Division win% is an important consideration because one of the legs of the “lucky to be in the AFCE” argument is that being in that division has given NE an extra win or two ever year leading to more playoff opportunities and better seeding. NE’s win% outside of their division clearly indicates this has no merit.

The next leg of the AFCE argument is that there were no legitimate title contenders, but that is a just chastising NE for their own excellence. The win% of the bottom three was pretty much average compared to bottom three win% across the league. The big distinction is that the bottom three don’t rotate like they do in other divisions, but that, again, is a credit to NE more than a problem with the rest of the teams.

Going further, Miami and NY have had several 9–10+ win seasons that could have been more successful if the fourth team fell off a bit (like it does in other divisions) instead of maintaining their 12 win pace. All three teams have had 7–9 win seasons that were on the edge of playoff contention.

Anecdotally, just look at Miami this year. 10 wins with two losses to the Patriots, had Miami just won one of those games and NE been an ordinary 9 win team, the Dolphins would have not only taken the division, they would have earned a bye.

The only legitimate leg of the AFC-least argument is quarterbacks. When Pennington is the best non-NE QB of the past 16 years — by far — this is obviously a significant issue for those teams.