What makes a great division? It starts with good teams and good players. It also needs to be competitive, ideally from top to bottom. The NFC West once again checks most of those boxes, but the 49ers' early lead, coupled with the Rams' sluggish start, has made the division less exciting, at least for the time being. It's also opened the door for a new division to take the title as the NFL's best. Below are the updated rankings for each division entering Week 6.
1. AFC North
This division was not decided until the last play of the regular season in 2025. With each team sporting a winning record, it appears that we might be heading for a similar finish in 2026. If the Bengals stay healthy, it should be a three-team race for coming down the stretch (sorry, Browns fans).
Baltimore is off to a strong start under new coach Jesse Minter. The Ravens showed resolve last week when they rallied to defeat the Falcons in Atlanta with backup Tyler Huntley under center. The defense remains suspect, however, and it could prevent Baltimore from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Cincinnati shook off two consecutive losses with a win last Sunday in Miami. As expected, the Bengals have been led by Joe Burrow, receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, and a resurgent defense that is 10th in the NFL in points allowed and third in red zone efficiency. The running game, which hasn't quite been the same since Joe Mixon's departure, continues to be a non-factor, though.
Inconsistent is a good word to sum up the Steelers, who won this division in 2025. Pittsburgh has rotated wins and losses each week, entering this weekend's game in Tampa. One emerging bright spot for Pittsburgh has been Jaylen Warren, who leads the Steelers in both rushing and receiving. Aaron Rodgers has largely been good in his farewell season. He just became the first Steelers quarterback since Terry Bradshaw to throw three touchdown passes in three consecutive games.
The Browns have been one of the league's surprise success stories, but it doesn't appear to be sustainable. Cleveland's offense is one of the league's worst on third down and in the red zone. That needs to quickly change if the Browns want to hang around.
2. NFC North
The AFC North is more competitive from a win-loss standpoint, but the NFC North might be harder, as each team has a legitimate shot at winning the division. The irony is that the division's top team at the moment has the biggest question mark: quarterback.
Kyler Murray is 4-0 as Minnesota's starting quarterback, but he has left a lot to be desired. He isn't losing games for Minnesota, but he isn't winning them, either. While that has worked out for the Vikings to this point, Murray will need to elevate his game (at least in the weighty moments) if Minnesota is going to keep this up. A healthy Justin Jefferson would help, too.
Green Bay, after a 1-2 start, has quieted some of the outside noise with two consecutive wins, including last week's blowout over the Caleb Williams-less Bears. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are emerging as a lethal dynamic duo, and the Packers' defense -- which is getting closer to welcoming back Micah Parsons -- has forced seven turnovers during Green Bay's current winning streak. The running game, however, continues to be an issue, averaging just 60.4 yards per game.
The Bears, a trendy preseason pick to win the division, have been held back by Williams' injury. While Williams' absence is hurting them now, it could benefit them in the long run because of the emergence of running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai (who is currently dealing with a thumb injury). The Bears are currently tops in the NFL in rushing yards gained (866), second in touchdown runs (10) and seventh in yards-per-carry average (4.7).
As was the case last year, the Lions have an elite, championship-level offense but a subpar defense. Unless the Lions can acquire some defensive reinforcements by the trade deadline, Detroit will probably be spending another season fighting for a wild-card spot.
3. NFC West
The NFC West is the NFL's most fascinating division.
Let's start with San Francisco, which has built an early cushion over Seattle and Los Angeles despite their ongoing injury issues. Making the 49ers' start even more impressive is that it includes road wins over the Rams (in Australia) and the Seahawks. The 49ers are getting MVP-level play from Brock Purdy. Los Angeles can take some solace in the fact that each of their losses was against top-tier teams. Two of those losses were winnable games. They would have won last Monday night's game if their special teams didn't let them down again.
They dug a hole for themselves, but the Rams have the talent to still make a run at the division. They have the reigning league MVP in Matthew Stafford, a dynamic duo in receivers Davante Adams and Puka Nacua and a defense that will welcome back reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett sometime in the next month.
And don't forget about Seattle; the defending Super Bowl champions are .500 after losing Thursday night's rock fight in Denver. Turnovers once again plagued the Seahawks, who forced overtime before Sam Darnold threw an interception that set up the Broncos' game-winning field goal.
Seattle has a nasty defense and the league's best receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but they continue to struggle to consistently run the ball, which puts Darnold in too many third-and-long situations. Darnold is also taking way too many hits.
4. AFC West
This division was supposed to be more compelling, but the Chargers haven't followed the script. Instead, Jim Harbaugh is presiding over a dumpster fire that is almost as bad as the one he left behind at Michigan.
