By Rich Tandler
For most of the 2000’s the Redskins played in the weaker of the NFL’s two conferences. The AFC’s Patriots, Colts, Steelers and Chargers were the perennial power teams while the NFC lagged behind in terms of both premiere teams and depth.
The Redskins were unable to take much advantage of their conference’s down status as they only appeared in the playoffs twice during that decade. The bad news now is that the worm has turned and the NFC has become the power conference.
Let’s just take Peter King’s Fine 15 from his Monday Morning Quarterback column. It’s not necessarily the definitive word but it has been updated for this morning and it’s as good a ranking as any. Four of King’s top five teams are from the NFC, as are seven of the top 10 and nine of the 15.
The road to the NFC playoffs is getting tougher. In 2007 the Redskins made it with a 9-7 record. Last year, the 10-win Bucs lost out of a playoff berth on tiebreakers and it seems likely that 10 wins will be needed to qualify for the NFC’s postseason party this year as well.
What this means for the Redskins is that they have a little bit further to go not only to make the playoffs but also to make a deep run when they get there.
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