Updates

Competitive balance, one of the hallmarks of the NFL, gives fans hope as the 2025 season kicks off. The league’s emphasis on competitive balance, including the realignment of NFL’s divisions in 2002, has led to more teams than any other major professional sports league going from “first to worst” in their division in the past 22 seasons. It’s also contributed to 31 different teams winning a division title in the past 23 seasons, since divisions were realigned.

Learn more about how the NFL schedule is created to ensure competitive equity and how conference and non-conference opponents are set.

From “First to Worst”

In 19 of the past 22 seasons, at least one team has finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place. Of the 53 teams in league history to go from “worst-to-first,” 29 of them have done so in the past 22 years (2003-24), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2005 and 2006.

Two teams during that span, the 2009 New Orleans Saints and the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, won the Super Bowl after finishing in last place in their division the season before.

THE TEAMS TO GO FROM “WORST-TO-FIRST” IN THEIR DIVISION SINCE 2003

*tied for last place
**won Super Bowl

Since 2003, the NFL’s 29 teams to go from “worst-to-first” in their division are the most among the four major professional sports leagues in the United States. In the NBA, only five teams since the 2003-04 season have finished first in their division after placing in last or tied for last the previous season. There have been seven teams to accomplish this feat in the past 22 years in both the MLB and the NHL.

*2004-05 season was cancelled due to lockout
! Realigned from four divisions in 2004-05
^Realigned from six divisions in 2012-13
#Realigned divisions during 2020-21 season due to COVID-19

Make Way for New Division Title Winners

In the 23 seasons since realignment in 2002, 31 different teams have won division titles. In 2024, two divisions – the NFC East (Philadelphia) and NFC West (the Los Angeles Rams) – saw a new team finish in first place.

At least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 20 of the past 22 years, and at least one team has won its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 19 of the past 22 seasons.

Kansas City has won nine consecutive AFC West division titles, the second-longest streak of division titles in NFL history. Only the 2009-19 New England Patriots (11 consecutive seasons) have a longer streak.

DIVISION TITLES AND PLAYOFF BERTHS SINCE REALIGNMENT IN 2002