AFC

The NFL is more than just a group of football teams. As part of the playoff formation and the Super Bowl journey, there are two conferences. The AFC stands for American Football Conference. It is, of course, its own functioning group of teams with an AFC logo as well as its own playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl.

The Playoffs

The AFC playoffs are made up of a the regular season AFC champs, the winner of the other AFC division, and the AFC wild card. It is set up like a single elimination trounament with the AFC champs getting a bye in the first round. The winner, of course, of the afc championship game goes to the Super Bowl to play the winner of the NFC.

The Awards

The AFC also has its own set of awards to go hand in hand with the NFL awards. For instance, thre is the AFC MVP, the AFC rookie honors, and of course a player can be elected to the AFC pro bowl. These all are offered in the NFC as well.

The Marketing

The AFC gets marketed in much the same way the entire NFL does. You can get your hands on AFC Champion shirts, AFC Pro Bowl jerseys, and even AFC hats. They all make it easier to honor your team and their accomplishments within the division and conference. The marketing helps to keep not only the AFC relavent all year round, but also to keep the NFL as a whole in the minds of the fans even in the spring and summer months when the actual regular season and playoffs are in hiatus.

The History

As with all of the NFL, the rich history of the AFC keeps fans interested even when their own team is on a down swing. For instnace, you can get video and book renditions of everything from the 1987 AFC championship game to the 1995 AFC Wild Card game. Additionally, there are entire publications devoted to things like the AFC playoffs and even obscure things like AFC championships history injuries.

As you can see, the AFC is just as important to the league as the NFL is as a whole. Without it, the Pro Bowl would be difficult to divide, the Super Bowl would not have the same flavor, and the playoffs would be difficult to conceive. The AFC is a hot conference right now, but over the course of time, the balance of power ebbs and flows. So go ahead and root for not only your team, but also for your conference.