Competitive balance, one of the hallmarks of the NFL, gives fans hope entering each season.

For an NFL-record ninth consecutive season, at least one team has finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last place. In fact, of the 39 teams in league history to go from "worst-to-first," 18 of them have done so in the past 11 years (2001-11), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2005 and 2006.

With two teams -- the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos -- accomplishing the feat last season, 2011 marked the fifth time in the past nine years that multiple teams captured a division crown after finishing in last place the year before.

"I don't know if winning the division has really sunk in yet, but it feels good," said Texans head coach Gary Kubiak after the club clinched its first division championship in franchise history in Week 14. "It's an unbelievable credit to everyone in the organization and to everyone that has fought through the hard times, and all the players that fought through today to make it happen."

NFL teams to go from "worst-to-first" in their division since 2001: