SWC75
Bored Historian
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Bud Poliquin was complaining about the fact that the Steelers, (12-4) had to go on the road to play the Denver Broncos, (8-8) because the Broncos won a flat division and the Steelers were a wild card team, losing by tie-breakers to the Ravens, who had the same record. The Steelers, probably the superior team, lost in overtime. I agreed that it seemed inappropriate that the team with the better record has to go on the road but felt that the impact of that was minimal: good teams play as well on the road as at home and football is not as bad in this regard as other sports, especially basketball. I decided to see how teams had fared over the years in this situation.
Prior to the 1970 merger, all the pro leagues, (the NFL from when their championship game started in 1933, the All-America Conference from 1946-49 and the AFL from 1960-69) had simply had two divisions, East and West and alternated the championship game between them on a year-by-year basis, so there were many games in which the team with the better won-loss was the road team. In 1967 the NFL split into four divisions but the two divisional champions in the Eastern and Western Conferences played in the stadium of the team with the better regular season record. There were 26 “Home Dogs” in that game. Since then, the scenario for a “Home Dog” has been when a wild card team had a better record than a divisional champion and they were paired in the playoffs. There have been 23 such games, including 12 in the last decade as the number of wild card teams has been increased.
I’ll list the home team first, with their regular season record, their score, the visiting team, their record and their score and the cumulative record of the “Home Dog”.
1934 Giants (8-5) 30 Bears (13-0) 13 1-0
1935 Lions (7-3-2) 26 Giants (9-3) 7 2-0
1936 Redskins (7-5) 6 Packers (10-1-1) 21 2-1
(This game was actually played in New York. George Preston Marshall had already decided to move his team from Boston and relations with Boston officials and fans he didn’t want to give them a championship. The team was in Washington the next year. I’ll assume there were more Redskin fans than Packer fans in New York.)
1939 Packers (9-2) 27 Giants (9-1-1) 0 3-1
1942 Redskins (10-1) 14 Bears (11-0) 6 4-1
1946 Giants (7-3-1) 14 nears (8-2-1) 24 4-2
1947 Yankees (11-2-1) 3 Browns (12-1-1) 14 4-3 (AAFC)
1948 Eagles (9-2-1) 7 Cardinals (11-1) 0 5-3
1949 Rams (8-2-2) 0 Eagles (11-1) 14 5-4
1951 Rams (8-4) 24 Browns (11-1) 17 6-4
1952 Browns (8-4) 7 Lions (9-3) 17 6-5
1953 Lions (10-2) 17 Browns (11-1) 16 7-5
1954 Browns (9-3) 56 Lions (9-2-1) 10 8-5
1955 Rams (8-3-1) 14 Browns (9-2-1) 38 8-6
1956 Giants (8-3-1) 47 Bears (9-2-1) 7 9-6
1957 Lions (8-4) 59 Browns (9-2-1) 14 10-6
1959 Colts (9-3) 31 Giants (10-2) 16 11-6
1962 Giants (12-2) 7 Packers (13-1) 16 11-7
1964 Browns (10-3-1) 27 Colts (12-2) 12-7
1965 Packers (10-3-1) 23 Browns (11-3) 12 13-7
1966 Cowboys (10-3-1) 27 Packers (12-2) 34 13-8
1967 Packers (9-4-1) 28 Rams (11-1-2) 7 14-9
1968 Browns (10-4) 31 Cowboys (12-2) 20 15-9
1968 Browns (10-4) 0 Colts (13-1) 34 15-10
