|
Tennessee probably doesn't feel too great, either. They won one more game than Denver yet didn't even make the playoffs while Denver got to host a home game.
I think a compromise could be reached. Yes, the division has to mean something. On the other hand, with four-team divisions and some perennial powerhouses, it's not fair to some teams. The Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens have been strong AFC teams for a decade; thus, teams like the Bills and Browns are put at a disadvantage. I mean, shit, Cleveland has to play Pittsburgh twice and Baltimore twice; no wonder they suck all the time.
I would suggest they combine to four 8-team divisions instead of 8 4-team divisions. Two for the AFC (north and east, perhaps, vs. south and west) and two for the NFC. Each 8-team division-winner gets a bye (the usual #1 and #2 seed). After those two, seed four wildcards by record, thus meaning, for example, the "AFC Northeast" could send five teams to the playoffs if the four non-division-winners all have the best records. Seed those four as #3 through #6 with the two highest hosting playoff games as the division winners do now.
If they went by that format, just using this year's records, we'd have seen:
AFC "NE"
New England (13-3) (1st seed)
Baltimore (12-4) (3nd seed)
Pittsburgh (12-4) (4th seed)
Cincinnatti (9-7) (5th seed)
New York Jets (8-8)
Miami Dolphins (6-10)
Buffalo Bills (6-10)
Cleveland (4-12)
AFC "SW"
Houston (10-6) (2nd seed)
Tennessee (9-7) (6th seed)
Denver (8-8)
San Diego (8-8)
Oakland (8-8)
Kansas City (7-9)
Jacksonville (5-11)
Indianapolis (2-14)
Now, granted, there's still room for the injustice of weird statistics; in this case, the 10-6 Titans would actually have been the #2 seed and Baltimore, with a better record, would've gotten screwed out of a bye week. But it would've put Tennesee into the playoffs instead of Denver, and given Pitt a deserved home game. It would've set up Tennessee @ Baltimore and Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh.
Likewise, in the NFC, the Lions and Falcons (with a better record) would've seeded higher than the Giants (who got to host a home game against a team with a better record). It would've been:
NFC "NE":
Packers (1)
Lions (4)
Giants (6)
NFC "SW":
Niners (2)
Saints (3)
Falcons (5)
First week would've been Giants @ Saints and Falcons @ Lions.
|