OT: Byes and Seeding

[raduray]

1 Denver

There are always upsets in the Wildcard round.

2 Pats - 2 vs 7 LAC = Pats
3 Jags - 3 vs 6 Bills = Bills
4 Ravens or Pitt 4 vs 5 Texans = Texans

5 Texans
6 Bills
7 LAC

So if we win against the Chargers and Buffalo wins, we play the winner of the Texans game? And if the Jags win we play them?

 

[Triumph]

So if we win against the Chargers and Buffalo wins, we play the winner of the Texans game? And if the Jags win we play them?

With 4 teams left, Denver will always play the lowest seed who I believe will be Houston.

Pats face the Bills.

If Texans lose then Bills go to Denver. Pats play Ravens or Steelers.

 

[raduray]

With 4 teams left, Denver will always play the lowest seed who I believe will be Houston.

Pats face the Bills.

If Texans lose then Bills go to Denver. Pats play Ravens or Steelers.

But if the Bills are #6, wouldn't they be the lowest remaining seed and have to face Denver?

 

[Triumph]

But if the Bills are #6, wouldn't they be the lowest remaining seed and have to face Denver?

If the Texans lose to the Ravens or Steelers. Yes.

The 7th seed is eliminated.

 

[ZoisKing]

Denver having to face JA in their 1st playoff game would be pretty funny.

 

[raduray]

If the Texans lose to the Ravens or Steelers. Yes.

The 7th seed is eliminated.

Maybe I'm being thick, but in this scenario after the first round, Patriots-2, Bills-6, Ravens/Steelers-4 or Texans-5, why aren't the Bills at 6 the lowest seed and then off to Denver?

 

[Foxypats]

I hope we get a Saturday game next week. The #2 seed should also have a slight advantage. If they win, they get an extra day before their next opponent. Don't know if it works like that but I hope so.

 

[Family]

Maybe I'm being thick, but in this scenario after the first round, Patriots-2, Bills-6, Ravens/Steelers-4 or Texans-5, why aren't the Bills at 6 the lowest seed and then off to Denver?

You're not being thick. You are correct.

If the Bills and Patriots win, the Bills go to Denver.

 

[PatsFan2]

With 4 teams left, Denver will always play the lowest seed who I believe will be Houston.

Pats face the Bills.

If Texans lose then Bills go to Denver. Pats play the Steelers.

Talk about looking ahead.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

In a typical 8 team bracket, it's 1-8 & 4-5 on 1 side, and 2-7 & 3-6 on the other side, so that if all the higher seeds win, the next round is 1-4 and 2-3. Why is the NFL doing it differently? The bracket on NFL.com says that if all the higher seeds win this weekend, the next round would be 1 v 3 and 2 v 4.

I'm not complaining cause this looks better for us. The winner of Bills vs Jags will go to Denver and win. Meanwhile if we beat LA, we then host either Houston or Pitt, and if we win then we host the AFCC. Couldn't be a better setup if true.

 

[Thunderhead]

It feels like everything has come up in Denver's favor this year. Such an undeserved one seed. Just needed one of Mahomes or Herbert to play in the last two weeks and the Pats are the #1 seed. Blowing the 21-0 lead to Buffalo is so brutal in hindsight.

 

[raduray]

In a typical 8 team bracket, it's 1-8 & 4-5 on 1 side, and 2-7 & 3-6 on the other side, so that if all the higher seeds win, the next round is 1-4 and 2-3. Why is the NFL doing it differently? The bracket on NFL.com says that if all the higher seeds win this weekend, the next round would be 1 v 3 and 2 v 4.

I'm not complaining cause this looks better for us. The winner of Bills vs Jags will go to Denver and win. Meanwhile if we beat LA, we then host either Houston or Pitt, and if we win then we host the AFCC. Couldn't be a better setup if true.

If we beat LA and beat Houston/Pitt we only host AFCC if Denver loses against Buffalo/Jax.

 

[p8ryts]

If we beat LA and beat Houston/Pitt we only host AFCC if Denver loses against Buffalo/Jax.

It's a goal.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

After looking at this further, it appears the NFL.com "bracket" isn't really a bracket for the WC to Division rounds. It seems the rule for the Division round is simply that the #1 seed plays the lowest remaining seed after the WC round, and the other 2 WC winners playing each other.

The seeds are 1-Denver, 2-NE, 3-Jags, 4-Pitt, 5-Hou, 6-Bills, 7-LAC. I think our ideal path is:
- Bills beat the Jags, and as the #6 seed they will go to Denver the following week, where they will likely knock out the Broncos
- If the Bills beat the Jags, we host the winner of Hou at Pitt; if we win then we host the Bills for the AFCC.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I think you are redefining rivalry. Rivalry doesn’t mean who are the best teams, at least not the way most fans, teams, and cities define it.

Bears and Packers fans literally hate the other team. In fact the players used as well on the 70s
And its fans, not players or coaches that define the rivalry. No current patriot other than the hc who has more to worry about cares about the Brady Manning rivalry. Every few years most teams have 90% new players and a new coaching staff.
The only carryover is fans.
So
Bears packers
Patriots jets
Raiders chiefs
Cowboys eagles
Cowboys redskins
Giants Eagles
Niners rams
Steelers ravens
Etc etc are definitely rivalries because of the fans.
What keeps them alive is playing twice a year

Saints Falcons

 

[Family]

If we beat LA and beat Houston/Pitt we only host AFCC if Denver loses against Buffalo/Jax.

Almost correct.

If Jax wins (and we do) Jax plays us.

Denver plays lowest seed.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

Almost correct.

If Jax wins (and we do) Jax plays us.

Denver plays lowest seed.

Yes - the Div round matchups are driven by 1 simple rule: the top seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Assuming we beat the lowest seed Chargers, if the next lowest seed Buffalo beats the Jags, the Bills go to Denver in the next round and we host the winner of Houston-Pitt. I think the Bills would win in Denver, setting up an AFCC game in Foxboro if we can beat Hou or Pitt in the division round.

 

[SacPete1]

It is not clear at all that a bye is an advantage.

It is clear that having home games is an advantage.

Division winners should have at least one home game. That worth fight for, for the team and the fans who want to see a home game.
===========
PROPOSAL
1. Get rid of the bye
2. Have 16 teams in the playoffs, with the top seed playing the lowest each week.
3. Re-seed after the first week, so a team with the fewest wins gets a seeding advantage only for the first week.

The #1 see would then be forced to play an extra game against the #16 seed instead of having a bye, not much of an issue.

I think we'll be seeing this within the next 5 years with a few modifications:

1. 18 game schedule (2 preseason games)
2. 4 division winners and 4 wildcards but play continues within the conference
3. Teams seeded 1-8 based on record and tie-breakers

I'm not saying I'm in favor of this as I currently do not like the Monday night playoff game but I'll still watch it and at the end of the day, the networks want more games in the regular season and playoffs. The revenue will jump along with the salary cap and franchise values.

After this will be international teams.

 

[Family]

Yes - the Div round matchups are driven by 1 simple rule: the top seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Assuming we beat the lowest seed Chargers, if the next lowest seed Buffalo beats the Jags, the Bills go to Denver in the next round and we host the winner of Houston-Pitt. I think the Bills would win in Denver, setting up an AFCC game in Foxboro if we can beat Hou or Pitt in the division round.

I'm not so sure the Bills beat the Jags.