By Jerry Dowling

The league that invented parity and developed the means to achieve it has given us one of its most lopsided seasons in memory. Now and then, it's not a bad change of pace. But this isn't one of those times.

Some in past years have critiqued the NFL for its balance, decrying a general state of mediocrity in the pro game and the lack of villianous titans for targeting by over-achievers. Now they can decry a different kind of mediocrity, particularly in the NFC, which is turning up more losers than a Star Trek convention.

Of 16 teams in the NFC, nine are on a pace to lose 10 games, a standard of inepitude never achieved by either conference in 10 years of a 32-team NFL. One notes that the Bengals retain an outside shot at the AFC playoffs following their historic 58-48 win against Cleveland Nov. 28 that brought them to 5-6. In the NFC, they'd probably have a couple more wins for a solid 7-4 and a comfortable road to the postseason.

We're talking about the Bengals, the NFL's second-worst team at stopping the run. But name a team in the NFC that's clearly better than the Bengals. Philadelphia, you say? We'll find out when they play the season finale Jan. 2. The Eagles already have clinched the NFC East, but they're in the NFL's lower third at running the ball and lukewarm at stopping the run.

The Eagles' dominance in the NFC resembles the way a leading high school team wins its conference when a couple superior athletes thrive in a men vs. boys situation. If Donovan McNabb weren't so resourceful and wide receiver Terrell Owens weren't so dominant, the Eagles would be just another team. Playing a rookie quarterback, the Pittsburgh Steelers polished their goal posts with the Eagles a few weeks ago.

The Atlanta Falcons hold the second best record in the NFC today. Like the Eagles, they feature a running threat at quarterback in Michael Vick. But no other feared weapons. While the Falcons are good at stopping the run, only five NFL teams have allowed more passing yards.

After Cleveland's Kelly Holcomb torched the Bengals for 412 passing yards and five touchdowns, it's doubtful the local 11 could hold its coverages for long enough to foil performers like McNabb and Vick. But that's arguably all that separates the Bengals from the best two teams in the NFC.

The point here isn't that the Bengals would beat these teams, only that they're within reach. McNabb and Vick are difference makers, and the Bengals lack difference-makers on their defense. But think about next year and file this with the offseason "to do" list. Add a couple difference makers to the Bengals' defense and you'll have a nice football team, because they're making progress even if they're barely touching the AFC playoff race.

With 253 rushing yards against the Browns, the Bengals have scraped into the NFL's top half in the rushing rankings. With a first-year quarterback throwing 34 times per game, the Bengals, not surprisingly, waste a lot of plays in their passing game. But their passing attack is dangerous, even if it ranks low.

Their problem is that they just scored 58 points and still barely beat one of the NFL's most punchless teams. Because of that, the playoffs most likely will go on without the Bengals for another year.

Too bad they're not in the NFC, where Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Arizona all are on pace to lose 10 games, yet all are within two games of playoff position with five games remaining. Meanwhile, Denver is on pace to win 10 games yet would be left out of the AFC playoffs if they began today.

Is the AFC that good, or is the NFC that bad? It's certainly the latter, due to the declining fortunes of a half-dozen NFC teams this year while only one NFC team has changed this year from a loser to a winner.

Last year, the AFC notched a 34-30 record against NFC teams. This year, the AFC already is 32-18 against the NFC, though on a team-by-team basis the AFC is no better than a year ago.

This year, the New York Jets are much better, but the Miami Dolphins are much worse. Pittsburgh has improved about as dramatically as the Tennessee Titans have regressed. The San Diego Chargers have come way up from nowhere, trading places with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans already have met or exceeded last year's win totals. Thanks to their 3-0 record against opposition from the NFC West, the Buffalo Bills have almost matched last year's win total of six. The rest of the AFC teams are about as successful as a year ago.

Among NFC teams, Dallas, Carolina, Green Bay, St. Louis and Seattle -- all playoff teams last year -- are fighting just to break even. After finishing 7-9 last year, the San Francisco 49ers already have lost 10 games. The New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals have improved, but they're still both losing teams. Against all this decline, only the Atlanta Falcons have improved dramatically.

The distinct possibility exists that the NFC will enter someone in the playoffs with seven wins, which is no more than the Broncos already have secured. It's wide open, which isn't to say anyone but the Eagles and Falcons will make it to the conference championship game.

How much can we expect from the NFC playoffs? On Nov. 28, a losing Buffalo team from the AFC went into the home of the NFC West leading Seahawks and secured a sweatless 38-9 victory.

The AFC playoffs will make up for their lackluster counterparts. Although the AFC features the New England Patriots, who have won two of the past three Super Bowls, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis should be taken seriously.

Ordinarily, we can assume all the poor teams in the NFL will be weeded out by playoff time. This year, thanks to the NFC, we'll have to wait and see. It's a new kind of parity for the league that invented it.