NFL Playoffs--doesn't this make more sense?

[boogiewithstu2007]

Do we have to go through this every year?

Each team in a 4 team division has 14 common games.

Teams in another division have as few as 1 common game.

38% of your schedule is division games.

Win your division - you get a home game. Don't win your division, get a WC and go on the road.

It ain't broke. No need to fix it.

Disagree... If you division sucks you shouldn't get rewarded a home game just because you beat 3 other weak teams.... FIX IT!!!!!!

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Winning your division should guarantee you a playoff spot ... But it should not guarantee you a higher seed... it's ridiculous how stupid that system is ... If you beat your 3 division teams all year because they SUCK and let's say you lose every other game outside of your division BUT you still win the division ..... WHY the @#$^@# should that give you a higher seed over a team that's won 5 more games than you ? BS system ...

 

[cdumler7]

If you change the system people are just going to argue why the new system makes no sense.

Let's just look at last year's playoffs for example in the AFC

We had 3 teams from the AFC North make it. Now you might say "Wow that division was awesome" but others would say they played some of the easiest schedules in the entire league with playing the AFC South and NFC South (only 2 teams with winning records among the 8). I mean is it fair for a 10-6 Ravens team to get a home game because they have a better record than say a 9-7 team that won their division but ended up playing say the NFC West and AFC West that year where 6 of the 8 teams are .500 or better record wise.

I understand why some would want it the other way but to me the system seems to work very well right now. Every once in a while yes a very terrible division winner lucks into a playoff spot and a home game. All of this though changes from year to year. Just 4 years ago the 2 worst divisions in football were the AFC and NFC West. Now some would regard those as possibly the top-2 divisions in football.

 

[Balljim55]

Keep it like it is. You risk punishing the winner of a tough and balanced division to give favor to the winner of a top heavy division. division winners should get a home playoff game.

 

[Broncos6482]

Winning your division should guarantee you a playoff spot ... But it should not guarantee you a higher seed... it's ridiculous how stupid that system is ... If you beat your 3 division teams all year because they SUCK and let's say you lose every other game outside of your division BUT you still win the division ..... WHY the @#$^@# should that give you a higher seed over a team that's won 5 more games than you ? BS system ...

Yes, let's change the format because of an outlandish hypothetical that's literally never happened in the 14 years since the NFL realigned to 4 divisions. That seems like a super smart thing to do.

 

[cdumler7]

Winning your division should guarantee you a playoff spot ... But it should not guarantee you a higher seed... it's ridiculous how stupid that system is ... If you beat your 3 division teams all year because they SUCK and let's say you lose every other game outside of your division BUT you still win the division ..... WHY the @#$^@# should that give you a higher seed over a team that's won 5 more games than you ? BS system ...

The odds of this happening are almost 0. Heck only twice since the realignment if I remember right has a team with a losing record actually won the division and both of those had 7 wins.

 

[DHoey]

I don't think that teams should get into the playoffs or be seeded according to their record. Let's have the AP vote on it instead.

 

[tducey]

Option 1 for me, the way it is now.

 

[jarntt]

then how would the Cowboys ever get a Home game again...

Sports goals are generally win your division first and then work from there. There will always be problems with any format because none are perfect. This year it's that the NFC East and AFC South sucked so maybe WC teams should be in instead. But every NFC team that was .500 or better is in and only the Jets had more wins than Hou and didn't make it. That's not really too significant IMO. In another year it could be a "wild card" team bumps a division winner based on a much easier schedule. I think Dal and AZ only played 3 or 4 of the same teams. That could be significant if they were battling for a playoff spot on record alone.

 

[jarntt]

I don't think that teams should get into the playoffs or be seeded according to their record. Let's have the AP vote on it instead.

Or let me decide. I think I'd find a way to get a home game for a certain 4 win team

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Yes, let's change the format because of an outlandish hypothetical that's literally never happened in the 14 years since the NFL realigned to 4 divisions. That seems like a super smart thing to do.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Yes, let's change the format because of an outlandish hypothetical that's literally never happened in the 14 years since the NFL realigned to 4 divisions. That seems like a super smart thing to do.

BS .... Back in 2013 Seattle and the 49rs were the 2 best teams in the NFC, We won the division winning 13 game and the Niners won 12... Niners with 12 wins had to travel to the 8 win Green Bay Packers for the Wild Card round... That's a very recent example ... GTFO

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

The odds of this happening are almost 0. Heck only twice since the realignment if I remember right has a team with a losing record actually won the division and both of those had 7 wins.

We did it in 2010... 7-9 winning the division, 11 win Saints had to travel to our house... Also the 2013 Niners won 12 games and had to travel to the 8 win Packers back in 2013-14 .... So it happens...

