Weird how things come full circle. In the 80s and early 90s, the AFC was a joke.
Not really. There were a couple powerhouse NFL teams (generally the 49ers and Cowboys) in the 90s. The rest of the NFC was awful. The AFC was very balanced and deep. People seem to forget that a lot of the Super Bowl wins by the NFC were actually upsets: The Broncos were double digit favorites over the Redskins (although this was in the 80s). The Bills, in two of their Super Bowls, were favored to win (the Giants game was a huge upset).
The AFC always seems to be deeper. They might not have one super power like a 13-3 team that always seems to come out of the NFC, but they always seem to have a whole bunch of 12-4, 11-5, 10-7 teams. After the drop off in the NFL it seems the best you generally find is 9-7.