1968 Jets (11-3) 27 Raiders (12-2) 23 16-10 (AFL)
After the merger
1970 Raiders (8-4-2) 21 Dolphins (10-4) 14 17-10
1971 49ers (9-5) 24 Redskins (9-4-1) 20 18-10
1971 Browns (9-5) 20 Colts (10-4) 3 18-11
1972 49ers (8-5-1) 28 Cowboys (10-4) 30 18-12
1973 Cowboys (10-4) 27 Rams (12-2) 16 19-12
1973 Raiders (9-4-1) 33 Steelers (10-4) 14 20-12
1973 Cowboys (10-4) 10 Vikings (12-2) 27 20-13
1977 Colts (10-4) 31 Raiders (11-3) 37(ot) 20-14
1979 Buccaneers (10-6) 24 Eagles (11-5) 17 21-14
1988 49ers (10-6) 34 Vikings (11-5) 9 22-14
1993 49ers (10-6) 44 Giants (11-5) 3 23-14
2002 Jets (9-7) 41 Colts (10-6) 0 24-14
2003 Ravens (10-6) 17 Titans (12-4) 20 24-15
2005 Patriots (10-6) 28 Jaguars (12-4) 3 25-15
2007 Steelers (10-6) 29 Jaguars (11-5) 31 25-16
2007 Buccaneers (9-7) 14 Giants (10-6) 24 25-17
2008 Chargers (8-8) 23 Colts (12-4) 17 26-17
2009 Cardinals (10-6) 51 Packers (11-5) 45 27-17
2010 Colts (10-6) 16 Jets (11-5) 17 27-18
2010 Chiefs (10-6) 7 Ravens (12-4) 30 27-19
2010 Seahawks (7-9) 41 Saints (11-5) 36 28-19
2011 Broncos (8-8) 29 Steelers (12-4) 23(ot) 29-19
2011 Giants (9-7) 24 Falcons (10-6) 2 30-19
Comment: In a lot of cases it was an 11-5 type team vs. a 10-6 type team and thus not a huge difference. But a lot of these games were blow-outs for the home team: 27-0, 56-10, 47-7, 59-14, 27-0, 28-7, 34-9, 44-3, 41-0, 24-2. The other team’s ball park can be a very lonely place in the winter when you start falling behind. 30-19 is a pretty impressive result for the underdog and the margin of victory, (24.0-17.3) is pretty good, too.
It’s enough evidence to suggest that the NFL should change it’s rules so that winning a division gets you into the playoffs but all the teams then get seeded based on their win-loss records and tiebreakers, (the first of which could be winning a division), with the higher seed getting the home game regardless of how they got into the dance.
I’ll add that I hate small divisions of 4-5 teams that produce champions with records like 7-9 and 8-8. Let’s have four 8 team divisions, one in each conference with champions that have championship caliber records and then four wild cards from the other teams in each conference with the best records. It might look like this:
NFC
North
Packers 15-1
Lions 10-6
Giants 9-7
Eagles 8-8
Bears 8-8
Seahawks 7-9
Redskins 5-11
Vikings 3-13
South
49ers 13-3
Saints 13-3
Falcons 10-6
Cowboys 8-8
Cardinals 8-8
Panthers 6-10
Buccaneers 4-12
Rams 2-14
AFC
North
Patriots 13-3
Ravens 12-4
Steelers 12-4
Bengals 9-7
Jets 8-8
Dolphins 6-10
Bills 6-10
Browns 4-12
South
Texans 10-6
Titans 9-7
Broncos 8-8
Chargers 8-8
Raiders 8-8
Chiefs 7-9
Jaguars 5-11
Colts 2-14
PLAYOFFS
1st Round
NFC
Giants at Saints
Falcons at Lions
Winners take on Packers and 49ers, with teams reseeded after the first round. That is, if the Saints beat the Giants, they will play the 49ers in San Francisco and the Falcons-Lions winner will play the Packers at Green Bay. If the Giants upset the Saints, they play the Packers at Green Bay and the Falcons-Lions winner plays at San Francisco. The home team for the NFC title game would be determined based on the regular season record of the two teams with appropriate tie-breakers.
