10-6 Eagles Miss The Playoffs While The 7-8-1 Panthers Get A Wild Card

[BillsImpossible]

That does not make any sense to the 10-6 Eagles and 8-8 49ers.

Wins are the hardest thing to come by in the NFL.

So why do division winners matter more than overall wins?

Would anyone mind watching the Bills play the Texans in the, "2nd AFC Wild Card Game?"

Would anyone mind watching the Eagles play the 49ers in the, "2nd NFC Wild Card Game?"

Playoff expansion is going to happen in 2015.

http://www.nfl.com/standings

[Joe Fo Sho]

My argument to why this is an OK thing.

The Eagles couldn't win their division. They also couldn't beat out 2 other teams who also couldn't win their division. Why should they be in the playoffs?

[imbondz]

I like the way it is. I love that a 7-8 division winner can make the playoffs. win your division you're in, no questions asked.

[Ingtar33]

I like the way it is. I love that a 7-8 division winner can make the playoffs. win your division you're in, no questions asked.

remember it was a 7-9 seahawk team that beat the defending super bowl champ saints in seattle on wildcard weekend.

[Historian]

I think it's sad.

I like the way hockey seeds the teams.

[swiper]

I didn't like when expansion drove the NFL to go to 4 divisions per conference. I liked three divisions per conference better.

[JohnnyGold]

Ive heard that next season, the NFL expanding to 7 playoff teams per conference is a near certainty.

[Typ0]

poor division records might be more indicative of the teams in the division being evenly matched than weaker teams.

[Meathead]

Ive heard that next season, the NFL expanding to 7 playoff teams per conference is a near certainty.

how would that work, one team with a bye?

i never liked even two teams getting a bye, having only one would be highly unfair imo

[JohnnyGold]

how would that work, one team with a bye?

i never liked even two teams getting a bye, having only one would be highly unfair imo

There would still be 4 divisions, each would send a winner to the playoffs. The remaining three teams with the highest win pct. would get in as well. Wildcard weekend would be triple headers on both Saturday and Sunday--1pm, 430pm, night game. Those games would be
#7 seed @ #2 seed / # 6 seed @ #3 seed / #5 seed @ # 4 seed
Following wild card weekend, the NFL would reseed the teams so the #1 seed would play the lowest seeded, wild card weekend winner. All matchups would stay in-conference until the super bowl.

And, (in my opinion) that system would be MUCH LESS "unfair" than the current system.

As it stands now, the prize for winning your division is hosting a playoff game. But what separates the third seed from the second seed? In the modern-day NFL, you get a bye for finishing second in your conference. It would be much more intriguing if only 1 team got a bye... truly the best team in the conference. It would add so much significance to the regular season from BOTH angles... more teams fighting for that 7 seed on the bottom, and the race to be the best in the conference would be amazing to watch... winning the regular season would give you such an extreme advantage over your conference opponents: the NFL would solidify it's hold (as if it doesn't already) on having the most important regular season of any of the major sports.

To me, this playoff expansion is exactly why the NFL is a great model for forward thinking business practices... take something that's "perfect" and make it "more perfect."

The NBA is still trying to figure out how long to make their games lol.

[better days]

If the division winner does not make the playoffs because of a poor won lost record, they might as well do away with divisions.

I like the way things are now.

[ticatfan]

poor division records might be more indicative of the teams in the division being evenly matched than weaker teams.Or had a poor start and came on strong at the end. You can have a 8-8 team that is the hottest team at that time. The CFL has a crossover to try and keep the best in the playoffs. My ticats went to the grey cup at 9-9 against the 15-3 stampeders and lost on the last play of the game. Now people want to go one division, but the problem with that is teams on the botton will know early if they are out of the playoffs and that could hurt seat sales in the last half.

[DynaPaul]

That's life in the NFL but the Panthers are probably cannon fodder in the Wild Card round anyway with Smiling Scam Newton behind center.

[better days]

Or had a poor start and came on strong at the end. You can have a 8-8 team that is the hottest team at that time.

Exactly. If an IMPORTANT player is injured that could affect a teams record.

Once that injured player is healthy again, that team becomes GOOD again.

[better days]

That's life in the NFL but the Panthers are probably cannon fodder in the Wild Card round anyway with Smiling Scam Newton behind center.

Probably so, but this is not just about this year.

I think it is IMPORTANT that Division winners play in the playoffs no matter their record.

[stuckincincy]

I think it is IMPORTANT that Division winners play in the playoffs no matter their record.

Same here. The answer to complaints about a team with a lesser record getting into the playoffs is simple. Go win your own division.

[sukie]

Panthers didn't get a wild card.

[OpIv37]

My argument to why this is an OK thing.

The Eagles couldn't win their division. They also couldn't beat out 2 other teams who also couldn't win their division. Why should they be in the playoffs?

The counter-argument: why should a 7 win team with most of their wins coming against equally weak div opponents be in the playoffs?

The Eagles got screwed and the Panthers benefited from something completely out of their control: strength of div opponents.

[stuckincincy]

General comment: If playoff seeding was simply based on W - L percentage, it would deliver a blow to division rivalries. I wouldn't like that one bit.

[Joe Fo Sho]

The counter-argument: why should a 7 win team with most of their wins coming against equally weak div opponents be in the playoffs?

The Eagles got screwed and the Panthers benefited from something completely out of their control: strength of div opponents.

We could probably go back and forth all day debating this, but I would respond with the following:

*DISCLAIMER* I know you guys all understand how the playoffs currently work, I'm just building an argument. *DISCLAIMER*


This is the point of Divisions, otherwise we may as well be the NBA. The playoffs, as they are right now, effectively split each conference into sets of 4 teams. These 4 teams all play the same (well, very similar) opponents. This is the best way to compare the 4 teams, to have them play similar schedules. Now that you have a basis to who is the best of the 4 teams, you put them in a playoff scenario. The best of these teams are granted a playoff spot, and the next best 2 teams of the rest get in.

If you didn't have divisions, you could just take the best 6 teams in each conference. Then what happens when the AFC is much weaker than the NFC? In this scenario, a 6-10 AFC team could get in the playoffs, while a 11-5 NFC team could miss out. Why not then, get rid of conferences? Just have 1 big NFL where the top 12 teams get in and seed 1 plays seed 12, etc. Where does it end?

I like the way it is now, but I could live with subtle variations of it...not that I have a choice in the matter.