The NFC North was supposed to be a very good division in 2026 considering how well it performed in 2025. Two weeks in, though, and that division just seems pretty...meh. Not necessarily bad, but also not living up nearly to preseason expectations.
Where does the NFC North land in a power ranking of NFL divisions through two weeks? Not first and not last, but somewhere in the middle.
8. AFC South
Through two weeks, the AFC South is a combined 1-7, and that lone win was against the Cleveland Browns. I'm barely able to think of more to say than just that fact.
Houston's defense failed it in its opener, and its defense failed it in Week 2. The Colts offense has been surprisingly good considering Daniel Jones is coming back from an Achilles tear, but the defense has been a nightmare. The Titans threatened the Eagles in Week 2 but came up short. The Jaguars are the holders of the lone win in the division, but the Broncos took away all their momentum in Week 2, holding Trevor Lawrence without a touchdown on the day.
Being a bad division is something that the AFC South has long understood. There are moments when a team from this division steps up, but inconsistent quarterback play for three of the four franchises has been a hallmark of the division since 2002, and that hasn't changed all that much. The Texans have the best chance of turning things around and making the division look better than it has, but C.J. Stroud is throwing to a bunch of no ones right now; the team desperately needs Nico Collins back, and it might be time to see if they can buy low on Marvin Harrison Jr., since he and C.J. Stroud have played together before.
7. NFC South
Congrats to the NFC South, as the team would have ranked last after Week 1 but moves up to seventh in Week 2 because the division managed to go .500 this week! That's a big improvement from Week 1, when the division had a winning percentage of .000!
With that said, seventh is almost certainly the high point for this division, and the AFC South likely surpasses it in the near future. These teams just have too many issues. I mean, one of them has already started Cooper Rush at quarterback twice!
Carolina and New Orleans look like solid teams, but both still have a lot of question marks. The Panthers defense has looked porous, and the Saints...well, they're likely the favorites at the moment after taking the Lions to overtime and beating the Ravens, but they still need to prove they can keep this up across a full season and that Tyler Shough is able to keep playing at a high level.
6. AFC East
This is such a tough division to rank. You have, in theory, two very real Super Bowl contenders. You also have the Jets and Dolphins.
The Jets have actually looked fine this season, to be fair. The team beat the Titans with relative ease and then took the Packers to overtime. Geno Smith has turned back time a bit. Will this continue? Probably not, but it's a good story for now.
Miami, meanwhile, is exactly as bad as anticipated, which is what happens when you completely hollow out a roster. The team has been outscored 62-26 through two games. And hey, speaking of the number 62, that's also how many points the Bills have allowed! Buffalo's offense has made up for that, but defensive concerns there should probably be, well...concerning.
Meanwhile, the 1-1 Patriots went to the Super Bowl last season. This season, they're averaging 15 points per game. The defense has allowed just 16 total points, but like Buffalo, having one side of the ball that's struggling so much has to sound some alarms.
5. NFC North
How the mighty have (likely temporarily) fallen. Despite the fact that every NFC North team has at least one win this season, the division falls outside of the top four at the moment after theoretically entering the season as the second-best division.
That's because the division just isn't performing up to expectations. The 2-0 Vikings showed what they could look like in a 39-22 Week 1 win over the Packers, but Sunday's 9-3 win over the Bears was about as ugly as a football game can be, and on the Chicago side, it was made worse by the fact that Caleb Williams was injured during the game.
The Lions are 1-1 and have allowed 71 points. The Packers are 1-1 and needed overtime against the Jets to get that win. Both teams have been outscored this season. Tyson Bagent will probably be starting multiple games in Chicago. This is a Jenga tower that's, like, one or two blocks away from crashing to the ground.
4. NFC East
Maybe this is a spot too high — you could easily switch the NFC North and NFC East around — but the NFC East having a legitimately good team in the Philadelphia Eagles is enough to push the division into the top half of the league.
Dallas still has defensive issues but also has the offense to make up for it. The Giants aren't going to be a good team, especially with Jaxson Dart likely out for the season, but they've made clear strides from last season. The Commanders did look fun before another Jayden Daniels injury. This one is also a Jenga tower, but it might have a couple more blocks still attached.
And hey — maybe I'm overrating the Eagles after beating the Commanders and Titans by a combined six points. It's possible that Philly's about to be in some trouble with the Rams, Jaguars, Panthers and Cowboys all coming up in a row after next week's Bears game.
3. AFC North
After a very disappointing 2025 season, the AFC North appears to be back. It's currently one of just three divisions where every team has a win, and even the Cleveland Browns have shown some upside.
The Bengals sit atop the division at 2-0, and the team appears to have possibly fixed its defensive issues from last season. The Ravens are 1-1, with the offense playing at a high level; the Baltimore defense has some work to do, but the team looks like a playoff team at the moment.
The Steelers are struggling on offense, but the defense has kept them in games. You have to think that the offense starts to catch up soon, unless Aaron Rodgers is just officially washed. And while the Browns are still the Browns, Sunday's win over the Buccaneers showed that in the right circumstances, the team can make things happen. Rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston already looks like someone who can be a top starting receiver.
2. AFC West
There are only two NFL divisions that have multiple 2-0 teams, and they're both playing out west. On the AFC side, we have the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders both sitting at 2-0.
The Chiefs being undefeated? Not really a shock considering this is a team led by Patrick Mahomes. But Vegas? The team that was so bad in 2025 that it ended up with the No. 1 overall pick, and now isn't even playing that rookie quarterback. Somehow, Kirk Cousins has turned back the clock and has Vegas looking like a potential playoff contender.
Denver is 1-1, but the loss was to a division rival, while the win was against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that leads the AFC South. The Broncos defense made Trevor Lawrence look really, really pedestrian in that game. The Chargers are winless, but they still have Justin Herbert under center, so while the season has been a disappointment so far, it's very possible that the team turns it around and the division has four playoff contenders.
1. NFC West
No surprise here. We entered the season with the NFC West looking like the best division in the NFL due to the presence of three Super Bowl contenders, and two weeks in, we're still calling it the best division because it has three Super Bowl contenders.
The Rams looked shaky in Week 1, losing 27-7 to the 49ers, but I think we can safely say that that loss was because of poor preparation for the Australia game, because the team dominated against the Giants on Monday night. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are also 1-1, picking up at big Week 1 win over the Chargers that showed this team isn't nearly as bad as people expected.
Then you have the two 2-0 teams. Seattle has outscored its opponents 44-17; San Francisco, meanwhile, has been even better, holding a 62-20 advantage. There's a very good chance that the three best NFC teams play in this division and that the Cardinals are going to be better than the worst team is in most of the league's other divisions.
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