division – Syndication Server

The AFC West is now stacked with Super Bowl-winning coaches

AFC West coaches Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh have reached nine combined Super Bowls.

The Las Vegas Raiders made a splash on Friday by hiring Pete Carroll as their new head coach.

Carroll, 73, now joins a stacked group of head coaches in AFC West. Carroll, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, will now compete against three-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs) and one-time Super Bowl champion Sean Payton (Denver Broncos).

Jim Harbaugh also just joined the division last year and while he does not yet have a ring, Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and he has a 55-25-1 all-time record in the NFL.

The four AFC West coaches have reached 20 conference title games with nine combined Super Bowl appearances, arguably making it the most impressive division of coaches in the NFL.

The Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes), Chargers (Justin Herbert) and Broncos (Bo Nix) all have their answers at quarterback. Now Carroll will aim to help the Raiders find their long-term QB in 2025.

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Greg Penner wants Broncos to win the AFC West in 2025

“Our absolute goal next year is to win our division,” Broncos owner Greg Penner said ahead of the 2025 NFL offseason.

The Denver Broncos improved from 8-9 to 10-7 in coach Sean Payton’s first two years on the job. Now team owner Greg Penner wants to see the club make the next step.

“Absolutely, yes,” Penner said on Jan. 15 when asked if the team is close to competing for a division title. “I mean we could have very easily been 2-0 against the Chiefs this year. Our absolute goal next year is to win our division. I think Bo [Nix] talking about no prima donnas is a great testament to the culture that Sean is building here, which is we want to be a winning culture.

“We have to have really high expectations, and everybody has to be in it together. I don’t think prima donnas would do really well right now here in this culture. So we’re going to continue to build this way. We want guys that are incredible competitive and want to work and want to succeed.”

Denver lost to Kansas City in Week 10 on a blocked field goal, then the Broncos blew out the Chiefs’ backups in Week 18. A year earlier, Denver and KC split the series 1-1 with the Broncos outscoring the Chiefs 32-28 in those two games.

It certainly appears that Denver has been closing the gap on its division rival, but after nine-straight division titles for KC, actions speak louder than words. The Broncos will aim to back up their talk on the field in 2025.

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Saints could cost Buccaneers a playoff spot in Week 18

The NFC South title is up for grabs in Week 18. The Saints can’t win it themselves, but they can impact the playoff picture and ruin the Bucs’ season:

The NFC South title is up for grabs going into the final week of the season.

With the Atlanta Falcons’ loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, Washington clinched the final Wild Card spot. It also took control of the division out of the Falcons’ hands.

All the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to do is win Week 18 and they’ll secure their fourth consecutive divisional title. There’s only one thing standing in their way: the New Orleans Saints. The Saints may not have a playoff future of their own, so ruining the future of the Buccaneers is a nice consolation prize.

The last time New Orleans and Tampa Bay faced off was Spencer Rattler’s first start. It was an all-around embarrassing loss, and the Saints were outclassed on both sides of the ball.

It’s also unlikely the Saints will drop in the NFL draft with a Week 18 victory. The Saints have such a low strength of schedule that moving outside of the top-10 picks appears doubtful.

If the Saints win and the Falcons beat Carolina Panthers, Atlanta has punched their ticket to the playoffs. This also means the Falcons would have to begrudgingly root for a New Orleans victory.

A Saints loss means the Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention. With the season lost, the Saints can spoil someone’s hopes on Sunday. Will it be the Falcons or Buccaneers?

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The NFC South stands alone in the worst way possible

Every team in the NFC South has lost at least three games in a row after the Falcons fell to the Los Angeles Chargers. No other division can claim that:

The Atlanta Falcons’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers extends their losing streak to three games. This now gives every member of the NFC South a three-game losing streak at some point in the season. The division is a mess from top to bottom — just check the latest standings.

No other division has achieved this in 2024. Matter of fact, there are five divisions with at least one team that has no more than three losses. The NFC North has three of them.

Until this week, the New Orleans Saints had owned the longest losing streak of the season. The Las Vegas Raiders took the mantle with their eighth consecutive loss.

The NFC South is the worst division in the NFL, and their only real rival is the AFC East. The advantage the latter has is the Buffalo Bills are one of the best teams in the league. The rest of the division is on par with the NFC South.