AFC
Titans at Steelers
Bengals at Texans
Winners take on the Patriots and Ravens. If the Steelers win they would play at Baltimore and the Bengals-Texans winner would play at New England. If the Titans and Texans win, the Titans would be at New England and the Texans would be in Baltimore. If the Titans and Bengals won, their destinations would be based on tie-breakers The conference title game will be hosted by the team with the best regular season record with appropriate tie-breakers.
Prior to the 1970 merger, all the pro leagues, (the NFL from when their championship game started in 1933, the All-America Conference from 1946-49 and the AFL from 1960-69) had simply had two divisions, East and West and alternated the championship game between them on a year-by-year basis, so there were many games in which the team with the better won-loss was the road team. In 1967 the NFL split into four divisions but the two divisional champions in the Eastern and Western Conferences played in the stadium of the team with the better regular season record. There were 26 “Home Dogs” in that game. Since then, the scenario for a “Home Dog” has been when a wild card team had a better record than a divisional champion and they were paired in the playoffs. There have been 23 such games, including 12 in the last decade as the number of wild card teams has been increased.
I’ll list the home team first, with their regular season record, their score, the visiting team, their record and their score and the cumulative record of the “Home Dog”.
1934 Giants (8-5) 30 Bears (13-0) 13 1-0
1935 Lions (7-3-2) 26 Giants (9-3) 7 2-0
1936 Redskins (7-5) 6 Packers (10-1-1) 21 2-1
(This game was actually played in New York. George Preston Marshall had already decided to move his team from Boston and relations with Boston officials and fans he didn’t want to give them a championship. The team was in Washington the next year. I’ll assume there were more Redskin fans than Packer fans in New York.)
1939 Packers (9-2) 27 Giants (9-1-1) 0 3-1
1942 Redskins (10-1) 14 Bears (11-0) 6 4-1
1946 Giants (7-3-1) 14 nears (8-2-1) 24 4-2
1947 Yankees (11-2-1) 3 Browns (12-1-1) 14 4-3 (AAFC)
1948 Eagles (9-2-1) 7 Cardinals (11-1) 0 5-3
1949 Rams (8-2-2) 0 Eagles (11-1) 14 5-4
1951 Rams (8-4) 24 Browns (11-1) 17 6-4
1952 Browns (8-4) 7 Lions (9-3) 17 6-5
1953 Lions (10-2) 17 Browns (11-1) 16 7-5
1954 Browns (9-3) 56 Lions (9-2-1) 10 8-5
1955 Rams (8-3-1) 14 Browns (9-2-1) 38 8-6
1956 Giants (8-3-1) 47 Bears (9-2-1) 7 9-6
1957 Lions (8-4) 59 Browns (9-2-1) 14 10-6
1959 Colts (9-3) 31 Giants (10-2) 16 11-6
1962 Giants (12-2) 7 Packers (13-1) 16 11-7
1964 Browns (10-3-1) 27 Colts (12-2) 12-7
1965 Packers (10-3-1) 23 Browns (11-3) 12 13-7
1966 Cowboys (10-3-1) 27 Packers (12-2) 34 13-8
1967 Packers (9-4-1) 28 Rams (11-1-2) 7 14-9
1968 Browns (10-4) 31 Cowboys (12-2) 20 15-9
1968 Browns (10-4) 0 Colts (13-1) 34 15-10
1968 Jets (11-3) 27 Raiders (12-2) 23 16-10 (AFL)
After the merger
1970 Raiders (8-4-2) 21 Dolphins (10-4) 14 17-10
1971 49ers (9-5) 24 Redskins (9-4-1) 20 18-10
1971 Browns (9-5) 20 Colts (10-4) 3 18-11
1972 49ers (8-5-1) 28 Cowboys (10-4) 30 18-12
1973 Cowboys (10-4) 27 Rams (12-2) 16 19-12
1973 Raiders (9-4-1) 33 Steelers (10-4) 14 20-12
1973 Cowboys (10-4) 10 Vikings (12-2) 27 20-13
