Is NFL power shifting to the NFC? If so what does this mean to the Cowboys?

[AKATheRake]

Patriots lose Brady for the Season, Chargers lose Merriman for the season, who knows how long it will take Manning and the Colts to get into a rhythm and something does nothing seemed right about the Jags. NFC has teams like Chicago looking like they did 2 years ago, Carolina playing very well without their most dynamic weapon and boy does that NFC East look good with Dallas, Philly and the Super Bowl Champs. It's only week one but it looks the NFC has caught up and could be overtaking the power movement in the NFL after playing second fiddle to the AFC for the last 5 years.

So originally everyone thought Dallas was clearly the best team in the "weaker" NFC conference and therefore would have an easier possible road to the Super Bowl than any of the 4 top rated AFC teams and therefore were the general consensus pick to represent the NFC. Well after what's happened after week 1 the road to the Super Bowl on the NFC side looks like it could be the grindier one. I think Dallas as it stands now is the best team in football and barring any significant setbacks should still be the favourites to represent the NFC and now win the Super Bowl. However, Dallas, NY, Philly, NO, GB, Carolina, Chicago and Minnesota look like they could all give one another a game or at least bang away enough at one another to give their opponent setbacks after playing such physical games. That NFC east is just loaded wth grind for the Cowboys as it usually is, but 3 teams in that division are rated top 6 on most media outlets ranking and deservingly so. Even the Commanders who are the lone blacksheep on those lists always give the eternal rival Cowboys problems,no matter what shape they are in, that's just football fact that they'll be siked up to play and will do anything possibletohinder our season. Folks we look like we are going to be phenominal this season but this won't be an easy road at all and luckily we have the depth and a very physical team. What does everyone else think?

 

[Boysboy]

Patriots lose Brady for the Season, Chargers lose Merriman for the season, who knows how long it will take Manning and the Colts to get into a rhythm and something does nothing seemed right about the Jags. NFC has teams like Chicago looking like they did 2 years ago, Carolina playing very well without their most dynamic weapon and boy does that NFC East look good with Dallas, Philly and the Super Bowl Champs. It's only week one but it looks the NFC has caught up and could be overtaking the power movement in the NFL after playing second fiddle to the AFC for the last 5 years.

So originally everyone thought Dallas was clearly the best team in the "weaker" NFC conference and therefore would have an easier possible road to the Super Bowl than any of the 4 top rated AFC teams and therefore were the general consensus pick to represent the NFC. Well after what's happened after week 1 the road to the Super Bowl on the NFC side looks like it could be the grindier one. I think Dallas as it stands now is the best team in football and barring any significant setbacks should still be the favourites to represent the NFC and now win the Super Bowl. However, Dallas, NY, Philly, NO, GB, Carolina, Chicago and Minnesota look like they could all give one another a game or at least bang away enough at one another to give their opponent setbacks after playing such physical games. That NFC east is just loaded wth grind for the Cowboys as it usually is, but 3 teams in that division are rated top 6 on most media outlets ranking and deservingly so. Even the Commanders who are the lone blacksheep on those lists always give the eternal rival Cowboys problems,no matter what shape they are in, that's just football fact that they'll be siked up to play and will do anything possibletohinder our season. Folks we look like we are going to be phenominal this season but this won't be an easy road at all and luckily we have the depth and a very physical team. What does everyone else think?

1) NE won all 3 of their Super Bowls by total of NINE pts, and they did some cheating to boot.

2) Pitt needed the zebras to beat a pop warner Hawks team.

3) If Grossman hadn't made a couple of mistakes, Bears beat the Colts by double digits.

4) Tampa annihilated Oakland

5) St. Louis beat Tennessee

This so-called "AFC dominance" didn't even come NEAR to the LONG NFC dominance from the 80's-mid 90's. Those NFC teams were annihilating their AFC opponents. Not so much the AFC on NFC during their run.

While I agree that the balance of power has shifted, don't count out a few AFC teams nonetheless. Buffalo has rebuilt itself nicely, Denver is back, Jets have Favre, and Pitt looks like a sleeper.

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

Patriots lose Brady for the Season, Chargers lose Merriman for the season, who knows how long it will take Manning and the Colts to get into a rhythm and something does nothing seemed right about the Jags. NFC has teams like Chicago looking like they did 2 years ago, Carolina playing very well without their most dynamic weapon and boy does that NFC East look good with Dallas, Philly and the Super Bowl Champs. It's only week one but it looks the NFC has caught up and could be overtaking the power movement in the NFL after playing second fiddle to the AFC for the last 5 years.