The problem is the NFC South doesn’t have that one team that stands out. The Buccaneers and Falcons are tied at the top of the division and don’t possess a winning record. Even with that low ceiling, the Saints and Panthers don’t seem like they have a chance. That’s the truest indictment of the division.

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Sean Payton ‘getting to appreciate’ Broncos-Raiders rivalry

“It’s a storied franchise, just like we are,” Sean Payton said. “That is what makes this division unique. I’m getting to appreciate that.”

Before Sean Payton arrived, the Denver Broncos had an eight-game losing streak to the Las Vegas Raiders, which was snapped earlier this year when the Broncos beat the Raiders 34-18 at home in Week 5.

After that, Denver still had an eight-game road losing streak against their division rival (four losses in Las Vegas and four losses in Oakland). The Broncos snapped that streak on Sunday with a 29-19 win in Las Vegas.

Denver flipped from always losing to the Raiders to having swept them in 2024, which likely explains in part why Payton was so fired up after the game.

“Listen, when you go someplace and people talk about in a while they haven’t done — even though a lot of these players weren’t here — you exorcize these demons,” Payton said. “Hadn’t beaten the Raiders in how long? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. We beat them twice this year. We’re focused on the next game. Obviously the division games matter.

“Listen, the appreciation for beating the Raiders. Listen, at a young age, I was fortunate to interview with Al Davis three weekends for the head coaching job. Bought a black suit and a silver tie. But if Jerry Jones is the last person you see, you’re probably staying. I ended up staying [with the Dallas Cowboys] in 2003. Paul Kelley, who was with us, picked me up at the airport in Oakland. It’s a storied franchise, just like we are. That is what makes this division unique. I’m getting to appreciate that.”

Denver is now 2-2 in the AFC West, with both of the team’s division wins coming against Las Vegas.

“It’s huge,” quarterback Bo Nix said of sweeping the Raiders. “It’s what your goal is going into the season. They’re a good football team. We played ’em two tough games. We got two good wins out of it. I know after last year, it was the opposite.

“It was good for us to find a way to win this game, find a way to go in a hostile road environment against a divisional team. They’re fighting every week. They’re a good football team. It was a good win for us. Happy for the guys.”

The Broncos have five games remaining this season, including division games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. The upcoming stretch of games will determine Denver’s playoff fate.

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Sean Payton downplays sweeping NFC South with Broncos

For the first time since Peyton Manning’s retirement, the Broncos swept a division. “We’re just focused on winning,” Sean Payton said.

Sean Payton won seven NFC South division titles during his time with the New Orleans Saints. He’s now coaching the Denver Broncos and while an AFC West title might be out of reach in 2024, the Broncos are on pace to make the NFL playoffs as a Wild Card team this fall.

Denver’s playoff chances are helped by the team’s perfect record against Payton’s old division this season. Following a 38-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Broncos are now 4-0 against the NFC South in 2024.

Before the Falcons game, Denver previously beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26-7), New Orleans Saints (33-10) and Carolina Panthers (28-14). Combined, the Broncos outscored NFC South teams 125-37.

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So, does Payton have it out for his old division?

“No,” Payton said after the Falcons game. “We’re just focused on winning. I could say something smart, but I’m not going to right now.”

This marks the first time Denver has swept an entire division since Peyton Manning’s retirement. Before this season, the team’s last division sweep came in 2015 when the Broncos went 4-0 against the NFC North.

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AFC East roundup: What happened in the division in Week 5

The Buffalo Bills lost in Week 5 to the Houston Texans, 23-20. Despite the second consecutive road loss, the Bills remain atop the AFC East with their record of 3-2.

Like Buffalo, the rest of the AFC East was in action. How did each fare last week, and how does the division stack up right now?

Here is a quick recap of all the action that went down in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and New England Patriots:

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins outlasted the Patriots in Week 5 by a score of 15-10 at Gillette Stadium. The Dolphins (2-3) have already played four different quarterbacks this year: Tua Tagovailoa, Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, and Tyler Huntley.

Given these circumstances, 2-3 doesn’t look so bad through five weeks. Still, this is a team that had high hopes of taking over the division in 2024. They came up just short last year in the AFC East race, and that may be as close as they get in a while if Tagovailoa remains out due to his health.

New England Patriots

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

After the 15-10 loss at home to the Dolphins, the Patriots sit at 1-4 on the year and will have to face the 4-1 Texans in Week 6.

