Last Updated on October 25, 2021 by
The American National Football League, (NFL), is made up of two conferences which are the National Football Conference, (NFC) and American Football Conference, (AFC). Functionally, one might say there’s only a slight difference between the two of them, but that’s not entirely true. They might look similar because they are a byproduct of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, but they still have their differences. There are 16 teams in each conference in the United States, where each division including the South, North, West, and East has four teams each. The last undefeated team in each conference plays in the Super Bowl, while four division leaders and two wild card teams compete against one another. The NFC teams have 24 Super Bowl wins after the establishment of the NFL in 1970, while AFC teams have just 20 wins.
Brief History Of The AFC, NFC, And NFL
In 1970, the merger of two football leagues (National Football League and American Football League) lead to the creation of NFC and AFC. A group of expansion team owners who had been denied entrance into the NFL decided to establish the AFL in 1959. However, the NFL has been in existence since 1920. Before the merger, these two leagues had been direct rivals for more than 10 years. It was the merger that brought about the split of the unified National Football League into two major conferences. Right after the merger, the AFC monopolized the Super Bowl wins throughout the 1970#s. However, the NFC became the dominant conference of consecutive Super Bowls throughout the 1989s and mid-1990s.
Differences Between NFC And AFC
NFC
NFC is one of the two conferences of the National Football League, which was established in 1970. At its beginning, only 16 teams participate in the conference and they are subdivided into four divisions. San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks are the teams representing the west division. Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants represent the east division. Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Atlanta Falcon represent the south division. And lastly, the team that represents the north division are Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions.
AFC
Just like NFC, the teams are divided into four divisions. The four teams that represent the west division are Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers. The teams that represent the east division are New England Patriots, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins. Similarly, four teams represent the north division, and they include Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. And lastly, the four teams that represent the south are Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Houston, Texans, and Tennessee Titans.
Major Difference Between AFC And NFC
1. The most valuable team in NFC is Dallas Cowboys while New England Patriot remains the one for AFC
2. The team with the most titles in NFC is Dallas Cowboys while in AFC is New England Patriot
3. NFC was established in 1920, while AFC was founded in 1959
4. NFC has 27 super bowl championships while AFC has 25 super bowl championships
5. The recent title champions in NFC is Philadelphia Eagles (3rd title), while in AFC is Kansas City Chiefs (2nd Title).
Similarities Between AFC And NFC
1. Both conferences depend on the salary cap
2. These two conferences are in the American Football League
3. The two conferences have sixteen teams
4. They both have four divisions
5. Both divisions are not opposing geographical areas
The Table Below Contains The Major Differences Between NFC And AFC.
| Parameter | AFC | NFC |
| Full form | American Football Conference | National Football Conference |
| East Division teams | New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots | Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys |
| North Division teams | Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens | Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers |
| South Division teams | Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars | Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints |
| West Division teams | Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ers |
| Trophy | Lamar Hunt Trophy | George S. Halas Trophy |
What’s The Difference Between The NFL And The NFC?
The NFL is made up of the National Football Conference and American Football Conference. NFC teams have 24 wins while AFC teams have 20 Super Bowl wins ever since the NFL was established in 1979.
How Is NFL Different From AFL?
The AFL is usually used to denote indoor American football while the NFL is the popular outdoor American football. In the NFL games, most teams that win usually use a strategy where defense is employed. However, AFL games are kind of fast and higher scores win the championship.
Are The 49ers NFC Or AFC?
In the National Football League, the National Football Conference has four divisions including the NFC West or the National Football Conference Western Division. The San Francisco 49ers are of members of the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Arizona Cardinals.
Which Came First NFC Or AFC?
These two conferences were created at the time of the merger in 1970 having been competitors for years. The 10 former AFL teams merged with the there NFL teams to form the AFC, while the 13 NFL teams formed the NFC.
Closing Thoughts
American football has its fans across the world who follow the game every weekend, and the NFL still remains the most popular football league in North American and the rest of the world. Like we said earlier, it was in the 197 that AFC and NFC merged with the NFL, and ever since each AFC and NFC teams play to represent their cities and states. We’ve reached the closing chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good resources in your quest to know the differences between an NFC. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks!
