No. 1: The Conference Needs Parity
Three quarterbacks.
For the past 15 years, dating back to 2003, three quarterbacks within the conference have dominated in such a way that is simply remarkable. Every single Super Bowl, save for 2012 when the Baltimore Ravens’ Joe Flacco had a magical playoff run that many didn’t see coming, the AFC was represented by a team quarterbacked by either the Patriots’ Tom Brady, the Colts or Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning or the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.
Head coach Bill Belichick and Brady’s Patriots have especially dominated, advancing to the AFC Championship game every single season dating back to 2011. Now, this isn’t to say that a team from the AFC South will be going to Super Bowl LIII, but with a couple more teams in the division potentially rising from the ashes, it’ll be interesting to see how many more contenders come about from it.
Thus, it should make the conference as a whole just a bit more interesting.
As much as dynasties can be good for sports, as it gives many teams and fans alike a common obstacle to try and hurdle to the point of villain status, a win from a different team can pop the audience just as much. It gives the game a more “refreshing” feel to it.
People’s attention spans are as short as they’ve ever been, and the same team winning over and over can certainly exacerbate that. While this season’s AFC South may not solve the parity problem, it will certainly bring the intrigue at the very least.