 

[ATL96Steeler]

No, it is perfectly fine and there's absolutely no need to change it. The reward for winning the division is a home playoff game. The reward for a good team that wasn't good enough to win their division is a second chance to prove themselves in the playoffs. That's exactly how it should be.

If you're such a great wild card team, prove it: go out and beat the crappy division winners on the road.

I'll let that be your opinion...but, you wouldn't see as many silly threads about fixing it if that opinion was shared by the masses.

I'm a traditionalist by nature so it doesn't bother me the way it is, but the truth of the matter is it's outdated. The reward made more sense when most the games were DIV games.

There are plenty of WC superbowl winners already...proof enough to say it can happen again...right?

 

[cdumler7]

We did it in 2010... 7-9 winning the division, 11 win Saints had to travel to our house... Also the 2013 Niners won 12 games and had to travel to the 8 win Packers back in 2013-14 .... So it happens...

I meant your ridiculous scenario of a team only winning their division games and still winning the division. The odds of that are almost 0. Yes a 7-9 or 7-8-1 team has made the playoffs and yes we have had some 8-8 teams make it but to me when you start going by record alone it is just opening a whole different can of worms. Then people will complain about SOS or we will start seeing some of those late divisional games me jack squat. You are going to get a worse product on the field those last few weeks of the regular season in my opinion if you switch it up to what you want.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

We did it in 2010... 7-9 winning the division, 11 win Saints had to travel to our house... Also the 2013 Niners won 12 games and had to travel to the 8 win Packers back in 2013-14 .... So it happens...

Stu, I think the issue taken was with your hypothetical that a division winner could go 6-10 and host a playoff game:

If you beat your 3 division teams all year because they SUCK and let's say you lose every other game outside of your division BUT you still win the division ...

This has yet to happen. When Seattle and Carolina both made the playoffs with 7 wins, they won at least one game outside of their division. Carolina also had a tie that year.

 

[Broncos6482]

BS .... Back in 2013 Seattle and the 49rs were the 2 best teams in the NFC, We won the division winning 13 game and the Niners won 12... Niners with 12 wins had to travel to the 8 win Green Bay Packers for the Wild Card round... That's a very recent example ... GTFO

But that's not what you said at all. Here's what you actually said.

Winning your division should guarantee you a playoff spot ... But it should not guarantee you a higher seed... it's ridiculous how stupid that system is ... If you beat your 3 division teams all year because they SUCK and let's say you lose every other game outside of your division BUT you still win the division ..... WHY the @#$^@# should that give you a higher seed over a team that's won 5 more games than you ? BS system ...

So the Niners weren't 5 games better than the Packers, and the Packers didn't beat every team in their division and lose to everyone else. So you're made up scenario is still made up and has never happened and is extremely, extremely unlikely to ever happen.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

I meant your ridiculous scenario of a team only winning their division games and still winning the division. The odds of that are almost 0. Yes a 7-9 or 7-8-1 team has made the playoffs and yes we have had some 8-8 teams make it but to me when you start going by record alone it is just opening a whole different can of worms. Then people will complain about SOS or we will start seeing some of those late divisional games me jack squat. You are going to get a worse product on the field those last few weeks of the regular season in my opinion if you switch it up to what you want.

I was just using that as an example .... being extreme.... Divisions would still mean something because even if your record isn't great winning the division GET'S you into the playoffs regardless ... It just doesn't give you home field advantage...

 

[Broncos6482]

I'll let that be your opinion...but, you wouldn't see as many silly threads about fixing it if that opinion was shared by the masses.

I'm a traditionalist by nature so it doesn't bother me the way it is, but the truth of the matter is it's outdated. The reward made more sense when most the games were DIV games.

There are plenty of WC superbowl winners already...proof enough to say it can happen again...right?

My opinion is shared by the masses, as the vote here shows that 75% of the voters like it just the way it is, and in this thread most people are saying to leave it alone.

It's the few whiners that can't get it in their heads that there's no reason to change and the system is perfectly fine the way it is, that's why we keep having threads like this pop up.

If you weren't good enough to win your division, you don't deserve a home playoff game. If you're so much better than a division winner, go beat them on the road and prove it.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

But that's not what you said at all. Here's what you actually said.



So the Niners weren't 5 games better than the Packers, and the Packers didn't beat every team in their division and lose to everyone else. So you're made up scenario is still made up and has never happened and is extremely, extremely unlikely to ever happen.

The made up scenario was an extreme example.... regardless, a 12 win team shouldn't travel to an 8 win team... or an 11 win team travel to a 7 win team... winning the division ensures you make the playoffs, but it should not ensure a higher seed when your record sucks... I stand by that and I always will ... Even when the Saints had to travel to Seattle when we were 7-9 it felt wrong... I said it then, I'll say it now....