Six weeks into the 2024 NFL season, it seems clear that the NFC North is the most productive division in football. Each of the department’s four teams is above .500: the Minnesota Vikings are 5-0, the Detroit Lions are 4-1, and the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are each 4-2. . It is the first month since the merger of the AFL and NFL in 1970 in which each and every team in a division has at least four wins, six weeks into the season.
Ultimately, it’s useful to consider whether the NFC North of this moment is not only the most productive division in football, but also the most supreme in modern NFL history.
Surprisingly, only one tournament has been played between NFC North fighters so far this season (the Vikings-Packers fight in the Last 4), meaning those four teams are 16-4 against non-NFC North fighters. division in the past. That .800 winning percentage through the last 6 was capped just one month since the league was in its eight-division format in 2002. The 2007 AFC South began the season 11-2 against non-league contenders. division.
On a per-game basis, however, the 2024 NFC North has been much better: Those four teams have outscored their non-division contenders by a total of 211 points in 20 games. That’s a plus of 10.6 points based on tournament margin. The 2007 AFC South was +137 through 13 games, leaving it well behind +10.5 per tournament.
Speaking of difference in levels… Head to the rankings web page at CBSSports.com. If you scan the purpose differential column, you’ll discover something fascinating. First in the entire NFL in level differential? The Minnesota Vikings. 2d? The Detroit Lions. 3rd? The Chicago Bears. And fourth? That’s right. They are the Green Bay Packers. As far as I can tell, this is the first month that a single department has counted four teams in level differential, six weeks into the season.
And NFC North teams aren’t just profitable and profitable by the dozen; They are controlling the video games throughout the competition.
Collectively, they have controlled 61.6% of the operating month in their non-division games so far, according to Tru Media. In some of the 184 division seasons since 2002, that control percentage has been exceeded in six weeks on only four occasions: 2004 NFC East (63%), 2011 NFC North (62.5%), 2013 AFC West ( 65.4%) and 2019. NFC North (68.2%).
They have also collectively lagged for just 20.8% of those games’ operating month. Once again, only a few divisions have performed better so far this season: 2002 AFC South (19.1%), 2004 NFC East (10.4%), 2010 AFC North (20.8% ), the 2013 AFC West (17.4%) and 2019 NFC North (17.1%).
All in all over six weeks, the NFC North currently has the second-best non-division record (16-4), the most productive overall level differential (+211) and by tournament (+10.6), had the control of the fifth largest percentage of operating month (61.6%) and trailed the sixth smallest percentage of operating month (20.8%) among the aforementioned 184 divisional seasons conducted under the current divisional design. Things can clearly change during the 12-week gap so far, but in the generation, the 2024 Vikings-Lions-Bears-Packers team is certainly off to the best start in modern history.
The NFC North has been historically good for six weeks, but which team will quickly take over the departmental crown? Take a look at the new odds at the FanDuel sportsbook.
