Playoffs need altering!

[Direwolf63]

Either make it the division winner, or 6 best records; adding in the 7 wins part is too arbitrary. Go one way or the other, either division winners, or top 6. So under your rules, a 7-9 division winner would not get in over a 10-6 team, but if they manged to win one more game to get to 8-8 they now get in over the 10-6 team? Doesn't sound right

Of course 7 wins is arbitrary. That's a losing record. 8 wins is at least .500.

The change would make it more fair, but not perfect. It just handles the ludicrous situations we see this year. Having an NFC South team in the playoffs cheapens it IMO. Atlanta is getting owned tonight in Green Bay. They will be 5-8 after tonight, but still winning the division. It's a rare event, but one that can very easily be fixed.

 

[joseephuss]

At worse a division winner with a losing record should not be hosting a playoff game. I thought this should have been looked into when the Seahawks won their division with a 7-9 record. I think so now with the current state of the NFC South. I would think so if Dallas won their division with a losing record. It would hurt being a Cowboys fan, but there have to be some higher standards maintained. A complete overhaul of the system isn't needed(complete re-seeding, only picking playoff teams based on records...), but the current system isn't above a minor tweak or two.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The NFL is going to expand the playoffs by adding more wildcard teams................they are not going to seed by overall record because they want to keep division games important. That is why they put all the division games at the end of the season.

By adding more wildcard teams, you do away with the problem of an 11-5 team not making the playoffs but you still retain the importance of division games.

Sounds like a pretty reasonable approach. But I would add only 1 wild card per conferance.

 

[Hostile]

Nonsense

AFC East Winner: 13-3 No. 1 seed
AFC South winner: 12-4 No. 2 seed
AFC West winner: 11-5 No. 3 seed
AFC north winner: 7-9 No. 4 seed

WC #1 11-5
WC #2 10-6
Next best record: 10-6

In this hypothetical situation, the 10-6 record moves in and the 7-9 record is out. How is that like the NBA or NHL? How does this do away with the divisions? It doesn"t. It's more fair than what we have now. The divisions stay. Only one is moved out because they are below .500.

I hate it. Sorry.

 

[TimHortons]

Of course 7 wins is arbitrary. That's a losing record. 8 wins is at least .500.

The change would make it more fair, but not perfect. It just handles the ludicrous situations we see this year. Having an NFC South team in the playoffs cheapens it IMO. Atlanta is getting owned tonight in Green Bay. They will be 5-8 after tonight, but still winning the division. It's a rare event, but one that can very easily be fixed.

so a 7-9 team winning a tough division doesn't make it over a 10-6 team but an 8-8 team winning a cakewalk division does? If you're going to start changing things, just make it straight up top 6 records

 

[HappyOnions]

I must be in the minority who thinks the current playoff format is fine the way it is.

If the Cowboys miss the playoffs, it'll be because they didn't win games that they should have.

If the NFC East was as bad as most predicted it would be, would everyone still be singing the same tune if Dallas got in with a 7-9 record? I don't think you'd hear one complaint from our fans and rightfully so.

 

[joseephuss]

so a 7-9 team winning a tough division doesn't make it over a 10-6 team but an 8-8 team winning a cakewalk division does? If you're going to start changing things, just make it straight up top 6 records

Tough divisions don't produce teams that only win 7 games. Weak divisions do. Tough divisions produce teams that beat up on teams outside of the division.

 

[joseephuss]

I must be in the minority who thinks the current playoff format is fine the way it is.

If the Cowboys miss the playoffs, it'll be because they didn't win games that they should have.

If the NFC East was as bad as most predicted it would be, would everyone still be singing the same tune if Dallas got in with a 7-9 record? I don't think you'd hear one complaint from our fans and rightfully so.

I would complain even if the current rules benefited Dallas if they won their division with a losing record. I don't like bad rules and I don't like seeing bad teams and bad divisions being rewarded for mediocrity. I complained in 2010 when Seattle got in with a losing record and Dallas wasn't in the playoff hunt at all. In my mind, these two things are separate issues.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

I felt the same way in I think 2011 or 2012 when Seattle made it at 7-9 I think?

And they beat a winning record Saints team

 

[TimHortons]

Tough divisions don't produce teams that only win 7 games. Weak divisions do. Tough divisions produce teams that beat up on teams outside of the division.

lol it's a hypothetical situation relax hotshot

 

[Beast_from_East]

Sounds like a pretty reasonable approach. But I would add only 1 wild card per conferance.

Yea, that is how I would do it also, you have 4 division winners and 3 wildcards in each conference for a total of 7 seeds....................give the #1 seed the bye and then matchup accordingly in the first round.

2 plays 7

3 plays 6

4 plays 5