The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences in the National Football League (NFL). It currently contains 16 NFL teams organised into four separate divisions and is mirrored by its counterpart, the National Football Conference (NFC). Both conferences were born out of the groundbreaking American Football League (AFL)-NFL merger in 1970. The NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts) formed the AFC with ten of the former AFL teams - including the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Boston (soon to be New England) Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos.
Since the merger, and initial alignment of teams to divisions, there have been further realignments in 1976, 1995, and 2002: ‘95 saw the Jacksonville Jaguars join what was then known as the AFC Central, before the Houston Texans then joined the AFC in 2002, when the AFC South was formed - within which both the Jaguars and Texans play.
In the AFC, the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans have never made a Super Bowl appearance. In fact, since the 2002 realignment, just eight teams have reached the NFL’s title game. This is largely due to the New England Patriots representing the AFC in the Super Bowl a whopping nine times over the last 22 years - in which time their dreaded dynasty saw them win six Super Bowls.
Regarding divisional setups, since 2002, the AFC has remained the same despite team relocations: The San Diego Chargers became the Los Angeles Chargers and the Oakland Raiders became the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite the names of divisions being geographical; East, West, North and South, the divisions are not set on officially geographical lines. So, even with teams changing states, their divisions have remained the same.
Regarding divisional setups, since 2002, the AFC has remained the same despite team relocations: The San Diego Chargers became the Los Angeles Chargers and the Oakland Raiders became the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite the names of divisions being geographical; East, West, North and South, the divisions are not set on officially geographical lines. So, even with teams changing states, their divisions have remained the same.
As is standard in the NFL, every AFC team plays each team in their division twice (home and away) in addition to eleven other games assigned by the NFL. The guaranteed in-division home and away games are where rivalries often lie, as teams battle with each other to win their division, and represent it in the NFL playoffs. At the end of each regular season, the four divisional winners in the AFC and the three wild cards (non-division winners with best records) qualify for the playoffs. The AFC playoffs culminate in the AFC Championship Game, with the victor awarded the Lamar Hunt Trophy - named after AFL and Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt - and a place in the Super Bowl against the NFC Champion two weeks later. As well as the Super Bowl, the NFC and AFC compete in the Pro Bowl game each season as the ‘team of the year’ around each conference are voted in to play in an all-star flag football game - along with other skill-based competitions - in a fun-filled week devoted to fan engagement and celebrating the achievements of its players and coaches.
The Kansas City Chiefs are not only the reigning champions of the AFC, but are back-to-back Super Bowl Champions - having won their third in five years at Super Bowl LVIII. In fact, this season the Chiefs are eyeing the first ever three-peat in the Super Bowl era. Despite this, the NFC currently leads the NFL in Super Bowl wins with 29 to the AFC’s 28. The most valuable AFC team, the New England Patriots, are also the second most valuable team in the NFL - with Forbes valuing them at $7 billion as of 2023. The biggest rivalry in the AFC is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens - with matchups famous for their hard-hitting defense. That said, the rivalries within the AFC East are notorious, particularly given the Patriots dominance - having won 22 AFC East titles.
Looking into 2024; the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans are in a great place to win their respective divisions. That said, the recent rise of the New York Jets - thanks to the addition of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers - and Joe Burrow returning from injury for the Cincinnati Bengals, makes both teams strong contenders as well. Whether anyone can prevent three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes from leading the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl, however, is yet to be seen.
Looking into 2024; the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens, the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans are in a great place to win their respective divisions. That said, the recent rise of the New York Jets - thanks to the addition of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers - and Joe Burrow returning from injury for the Cincinnati Bengals, makes both teams strong contenders as well. Whether anyone can prevent three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes from leading the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl, however, is yet to be seen.