Kansas City looks like they've rediscovered their championship touch. A big reason for that is the addition of Kenneth Walker III, who is currently on pace to obliterate Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. Health and durability appear to be the Chiefs' biggest question, especially Walker's, after he averaged 25 touches per game during the season's first month.
Like the Browns, the Raiders' fast start also looks like fool's gold. Their defense is 22nd in points allowed, and their running game might be the league's worst. Las Vegas also faces a daunting schedule with upcoming games against the Rams, 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos.
Speaking of Denver, the Broncos improved to 4-2 following Thursday's overtime win over the Seahawks. Denver's defense (which played without Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga) had another impressive night, but it was another ugly game for Bo Nix, who threw for just 107 yards and averaged only 3.96 yards per pass attempt.
Denver has a great defense, but as long as Nix continues to play like this, they shouldn't be considered a serious Super Bowl contender, let alone a threat to overtake Kansas City in the West.
5. AFC East
The Jets are hanging around (for now), but the reality is that this is a two-team race. Buffalo had a chance to run away from the field, but the Patriots were able to upset the Bills on their own turf in Week 4. The Patriots then moved over .500 with an impressive win over the Raiders.
With the Patriots gaining ground, the Bills responded with a gutsy overtime win over the Rams this past Monday night. After a few so-so games, Josh Allen showed why he is the front-runner to win his second MVP. He literally put the Bills' offense on his back with 121 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Similar to the Broncos, the Patriots have a nasty defense but a suspect offense. But unlike Denver, New England's quarterback, Drake Maye, is finding his stride after a slow start to the season.
6. NFC South
Why is the NFL's only division without a winning team not ranked last? Because every team in this division is capable of winning it. That's been the theme of this division for a while, and it continues to be the case this season.
The Falcons had a chance to move ahead of the pack, but a late-game injury to Michael Penix Jr. doomed Atlanta during their overtime loss to Baltimore last Sunday night. Penix, who is 2-1 as Atlanta's starter this season, is on track to face the Bears on Sunday. The Falcons, per usual, will also have All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, who is leading the NFL with 580 rushing yards.
Atlanta looks like a worthy challenger for Carolina, which won the division last year with an 8-9 record. The Panthers had two ugly losses to Chicago and Cleveland, but they've also had impressive wins over the Falcons and Lions. The Panthers have received stellar play from Bryce Young and Chuba Hubbard, who spearhead an offense that is fourth in the NFL in scoring. Carolina's defense, however, needs to pick up the slack, especially against the run.
The Saints and Buccaneers have been two of the NFL's most disappointing teams so far. Todd Bowles is on the hot seat, and Saints owner Gayle Benson basically put her coach -- Kellen Moore -- on one earlier this week when she publicly voiced her frustration over New Orleans' rocky start.
Tampa Bay showed signs of life last week when they beat Dallas with undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels under center and Bucky Irving rushing for a career-high 165 yards. They have another must-win game this Sunday against the visiting Steelers.
7. NFC East
This is one of the NFL's tightest divisions, but that doesn't make it a good one.
John Harbaugh's Giants are currently the class of the division, but if it is going to remain that way, they'll need to continue to receive steady play from Jameis Winston, who has not lost a start since taking over for Jaxson Dart. Winston has been aided by a tough Giants defense that has allowed the ninth-fewest points in the NFL.
Defense has not been a word that's been in the Cowboys' vocabulary this season. This week, the Cowboys added former NFL head coach Mike Pettine to their defensive staff, the defensive players held a "players only" meeting, and it was announced that defensive coordinator Christian Parker will call plays from the sideline after previously doing so from the coach's booth.
Will these changes help? They certainly can't hurt.
The Eagles and Commanders -- two years after facing each other for the right to go to the Super Bowl -- are fighting for third place. The Commanders are better than their 1-3-1 record, but last week's overtime debacle might have lasting ramifications. Barring a major upset, the Commanders (who face the undefeated 49ers on Sunday) will be 1-4-1 entering their Week 7 showdown with the lowly Cardinals.
The Eagles are in a world of hurt, but for now, their focus is on things bigger than football. Philadelphia will face the Panthers this weekend without Jalen Hurts, who is dealing with a superficial blood clot.
8. AFC South
The NFL's worst division includes the underachieving Colts, the perennially slow-starting Texans, and the league's worst team in the winless Titans. It also includes a Jaguars team that is excelling at playing complementary football.
Jacksonville isn't the most entertaining team, but they're one of the most efficient ones. They have a +7 turnover ratio and are among the league's best on both sides of the ball on third down and in the red zone. Trevor Lawrence is having a sneaky good season that could possibly pick up MVP steam if the Jaguars keep winning.
Houston's win last week has kept the door ajar for possibly catching Jacksonville. The Texans certainly won't go down without a fight; they showed that when they traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. Houston has a golden chance to get back into the mix this Sunday against the Jaguars.