1977 Colts (10-4) 31 Raiders (11-3) 37(ot) 20-14
1979 Buccaneers (10-6) 24 Eagles (11-5) 17 21-14
1988 49ers (10-6) 34 Vikings (11-5) 9 22-14
1993 49ers (10-6) 44 Giants (11-5) 3 23-14
2002 Jets (9-7) 41 Colts (10-6) 0 24-14
2003 Ravens (10-6) 17 Titans (12-4) 20 24-15
2005 Patriots (10-6) 28 Jaguars (12-4) 3 25-15
2007 Steelers (10-6) 29 Jaguars (11-5) 31 25-16
2007 Buccaneers (9-7) 14 Giants (10-6) 24 25-17
2008 Chargers (8-8) 23 Colts (12-4) 17 26-17
2009 Cardinals (10-6) 51 Packers (11-5) 45 27-17
2010 Colts (10-6) 16 Jets (11-5) 17 27-18
2010 Chiefs (10-6) 7 Ravens (12-4) 30 27-19
2010 Seahawks (7-9) 41 Saints (11-5) 36 28-19
2011 Broncos (8-8) 29 Steelers (12-4) 23(ot) 29-19
2011 Giants (9-7) 24 Falcons (10-6) 2 30-19
Comment: In a lot of cases it was an 11-5 type team vs. a 10-6 type team and thus not a huge difference. But a lot of these games were blow-outs for the home team: 27-0, 56-10, 47-7, 59-14, 27-0, 28-7, 34-9, 44-3, 41-0, 24-2. The other team’s ball park can be a very lonely place in the winter when you start falling behind. 30-19 is a pretty impressive result for the underdog and the margin of victory, (24.0-17.3) is pretty good, too.
It’s enough evidence to suggest that the NFL should change it’s rules so that winning a division gets you into the playoffs but all the teams then get seeded based on their win-loss records and tiebreakers, (the first of which could be winning a division), with the higher seed getting the home game regardless of how they got into the dance.
I’ll add that I hate small divisions of 4-5 teams that produce champions with records like 7-9 and 8-8. Let’s have four 8 team divisions, one in each conference with champions that have championship caliber records and then four wild cards from the other teams in each conference with the best records. It might look like this:
NFC
North
Packers 15-1
Lions 10-6
Giants 9-7
Eagles 8-8
Bears 8-8
Seahawks 7-9
Redskins 5-11
Vikings 3-13
South
49ers 13-3
Saints 13-3
Falcons 10-6
Cowboys 8-8
Cardinals 8-8
Panthers 6-10
Buccaneers 4-12
Rams 2-14
AFC
North
Patriots 13-3
Ravens 12-4
Steelers 12-4
Bengals 9-7
Jets 8-8
Dolphins 6-10
Bills 6-10
Browns 4-12
South
Texans 10-6
Titans 9-7
Broncos 8-8
Chargers 8-8
Raiders 8-8
Chiefs 7-9
Jaguars 5-11
Colts 2-14
PLAYOFFS
1st Round
NFC
Giants at Saints
Falcons at Lions
Winners take on Packers and 49ers, with teams reseeded after the first round. That is, if the Saints beat the Giants, they will play the 49ers in San Francisco and the Falcons-Lions winner will play the Packers at Green Bay. If the Giants upset the Saints, they play the Packers at Green Bay and the Falcons-Lions winner plays at San Francisco. The home team for the NFC title game would be determined based on the regular season record of the two teams with appropriate tie-breakers.
AFC
Titans at Steelers
Bengals at Texans
Winners take on the Patriots and Ravens. If the Steelers win they would play at Baltimore and the Bengals-Texans winner would play at New England. If the Titans and Texans win, the Titans would be at New England and the Texans would be in Baltimore. If the Titans and Bengals won, their destinations would be based on tie-breakers The conference title game will be hosted by the team with the best regular season record with appropriate tie-breakers.
