By Mike Kahn
CBS SportsLine Executive Editor
Nov. 12, 1998

The conclusions always seem to come from numbers. Look at the numbers; they don't lie, the analysts say.

In

Related Links NFL standings NFL audio Power Rankings Forum: Which conference is best?

sports, numbers are facts, but they can lie. It all depends on how you look at them. They can be accurate, tease you, sing, dance or tell stories.

AND THAT'S THE WAY IT APPEARED IN the NFL until Super Bowl XXXII, when the Denver Broncos ended a 13-game losing streak for the AFC in the ultimate football game. The appearance was that the NFC was so far superior, it didn't matter which team would win the AFC title. No matter how dominant they were during the regular season, no AFC team was capable of beating the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, New York Giants or Chicago Bears.

"It just wasn't like that overall," Broncos quarterback John Elway said. "I've thought the AFC has had more good teams than the NFC for a long time. Those were just great teams, and it became psychological as much as anything else when it came to winning the Super Bowl."

To emphasize the advantage the AFC has this year, understand they hold a 21-10 lead in interconference play. The AFC Central has only played eight interconference games -- it matches up with the rugged NFC Central this season, and the tough Minnesota Vikings haven't played an AFC team yet -- but the difference remains: The AFC Central is clinging to a 5-3 lead over its NFC counterparts, led by the 2-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, who have defeated both the Packers and Bears.

"For as long as I've been coach (since 1992), I just think there's been more depth in the AFC," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "It's never been as obvious who would get to the Super Bowl in the AFC as it is in the NFC every year. They always have a great team or two. There are just a lot of very good teams in the AFC."

The most pronounced difference this season has been the AFC West matching up against the pathetic NFC East. The Broncos and Co. hold an 11-1 advantage, and the only loss has been the decidedly inferior San Diego Chargers giving it up to the Giants. The Broncos have averaged more than 40 points in their massacres of the Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles. The Seattle Seahawks defeated Eagles, Redskins and Cardinals by more than 22 points a game.

THE NFC EAST HAS BEEN SO WEAK overall, it has allowed rookie coach Chan Gailey to withstand the growing pains of transition and a broken collarbone to quarterback Troy Aikman, and the Cowboys are still leading the division because no other team is capable.

The

Parity has allowed Deion Sanders and the Dallas Cowboys to quickly bounce back into NFC contention, but can anybody in that conference beat the AFC? (AP)

AFC (including the AFL until the merger in 1970) won 11 of the first 15 Super Bowls and 12 of 18 before the NFC went into its 13-game streak. Consequently, the NFC still holds a 19-13 lead.

In overall play, the AFC has continued to expand its lead to 698-656 with nine ties since 1970. Over four of the past six seasons -- including this one -- the AFC has a 111-91 advantage, despite the NFC winning five Super Bowls during that time.

That's not to say the AFC is the far superior conference. It has been cyclical when it comes to the advantage; That's why the overall series is that close midway through the 29th season since the merger. We have watched the trend go from the NFC's smash-mouth football vs. an "Air Coryell" style to the tendencies being fairly comparable in both conferences.

"The NFL has worked real hard to create a parity," Kansas City Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "The talent level is real similar in both conferences. It's the teams that are the smartest and make the least mistakes that win."

HE HAS A GOOD POINT. THAT'S THE philosophy coaches live by, of course, and there is a lot of truth to it. Then again, it's superstars who win. It's why quarterback Brett Favre was winning Most Valuable Player Awards as the Packers kept improving all the way to consecutive Super Bowl appearances. The same goes for Aikman, and unless something unforeseen happens, Terrell Davis will be the MVP as he leads the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.

Then again, both the Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars are good enough to knock off the Broncos before they get there. And the way the New York Jets have been playing of late, it's tough to tell how good they will be by the end of the year.

As for the NFC, well, the Packers and Niners seem considerably below par this season, with the Vikings and surprising Atlanta Falcons on the rise. But the way things have been going this season, any number of teams in the NFC could get hot. That includes the sliding Cowboys, and there still might be hope for a team like Tampa Bay to slip into a wild-card and pound its way to the NFC title.

It would seem the opponent doesn't matter to the AFC, since it's on such a roll.

After all, statistics don't lie.

Or do they?