The Broncos earned their victory in Super Bowl 50 with one of the most defensively dominating games in all of football. It is appropriate to say that this was expected all year long.

The top contenders in the American Football Conference (AFC) were apparent starting week eight of the NFL season. The Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots were undefeated along with winning records from the Denver Broncos, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New York Jets. Compared to the National Football Conference, the only undefeated team was the NFC champions the Carolina Panthers; although other teams like the Minnesota Vikings, the Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers, and the Arizona Cardinals had winning records.   The AFC reigned dominant.

Even looking at the games themselves, the NFC defenses were sloppy this season, to say the least, and it was evident in the playoffs when the Panthers blew out every single team leading up to the Super Bowl.  Whereas the AFC playoff games were tightly contested, leading to games of defense and excellent plays on offense.

The fact of the matter is that the AFC dominated every course of professional football this season, and it may continue. To make a comparison to college football, the AFC is like the SEC, sporting very good teams that are tough to beat,

The Broncos are currently like the NCAA Division I champions the Alabama Crimson Tide, boasting an explosive offense as well as a resilient defense that loves to cause havoc to the quarterback and force turnovers. The Broncos should continue on this course unless they lose the linebacking corp and the pass rushers that have made it the number one defense in the league.

That is just one aspect, as teams like the Patriots, the Bengals, and the Steelers, pose threats in offense and defense. Even the Houston Texans, who  flopped in the wildcard round, have a formidable defense, and an offense that can improve with a better quarterback.

The AFC also hosts what could be the best quarterback line-up in the past decade. Even if Peyton Manning retires, names like Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Derek Carr and Ben Roethlisberger are all notable and very good quarterbacks in the AFC.

The AFC will be a reigning force in football for maybe the next five years. However, that doesn’t mean that there is no hope for the NFC.

The NFC has a young quarterback corps in Russell Wilson, Cam Newton and rookie Jameis Winston, who all show promise to be excellent athletes in the future. The Panthers’ Defense as well as the Seahawks “Legion of Boom” also pose threats to even offensive titans like the Patriots or the Broncos.

However, the NFC is still young and are not posing any real threat to the AFC at this current point. However, maybe at some point in the next five years they will gain better rookie prospects and transactions will take place in which players will be switched around, allowing for more of a chance of the NFC beating the giants in the AFC.