I think I speak for most of us when I say that Fall is the best time of year. It’s not just that our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers are back at it but also because so are your favorite college and high school teams as well. This is not to say that Summer isn’t awesome, because it is, but this is the part of summer where things are slow. And when things are slow, I have to get creative.
Today I’m offering you my version of what realignment in the National Football League should look like. I’ve always believed that the fans should be the number one priority (quite naive I know) when it comes to creating divisions and lessening travel time and costs. While not possible in every situation, it’s something I’ve kept in mind.
Yeah, I’ve dismissed some rivalries here but again, this is based on regionality which is how the NFL first tried to do things.
National Football Conference
NORTH
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Reasoning: The Bengals were in a difficult spot geographically. They could have been sent East or South but with Cleveland being the older franchise, I moved them to the NFC North where the Vikings left for the West.
EAST
Washington Commanders
Carolina Panthers
Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis Colts
Reasoning: This foursome makes up a nice regional grouping that keeps the Colts-Titans rivalry and introduces a a ‘close proximity’ Commanders-Panthers rivalry too.
SOUTH
Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs
New Orleans Saints
Houston Texans
Reasoning: The Chiefs are one of those teams that find themselves a bit isolated. So rather than keep them out West, I’ve reduced their travel significantly. Dallas-Houston will be a massive rivalry and a few hours West is New Orleans. Oh, and don’t forget that the Chiefs used to be known as the Dallas Texans.
WEST
Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos
Minnesota Vikings
San Francisco 49ers
Reasoning: Look, because of the way the NFL is spread thin throughout the heartland and Rockies, it’s hard to limit travel for everyone. The Niners-Seahawks keep their rivalry while Denver comes over from the AFC and becomes a centralized ‘hub’ for the other three teams.
American Football Conference
NORTH
Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Reasoning: The Bills, Browns and Steelers were easy. These teams literally are within a short drive of each other. Baltimore could have been moved East or even South but they were still quite approximate to the other teams and their presence keeps two great rivalries alive.
EAST
New England Patriots
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Reasoning: You can literally hop a train to attend any game in this division. It includes the major cities of New York, Boston and Philly and this division could be the most intense from a fan perspective.
SOUTH
Miami Dolphins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons
Reasoning: Three teams in the state of Florida and a short flight up to Atlanta. This was one of the easier ones to do although I’ll admit I flirted with New Orleans in place of the Falcons.
WEST
Arizona Cardinals
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Chargers
Reasoning: Another easy one here. LA, Glendale and Sin City make this another great division where fans can get to anywhere in short order!
