Cowboys in Playoffs Forcing NFL New Rules?

[Doomsday101]

Heading home for the football holidays? NFL wild card teams might be able to do so if a new rule proposal is approved.

Nine rule change proposals for the 2023-24 NFL season were submitted by teams on Monday and one from the Los Angeles Chargers will particularly intrigue Dallas Cowboys fans: under this hypothetical, wild card teams that have at least four more wins would host a playoff game rather than the divisional winner, as has been tradition since 1975.

As the current playoff format stands, each conference's top four seeds are bestowed to the champions of each side's division ranked by record. While only the top seed gets a first-round bye, the division champs are guaranteed at least one home playoff game no matter their record.

While there could be some spiteful incentives behind the 10-7 Chargers' request ... Los Angeles, after all, had to face the 9-8 AFC South Champions in Jacksonville last Wild Card Weekend ... the Cowboys would've directly benefitted from such an amendment.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nf...p&cvid=4de0c8a412fc417890d1772da9956acd&ei=22

 

[JBS]

4 more wins seems a bit much.

2 should be debatable. 3 should absolutely work if you are going to pass this rule. 4 is insane

 

[jazzcat22]

Another thing they should consider if a team has more wins rather it is 2, 3, or 4.

Is head to head competition during the season. Say if Dallas would have beat TB. That should carry some weight.

Just throwing it out there.

 

[jazzcat22]

4 more wins seems a bit much.

2 should be debatable. 3 should absolutely work if you are going to pass this rule. 4 is insane

Yes 3 sounds more like it. But in my post above, it if is only 2, should head to head be a consideration.

 

[Adreme]

I mean it makes sense. Every couple years we mock the idea of the idea of the 7-9 (now 7-10) division champ facing a 12 win WC team and getting the home game.

 

[Big_D]

It's a good rule. A 12-4 team should not be traveling to an 8-9 division winner. And since they added the 7th seed, this will be more common than not.

 

[thunderpimp91]

I like the concept, but I would alter it a little bit. I think a team has to be over 500 to be eligible to host a home playoff game. So if a team wins their division with 9 wins they get it. The 7 or 8 win teams who win their division that seems to happen every 3-5 years should not be rewarded. If an 8 win division winners opponent in the wild card is over .500 (not sure how they wouldn't be) they get to host the game. This would also help with teams packing it in the final week of the season. That 8 win team who has the division basically locked up will have something to play for, as will the #5 seed at times.

 

[DallasEast]

I like the concept, but I would alter it a little bit. I think a team has to be over 500 to be eligible to host a home playoff game. So if a team wins their division with 9 wins they get it. The 7 or 8 win teams who win their division that seems to happen every 3-5 years should not be rewarded. If an 8 win division winners opponent in the wild card is over .500 (not sure how they wouldn't be) they get to host the game. This would also help with teams packing it in the final week of the season. That 8 win team who has the division basically locked up will have something to play for, as will the #5 seed at times.

I could go for this idea or go solely to the top seven best regular season records for seeding, best-to-worst.

 

[links18]

Another thing they should consider if a team has more wins rather it is 2, 3, or 4.

Is head to head competition during the season. Say if Dallas would have beat TB. That should carry some weight.

Just throwing it out there.

Yeah, but how much? A season worth of work comes down to one game?

 

[Motorola]

4 more wins seems a bit much.

2 should be debatable. 3 should absolutely work if you are going to pass this rule. 4 is insane.

13-4 WC v. 11-6 division winner - division title team and fans would have a fit.
13-4 WC v. 10-7 division winner - 50/50, debatable.
13-4 WC v. 9-8 division winner --WC team hosts the 1st round game.
The four-game win difference would be acceptable to me.

 

[Motorola]

Yeah, but how much? A season worth of work comes down to one game?

Head-to-head competition during the regular season has been part of the tie-breaking procedures to determine division champions and playoff berths in the NFL for almost forever.

 

[JBS]

Head-to-head competition during the regular season has been part of the tie-breaking procedures to determine division champions and playoff berths in the NFL for almost forever.

This has nothing to do w division champions

 

[erod]

4 more wins seems a bit much.

2 should be debatable. 3 should absolutely work if you are going to pass this rule. 4 is insane

Disagree. It needs to be reserved for extreme cases.

Often, a 11-6 record in one division is far more impressive than a 13-4 record in another division because of the level of talent in one division over another. Plus, there's strength of schedule.

It should be reserved for those 7-9 Seahawk teams that got to host against the Saints at 12-4 simply because Seattle won a horrible division that year with a losing record.

Otherwise, let it be as is.

 

[lostar2009]

Interesting

 

[Big_D]

In this scenario I think the Cowboys should still travel to Tampa Bay since they lost the regular season matchup. 4 win difference and a regular season matchup if it applies.

 

[jazzcat22]

Yeah, but how much? A season worth of work comes down to one game?

Not saying if just one game difference. Was saying should head to head be considered. A win or loss could be added or subtracted from that total difference in the spread. They use it to determine seeding so should it be used in that scenario.

 

[jazzcat22]

In this scenario I think the Cowboys should still travel to Tampa Bay since they lost the regular season matchup. 4 win difference and a regular season matchup if it applies.

Yes this was a situation I was referring to.
or if the other way around.

 

[Motorola]

This has nothing to do w division champions

Head- to-head competiton when applicable, is a detertmining factor in which teams win the division, get into the playoffs as a wildcard, or playoff seeding.
But under the proposed new playoff format -- an 8-9 team division winner should not host a playoff game v. a 12-5 wildcard team....no matter if the 8-9 team beat the 12-5 team during the regular season.
(Example Bucs at Cowboys ---despite TB winning the regular season opener, DAL went on to a 12-5 record while they stumbled to 8-9.
Cowboys still host the 1st round game because a far better regular season record than the division winner Bucs.)

Will be interesting to see if this change is made.

 

[JayFord]

If a team has a better win loss record they should host the playoffs period

and its fair....if you get into the playoffs at 7-10 and division winners just be happy youre in the playoffs

 

[DUO_CORE]

Even better, just because you win the division, you aren't guaranteed a playoff berth. Imagine a division with Cleveland, Chicago, Arizona, and Denver last season.