There are rumblings that rookie quarterback Drake Maye might start. The team is already desperate to try to find some juice on offense after five games. Maye has the potential to provide some juice, but his rookie year will most likely see some struggles given the supporting cast he’ll have on offense.

New York Jets

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Jets had a tall task in Week 5. They had to travel to London and take on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. They lost the game, 23-17, and fell to 2-3 on the year. The game wasn’t the only thing they lost this week.

On Tuesday morning, the Jets announced the firing of head coach Robert Saleh. This was a shock to just about everyone around the NFL given it has only been five games. The Jets seem to have no patience in the Aaron Rodgers era. They want to win right now. We’ll see how they look with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich (defensive coordinator) when they host the Bills in Week 6 on “Monday Night Football.”

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An early edge in the divisional race at stake for the Saints in Week 4

An early edge in the divisional race is at stake for the Saints in Week 4. But the Falcons probably feel the same way:

The New Orleans Saints have the chance to take the all-time series lead over the Atlanta Falcons when the two teams face off on Sunday. As good as it will feel to say you lead the series against a heated rival, the game has more important impacts to the current season.

A victory would put the Saints up two games over the Falcons and they’d have the early tiebreaker. Week 4 may be a little early to be speaking about tiebreakers, but the Saints will have played two divisional games already by the end of the week.

It’s not too early to start calculating what a victory would mean from that perspective. A victory would keep Atlanta from winning the divisional series outright and give you the chance to complete a sweep at home later in the season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have a tough game against the Philadelphia Eagles. A Saints win plus Tampa Bay loss would leave New Orleans all alone a the top of the division and end the streak of the Saints and Buccaneers mirroring outcomes.

A loss to Atlanta would drop the Saints to second at best in the division. New Orleans and the Falcons would have the same record with Atlanta holding the head to head victory. The Saints would have to then ensure they came down with the victory against the Falcons in Week 10 to avoid the season sweep.

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Bleacher Report predicts Broncos will finish last in AFC West in 2024

Maurice Moton has predicted the Broncos will finish in last place in the AFC West this fall. Denver finished third in 2023.

According to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, the Denver Broncos are slated to finish last in the AFC West.

With a reset on the horizon, the Broncos are looking to right the wrongs of the Nathaniel Hackett-Russell Wilson pairing. Sean Payton is entering Year 2 at the helm and he is looking to put his imprint on the team. But with B/R picking them to finish last in the AFC West, it appears Payton has it stacked against him to succeed.

“In head coach Sean Payton’s second term with the Broncos, the club seems to be in rebuild mode, while the Los Angeles Chargers — who finished fourth in the AFC West last year — upgraded over former head coach Brandon Staley, hiring Jim Harbaugh,” Moton wrote on B/R’s website.

“The Broncos haven’t beaten the Raiders since 2019. If that streak continues into 2024, it could be the deciding factor in which team finishes last in the division.”

Denver and Las Vegas both went 8-9 last fall, finishing above the last-place Los Angeles Chargers (5-12). The Kansas City Chiefs won the division with an 11-6 record.

Can Payton and his Broncos defy the odds this year? We’ll find out soon.

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Jim Harbaugh joins impressive list of coaches in AFC West

AFC West coaches have reached eight combined Super Bowls and won three Coach of the Year awards.

The Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh earlier this week and he is now set to join an AFC West that also includes Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs), Sean Payton (Denver Broncos) and Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders).

Reid, 65, won Super Bowl XXXI as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. He later reached Super Bowl XXXIX as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, two years after winning Coach of the Year.

Reid became the Kansas City’s head coach in 2013. After drafting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Reid and Chiefs have reached three Super Bowls, winning twice (and they’re back in the AFC championship game this year).

Payton, 60, was named Coach of the Year in 2006. He reached three NFC championship games with the New Orleans Saints and won Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 season.

Harbaugh, 60, won Coach of the Year honors in 2011. He reached the NFC title game three times with the San Francisco 49ers and helped the club reach Super Bowl XLVII in 2012. Harbaugh then coached at the college level from 2015-2023, going 86-25 at Michigan (including a perfect 15-0 record and a national championship title last fall).

Pierce, 45, played linebacker in the NFL for nine seasons, earning one Pro Bowl nod. He won Super Bowl XLII as a player with the New York Giants in 2007. Pierce transitioned to coaching in 2014 and he’s been with the Raiders since 2022. This fall will mark his first season as a full-time head coach in the NFL.

The AFC West might be the best division of coaches in the league going into the 2024 campaign.