Cold, Hard Football Facts.com: Troll Report: NFC sucks more than you think

Troll Report: NFC sucks more than you think
Cold, Hard Football Facts for August 11, 2007

(Ed. Note: We get a lot of research from you, our beloved Trolls. Impressive, yes, seeing how half our readers are illiterate. But that's a story for another day. Some of it is quite well researched and well written, which means your mommies must be helping. So, this year, we intend to do a better job of getting the best reader submissions up into the context mix. Here's our first Troll Report of the 2007 season, one that's been kicking around our inbox since back in April. We have several other Troll Reports in the pipeline and hope to have plenty more to follow over the course of the season. If you have good material ... it must be well-researched ... send it along. You might just make our Troll Report. And then you can have your mommy post it on the fridge.)

By Scott O'Neil

Cold, Hard Football Facts Man on the Street

Most “pundits” agree that the AFC is the current top dog in the NFL. They cite the consistently superior regular-season records of AFC powers, and the conference’s run of Super Bowl championships as evidence (8 of last 10 titles).

It’s heartening to see the “pundits” rely on actual data to prove their case. But they might be underestimating just how bad the NFC is right now.

The truth is that the NFL’s senior circuit is rewriting the record book for playoff ineptitude before our very eyes. It’s an ugly sight to behold.

Here are some Cold, Hard Football Facts that, for once, actually back up what the “pundits” are spewing.

NFC's unmatched run of futility

In 1975, the NFL instituted a seeded system for its postseason tournament: the higher seeds were rewarded with homefield advantage. Before that season, home-field advantage was predetermined based upon an alternating schedule. You ended up with some curious match-ups. The undefeated 1972 Dolphins, for example, had to travel to Pittsburgh (11-3) for the AFC championship game.

Since the NFL instituted the new policy, the advantages given to the No. 1 team in each conference have varied. But guaranteed home games against weaker regular-season opponents have generally paid off for top seeds over the years.

In fact, under the seeded system, 17 of the first 25 (68%) Super Bowl champions held a coveted No. 1 seed in their conference. And the top seeds who faced lower-seeded squads from the other conference won the Super Bowl an even more impressive 11 out of 14 times (78.6%) during that same period.

But in recent years, NFC teams have squandered their top billing in a run of futility unmatched since the NFL went to the seeded playoff system.

Best of the NFC can't stack up

Since 2000 the NFC has sent five No. 1 seeds to the Super Bowl. Four of those five No. 1 seeds played a lower-seeded AFC opponent for all the marbles.

These No. 1 NFC seeds have gone an astonishing 0-5!

In 2000, NFC No. 1 N.Y. Giants lost to Baltimore, the AFC’s No. 4 seed
In 2001, NFC No. 1 St. Louis lost to New England, the AFC’s No. 2 seed
In 2004, NFC No. 1 Philly lost to New England, the AFC’s No. 1 seed
In 2005, NFC No. 1 Seattle lost to Pittsburgh, the AFC’s No. 6 seed
In 2006, NFC No. 1 Chicago lost to Indy, the AFC’s No. 3 seed

The NFC, in other words, has been incredibly successful at sending its best team to the Super Bowl. But even the best of the NFC has proven incapable of beating the third, fourth or even sixth best team the AFC could throw its way.

(The NFC’s lone championship over this period came in a victory of a No. 2 seed, Tampa, over an AFC No. 1, Oakland.)

Making the current run even more pathetic is the embarrassing fact that three times the top-seeded NFC team has lost to an AFC team seeded No. 3 or lower.

This simply shouldn’t happen. Before the NFC’s current spate of incompetence, only one third-seeded team or lower had ever beaten a No. 1 seed in the Super Bowl. And that was after the 1987 strike year, when NFC No. 3 seed Washington beat AFC top dog Denver.

So in seven years, the NFC has “accomplished” three times what had happened only once in the previous 25 years.

And finally, this is only the second time since 1975 that five No. 1 seeds from one conference went to the Super Bowl and failed to bring home even one Lombardi Trophy over a seven-year span. The other time was from 1987–1993, when the AFC sent five No. 1 seeds to the Super Bowl and all five lost. But twice during that time, the AFC No. 1 had to face the NFC No. 1, presumably the best that conference had to offer. Also, Buffalo was single-handedly responsible for three of those losses by an AFC No. 1. And as previously mentioned, in 1987 the seedings were affected by a players strike.

The NFC has had no such excuses on which to hang its tattered helmet during this recent run of ineptitude. In five of the last seven Super Bowls (including the last three), they sent their best to the big game, and the second-, third-, fourth-, or sixth-best team from the AFC sent them home to polish their George Halas trophy.

Conference domination is often cyclical, and someday the NFC will likely regain the form that won it 13 consecutive Super Bowls from 1984 through 1997. But for now, bask in the knowledge that no conference in NFL history has had its best teams so routinely beaten by playoff afterthoughts from the other side.

So score one for the “pundits.” Finally.

***

No. 1 seeds throughout history

Here's a look at the history of No. 1 seeds against lower-seeded teams in the Super Bowl since the NFL adopted the seeding system in 1975. No. 1 seeds are 12-9 over this period, including 1-6 since 2000.

1975: No. 1 Pittsburgh beat No. 4 Dallas

1978: (1) Pittsburgh beat (2) Dallas

1982: (1) Washington beat (2) Miami*

1985: (1) Chicago beat (5) New England

1986: (1) N.Y. Giants beat (2) Denver

1987: (1) Denver lost to (3) Washington*

1988: (1) Cincinnati lost to (2) San Francisco

1989: (1) San Francisco beat (2) Denver

1990: (1) Buffalo lost to (2) N.Y. Giants

1994: (1) San Francisco beat (2) San Diego

1995: (1) Dallas beat (2) Pittsburgh

1996: (1) Green Bay beat (2) New England