NFC playoff craziness

**alien bird** · 12-08-2019, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by FuzzyDice

I agree. Winning your division should automatically punch your ticket to the playoffs. I do think they should change the rules for playing at home though and just make it based on best record across the board.

Teams don't play the same schedule, so best record isn't a perfect solution, either. How many years have Ravens' fans griped about New England winning an easy division and having 6 easy games? As a prior poster said, Seattle won their division in 2010 with a 7-9 record. People bitched about the system then, but here we are ten years later with the same system. The NFL isn't going to change it.

**BcRaven** · 12-08-2019, 11:33 PM

Question? Although I know no change is forthcoming, what do you guys/gals think of this :
Keep the same playoff berth set-up, but then take the 6 playoff teams and seed them strictly by record. This way a 9 - 7 division winner would fall below a 10 - 6 Wild Card team.

Thanks... Bc

**The Excellector** · 12-08-2019, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ravenboy2003

Was that the Marshawn Lynch earthquake game?

Yep, and that's why it won't be changed anytime soon.

**The Excellector** · 12-08-2019, 11:35 PM

This ain't your father's NFC East.

**FuzzyDice** · 12-08-2019, 11:38 PM

[QUOTE=alien bird;1811571]Teams don't play the same schedule, so best record isn't a perfect solution, either./QUOTE]

Good point. Didn't think of that.

**The Excellector** · 12-08-2019, 11:40 PM

The only thing I can think of won't work, because there's only 32 teams in the NFL. I was going to suggest you play every team in your Conference once, but that's only fifteen games. You'd still have to figure out what Non-conference team you play in the sixteenth game.

**cvilleRaven** · 12-09-2019, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

The only thing I can think of won't work, because there's only 32 teams in the NFL. I was going to suggest you play every team in your Conference once, but that's only fifteen games. You'd still have to figure out what Non-conference team you play in the sixteenth game.

Even that would have it's issues. I guess you're eliminating divisions? So top 6 records advance? Your 16th game could be a team from the other conference that finished in the same position as you did the year before. But, that eliminates the schedule variation that currently exists (you play every team no less frequently than every 4 years, and at home no less than once every 8). Teams playing roughly the same schedule year after year after year would get a bit boring.

The reality is that the current system is mostly fine (other than the always weak AFCE). Even if you have a putrid division with a losing team being the best they can come up with, that conference is still only losing the 6th best team from the playoffs, and only two 6 seeds have ever won the Super Bowl. So, sure, it's possible, but it's less than a 4% chance.

**The Excellector** · 12-09-2019, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by cvilleRaven

Even that would have it's issues. I guess you're eliminating divisions? So top 6 records advance? Your 16th game could be a team from the other conference that finished in the same position as you did the year before. But, that eliminates the schedule variation that currently exists (you play every team no less frequently than every 4 years, and at home no less than once every 8). Teams playing roughly the same schedule year after year after year would get a bit boring.

The reality is that the current system is mostly fine (other than the always weak AFCE). Even if you have a putrid division with a losing team being the best they can come up with, that conference is still only losing the 6th best team from the playoffs, and only two 6 seeds have ever won the Super Bowl. So, sure, it's possible, but it's less than a 4% chance.

That makes sense.

**I Touchdown There** · 12-09-2019, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by BcRaven

Question? Although I know no change is forthcoming, what do you guys/gals think of this :
Keep the same playoff berth set-up, but then take the 6 playoff teams and seed them strictly by record. This way a 9 - 7 division winner would fall below a 10 - 6 Wild Card team.

Thanks... Bc

That's what I've been saying!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

**Shrubbs** · 12-09-2019, 08:18 AM

I like the system as is. I think teams should be rewarded for winning their division no matter what. If the NFCE team is really that much worse than the NFCW WC team, they should mop them up no problem and then boom the issue is over after one week.

**moose10101** · 12-09-2019, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by The Excellector

The only thing I can think of won't work, because there's only 32 teams in the NFL. I was going to suggest you play every team in your Conference once, but that's only fifteen games. You'd still have to figure out what Non-conference team you play in the sixteenth game.

And play each team in the other conference once every 16 years? How is that better?

**moose10101** · 12-09-2019, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by BcRaven

Question? Although I know no change is forthcoming, what do you guys/gals think of this :
Keep the same playoff berth set-up, but then take the 6 playoff teams and seed them strictly by record. This way a 9 - 7 division winner would fall below a 10 - 6 Wild Card team.

Thanks... Bc

That would be the least disruptive solution. It's much better than eliminating the slots for the division winners. Remember, non-division scheduling is determined by the team's finish the prior year, so a division winner has a tougher schedule than a 4th-place finisher. The winner of a competitive division shouldn't get bumped because last year's 4th-place team in another division squeaks in with a cake schedule.