The New England Patriots have won the AFC East 14 times in the last 16 seasons. They have posted at least 12 wins in 12 of those 14 seasons and had 10 wins in each of the other two. One of the two seasons that they didn't win the division was in 2008, when Tom Brady missed the whole season.
Bill Belichick and Brady together have obviously been the biggest factor in why they have had so much success. The two are the best in the NFL at their respective positions and their presence makes the Patriots a Super Bowl contender every season.
That is the most important factor in their success, but another key factor is they have been able to feast on a diet of wins over what is almost annually the worst division in football. The AFC East has been the Patriots' safe haven for all these years and is probably the reason they aren't in danger of missing the playoffs again this season.
The Patriots are 77-22 against AFC East teams since the start of the 2001 season. That is the best intra-division record of any team in the NFL over that span. The Patriots have earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC six times since 2001.
This is a formula that the Steelers can finally follow to try and capture the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The AFC North has traditionally been an extremely tough division. Either the Bengals or the Ravens, and in a number of years, both, have been playoff contenders so the Steelers haven't had an easy ride through their division. The Steelers have only won the AFC North eight times since 2001. The Steelers have only earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC twice since 2001 and haven't since 2004.
That's not the case this year, though, as the AFC North is the weakest division in the NFL. The Ravens and Bengals have both proven to be awful this year, and the Browns are, well, the Browns. The Steelers are already 2-0 against the division and should win their remaining four games as well.
This is significant because it could be the difference between the Steelers playing at home throughout the AFC playoffs or having to go on the road again. The fact that they should go 6-0 against the division gives them a leg up against all the other contenders, including the Patriots.
The Patriots should win the AFC East again this year, but the Dolphins and Bills aren't going to be doormats. Those two teams are both better than any of the AFC North teams not named the Steelers. It won't be shocking if the Patriots lose at least one of those four games.
The Chiefs are the last unbeaten team in the NFL, and the Steelers will play them in two weeks. The obvious easy way for the Steelers to gain an edge on them is to beat them head to head. But again, even if they don't, the Chiefs play in the AFC West, which is deep this year. They have to play four games against the Raiders and Broncos and they will be happy to get through those four games 2-2.
The Titans, Jaguars and Texans all appear to be playoff contenders in the AFC South. They will likely beat up on each other and hand each other losses.
These things should all benefit the Steelers. If they get the No. 1 seed they would have an easier route to the Super Bowl as they would likely only have to beat either Kansas City or New England, not both. The Steelers would play the No. 4 seed in the divisional round, likely either a wild-card team or the AFC South champion.
The Steelers have a long way to go this year. They could win the AFC's top seed and still lose in the playoffs, but I like their chances a lot more if they don't have to leave Heinz Field. Beating up a weak division is a formula the Patriots have used for years — and one the Steelers need to duplicate.