So originally everyone thought Dallas was clearly the best team in the "weaker" NFC conference and therefore would have an easier possible road to the Super Bowl than any of the 4 top rated AFC teams and therefore were the general consensus pick to represent the NFC. Well after what's happened after week 1 the road to the Super Bowl on the NFC side looks like it could be the grindier one. I think Dallas as it stands now is the best team in football and barring any significant setbacks should still be the favourites to represent the NFC and now win the Super Bowl. However, Dallas, NY, Philly, NO, GB, Carolina, Chicago and Minnesota look like they could all give one another a game or at least bang away enough at one another to give their opponent setbacks after playing such physical games. That NFC east is just loaded wth grind for the Cowboys as it usually is, but 3 teams in that division are rated top 6 on most media outlets ranking and deservingly so. Even the Commanders who are the lone blacksheep on those lists always give the eternal rival Cowboys problems,no matter what shape they are in, that's just football fact that they'll be siked up to play and will do anything possibletohinder our season. Folks we look like we are going to be phenominal this season but this won't be an easy road at all and luckily we have the depth and a very physical team. What does everyone else think?

Hard to call it weaker when the NFC won it all. I think since we have come into our own its been very close. With injuries the NFC is clearly the better half.

 

[BigDinAZ]

1) NE won all 3 of their Super Bowls by total of NINE pts, and they did some cheating to boot.

2) Pitt needed the zebras to beat a pop warner Hawks team.

3) If Grossman hadn't made a couple of mistakes, Bears beat the Colts by double digits.

4) Tampa annihilated Oakland

5) St. Louis beat Tennessee

This so-called "AFC dominance" didn't even come NEAR to the LONG NFC dominance from the 80's-mid 90's. Those NFC teams were annihilating their AFC opponents. Not so much the AFC on NFC during their run.

While I agree that the balance of power has shifted, don't count out a few AFC teams nonetheless. Buffalo has rebuilt itself nicely, Denver is back, Jets have Favre, and Pitt looks like a sleeper.

+1 I agree

Look at Superbowl 27...

52-17..... when was the last time the AFC owned he NFC like that???

 

[CrazyCowboy]

man, the NFC East is loaded.

 

[adbutcher]

man, the NFC East is loaded.

Yes it is. +1

 

[Big Country]

1) NE won all 3 of their Super Bowls by total of NINE pts, and they did some cheating to boot.

2) Pitt needed the zebras to beat a pop warner Hawks team.

3) If Grossman hadn't made a couple of mistakes, Bears beat the Colts by double digits.

4) Tampa annihilated Oakland

5) St. Louis beat Tennessee

This so-called "AFC dominance" didn't even come NEAR to the LONG NFC dominance from the 80's-mid 90's. Those NFC teams were annihilating their AFC opponents. Not so much the AFC on NFC during their run.

While I agree that the balance of power has shifted, don't count out a few AFC teams nonetheless. Buffalo has rebuilt itself nicely, Denver is back, Jets have Favre, and Pitt looks like a sleeper.

Nice assessment... for the most part I agree, but I wouldn't really call Pitt a sleeper... They have done a good job over the years of securing a quality team...

 

[links18]

Opening weekend:

Dallas over Cleveland
Carolina over SD
Chicago over Indy

Although the Bills did beat the Seahags.

 

[dmoore]

I think it's about even, but I never thought the AFC had that big of an advantage in the first place. The one thing that has bothered me was ESPN telling me how good SD is when they never win anything, ever.

I think we're the clear favorites, though the Eagles might have gotten closer. Teams like the Bears don't have any realistic shot, because even though they beat Indy they don't have enough talent on either side of the ball. The seahawks don't either.

 

[LonghornDub]

1) NE won all 3 of their Super Bowls by total of NINE pts, and they did some cheating to boot.

2) Pitt needed the zebras to beat a pop warner Hawks team.

3) If Grossman hadn't made a couple of mistakes, Bears beat the Colts by double digits.

4) Tampa annihilated Oakland

5) St. Louis beat Tennessee

This so-called "AFC dominance" didn't even come NEAR to the LONG NFC dominance from the 80's-mid 90's. Those NFC teams were annihilating their AFC opponents. Not so much the AFC on NFC during their run.

While I agree that the balance of power has shifted, don't count out a few AFC teams nonetheless. Buffalo has rebuilt itself nicely, Denver is back, Jets have Favre, and Pitt looks like a sleeper.

I agree with most of this, but #3 is just wrong, IMO. Colts clearly were the better team that year and that game. They ran for over 200 yards against the vaunted Bears' D.

And, frankly, the game was only as close as it was because Hester took the opening kickoff to the house.

 

[MONT17]

Ppl don't wanna admit it but the nfc was down more than the afc dominated. 01 rams were 14 point favorites in the superbowl that would have never have happend in the 80s n 90s with an afc team. NEVER!

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

I considered Dallas the Superbowl favorites before all these injuries to other teams... I think they are the most talented and motivated team in the NFL.

 

[Dimuha]

A stronger NFC is better for the NFL than a stronger AFC. The AFC has three historical teams, Oakland, Pittsburgh, and Miami. The NFC has Dallas, Washington, New York, GB, San Fran, and Chicago.

NFC > AFC all day every day.