were quite lucky to go 7-8-1, and were one of the worst teams in football for a large stretch of the season. A month prior, this division was every bit as bad as the East is now, led by two 5-8 teams. I can't recall a division ever existing where the last-place team finished with a winning record, nor 8-8 for that matter.

Boosting the NFC East and West situation this year, of course, is that the East plays the West. So they vulture off each other, with the West eating Ws from the East, and the East taking Ls from the West. Has there ever been a case of divisions mutually reinforcing their respective winner/loser status like this before? Is this what happened with the 84 AFC West/Central? For that matter, how long has the "each division plays an entire other division" scheduling strategy been in place?

Didn’t even think of that one upon OP!