Should the NFL change the playoff system?

[jmt57]

First off, let's wait till the season is over before assuming some team is going to get screwed. I can almost guarantee the standing are not going to look like they do now; the more games that get played, the more likely things will work itself out.

Regardless of how 'unfair' it may seem that a team with a better record has to travel to play at a team with less wins, I don't see this changing. From a business perspective it makes sense for the NFL to leave things as is - for similar reasons that the cap and free agency create parity.

With just four teams in a division, every fan base start the season with a 25% chance of winning the division - and witnessing a home playoff game. In other words that is on average going to happen once every four years. That type of thing keeps most fan bases very interested in their team year after year. Take that away there is less interest with mediocre teams - and that's bad for business and bad for the NFL as a whole.


If you really wanted to make it "fair" you could play every team in your conference once, maybe add one game against a team from the other conference that finished with the same ranking in the standings as you did, do away with divisions, and just have conference standings. Or you could play twelve teams from your own conference plus four from the other conference, both on a rotating basis - once again with no divisions and just conference standings. That would be more 'fair', but would be far less interesting.

As it is now 25% of the NFL's fan bases get to celebrate a division championship and half or more are still interested late in the season because of the playoff races. Even if you keep eight divisions, if winning the division is meaningless and only conference standings are important, then that is what people pay attention to; they will ignore division standings. Seeing your team in 2nd or 3rd place tricks the mind into being excited about the team; looking at the standings and seeing your team in 5th or 8th place and that level of excitement is much less.

This reminds me of some people saying all NFL playoff teams should go into one pool, rather than separate for the two conferences, back when the AFC was dominating the Super Bowl - and again when the NFC was winning year after year. Some thought that made sense at the time; how does it sound now?

I say leave it like it is.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

First off, let's wait till the season is over before assuming some team is going to get screwed. I can almost guarantee the standing are not going to look like they do now; the more games that get played, the more likely things will work itself out.

Regardless of how 'unfair' it may seem that a team with a better record has to travel to play at a team with less wins, I don't see this changing. From a business perspective it makes sense for the NFL to leave things as is - for similar reasons that the cap and free agency create parity.

With just four teams in a division, every fan base start the season with a 25% chance of winning the division - and witnessing a home playoff game. In other words that is on average going to happen once every four years. That type of thing keeps most fan bases very interested in their team year after year. Take that away there is less interest with mediocre teams - and that's bad for business and bad for the NFL as a whole.


If you really wanted to make it "fair" you could play every team in your conference once, maybe add one game against a team from the other conference that finished with the same ranking in the standings as you did, do away with divisions, and just have conference standings. Or you could play twelve teams from your own conference plus four from the other conference, both on a rotating basis - once again with no divisions and just conference standings. That would be more 'fair', but would be far less interesting.

As it is now 25% of the NFL's fan bases get to celebrate a division championship and half or more are still interested late in the season because of the playoff races. Even if you keep eight divisions, if winning the division is meaningless and only conference standings are important, then that is what people pay attention to; they will ignore division standings. Seeing your team in 2nd or 3rd place tricks the mind into being excited about the team; looking at the standings and seeing your team in 5th or 8th place and that level of excitement is much less.

This reminds me of some people saying all NFL playoff teams should go into one pool, rather than separate for the two conferences, back when the AFC was dominating the Super Bowl - and again when the NFC was winning year after year. Some thought that made sense at the time; how does it sound now?

I say leave it like it is.

That pretty much sums it up. Next thread.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Keep it as it is. Same position I held in 2008 when the 12-4 Colts had to travel to the 8-8 Chargers.

Consider this, if we changed it. The game in two weeks would be less meaningful. It would not be for the bye and homefield.

 

[billdog3484]

Should they change the playoff system to go just based on record? Either the Pats or the Jets are going to get shafted here by having a say 12-4 team go to play a team at their field that is 9-7 or 10-6...to me that just sounds messed up. Whats your take?

definitely flawed...too many divisions i'd think. no way the pats should have missed the playoffs in 07 at 11-5 where the 8-8 chargers made it AND had a better draft slot - absolutely ridiculous

theres a possibility we can go 13-3, plus have beaten the chargers, who make the playoffs at 8-8 (a wide 5 game margin), yet we would have to go into san diego on wild card weekend. in that scenario, the jets would be 13-3 or 14-2 be the #1 seed...an 11-5 steelers or ravens squad -who we also beat and are 2 games behind us- get a Bye, then host us in the division round. ABSURD.

 

[billdog3484]

Keep it as it is. Same position I held in 2008 when the 12-4 Colts had to travel to the 8-8 Chargers.

Consider this, if we changed it. The game in two weeks would be less meaningful. It would not be for the bye and homefield.

consider this. we may beat the jets, both finish 12-4, finish in a tie for the best record in the Nfl and STILL get the 5th seed. nuts. same for jets. bottom line is either we or the jets are gonna get screwed

 

[pwes]

Leave it becasue in another year you all would be complaining about being 5th even though you won the division.

 

[billdog3484]

Leave it becasue in another year you all would be complaining about being 5th even though you won the division.

haha probably true. but when you think about it, having the better record and having to travel to another teams stadium doesnt seem like common sense

 

[Raymond]

Nobody complains when the Pats won the division for most of the decade.

It's fine as it is.

 

[alvinnf]

definitely flawed...too many divisions i'd think. no way the pats should have missed the playoffs in 07 at 11-5 where the 8-8 chargers made it AND had a better draft slot - absolutely ridiculous

theres a possibility we can go 13-3, plus have beaten the chargers, who make the playoffs at 8-8 (a wide 5 game margin), yet we would have to go into san diego on wild card weekend. in that scenario, the jets would be 13-3 or 14-2 be the #1 seed...an 11-5 steelers or ravens squad -who we also beat and are 2 games behind us- get a Bye, then host us in the division round. ABSURD.

Good points all around.
You should seed teams based on record.
The two teams with the best records should have earned a bye. Period.
You can still reward the remaining division winner or winners with a home game.
If 3 division winners are left, let the respective records sort out whom plays who.