Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 6:16 am

CSKreager wrote: ↑Mon Sep 08, 2025 1:09 am

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Sun Sep 07, 2025 10:14 pm I think that Falcons team had a certain energy, they were inspired, just the right mix of the right guys where the planets aligned that year and they were able to have an excellent season.

But after digging so deep into 1998, I do believe the Falcons 14-2 record and Minnesota's 15-1 records are inflated due to how weak the NFC had become by that season. Look at how shallow that conference was that year beyond the big 4, it's pretty remarkable, a lot of bad teams bouncing around the NFC in 98 padding records. I do think he has a point if that Falcons or Vikings played in the AFC those records would come down a little at least. AFC was legit tough in 98 down to the teams that finished in the cellars, I mean look at that 6-10 Raven's team playing in their new stadium with Rod Woodson and that defense. Even the Bengals the worst team in the conference looked like a tough ball club at times that year when O'Donnell was healthy.

As we seen in that Super Bowl, there was a big difference in Atlanta's NFC 14-2 and Denver's hard earned AFC 14-2. Swap their schedules and Denver probably goes 16-0, while Atlanta 11-5ish.

The AFC wasn’t THAT good. Beating a bunch of .500 teams doesn’t exactly scream “hard earned”

Maybe less of the AFC being "THAT good" and more of the NFC being that bad. Rams, Saints, Lions, and Bears were really bad. The Panthers and Eagles were the 2 biggest train wrecks in the NFL that year. Washington and New York started off extremely bad but were able to salvage some respect in the second half of the season with 6-10 and 8-8 finishes. That is over half of the conference, 8 of 15 teams. And then think about that how some of these teams were padding their records playing each other, so some of those 6-10 and 8-8's are deceiving. These teams were worse than those numbers. I would say yeah, there is a pretty big difference in Giants 8-8 and Seattle's 8-8, or a pretty big difference in the Saint's 6-10 and Baltimore's 6-10. Two different worlds that season, I never realized it until this deep dive this past Summer into 1998. There was a noticeable gap between the two conferences in the AFC's favor that year, similar to some of the year's during the NFC's 1984-1996 streak. The tables had turned the poles reversed. Then the AFC bullied the NFC in the pro bowl, physically.