If the NFL season ended today...

[Eric15]

The 4-7 Falcons would be hosting a playoff game, and the 7-4 Seahawks and 7-4 Niners are out.

The 2-9 Bucs are only 2 games out of first place in their division.

 

[Millhouse]

The 4-7 Falcons would be hosting a playoff game, and the 7-4 Seahawks and 7-4 Niners are out.

The 2-9 Bucs are only 2 games out of first place in their division.

i wish there were a better way to do it. 32 teams makes it tough. maybe scrap the home and home division scheduling. eight teams in a division, everyone plays each other once, 4 division winners and the 8 other 8 playoff teams coming from conference standings?

 

[Finwad32]

i wish there were a better way to do it. 32 teams makes it tough. maybe scrap the home and home division scheduling. eight teams in a division, everyone plays each other once, 4 division winners and the 8 other 8 playoff teams coming from conference standings?

I like. rivalries disappear though.

 

[Millhouse]

I like. rivalries disappear though.

i don't want to play brady twice for the next 15 years until he finally retires

 

[Alsacs]

Everyone killed in the NFC West in 2010 when the Seattle Seahawks won the division at 7-9. I see nothing wrong with the current system. The Patriots went 11-5 in 2008 and didn't make the playoffs. Oh well they didn't win enough games to get in the playoffs.

7-9 wins the NFC South this year.

New Orleans/Atlanta are 4-7
Carolina 3-7-1

New Orleans @ Pittsburgh
Arizona @ Atlanta
Carolina @ Minnesota

There is a decent chance a 4-7-1 Carolina team could be in first place come Sunday night.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I'm okay with it. If there are going to be divisions, winning a division should matter.

 

[Millhouse]

Everyone killed in the NFC West in 2010 when the Seattle Seahawks won the division at 7-9. I see nothing wrong with the current system. The Patriots went 11-5 in 2008 and didn't make the playoffs. Oh well they didn't win enough games to get in the playoffs.

7-9 wins the NFC South this year.

New Orleans/Atlanta are 4-7
Carolina 3-7-1

New Orleans @ Pittsburgh
Arizona @ Atlanta
Carolina @ Minnesota

There is a decent chance a 4-7-1 Carolina team could be in first place come Sunday night.

i want 2 team divisions and i want to be in the jets division

 

[Alsacs]

I posted this in August.
I had this told to me by a person I know who works for the NFL. Thank goodness Shah Kahn is not commissioner of NFL. At one of the last owner's meetings. This was what I was told he suggested what the NFL should look. If crap like this happens eventually the golden goose of the NFL will be cooked. You can't kill rivalries.

Division 1- New York Jets, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles
Division 2- Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins
Division 3- Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Division 4- Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans
Division 5- Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings
Division 6 -Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
Division 7 - Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts
Division 8- Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams

 

[texascpa]

I posted this in August.
I had this told to me by a person I know who works for the NFL. Thank goodness Shah Kahn is not commissioner of NFL. At one of the last owner's meetings. This was what I was told he suggested what the NFL should look. If crap like this happens eventually the golden goose of the NFL will be cooked. You can't kill rivalries.

Division 1- New York Jets, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles
Division 2- Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins
Division 3- Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Division 4- Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans
Division 5- Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings
Division 6 -Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
Division 7 - Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts
Division 8- Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams

That is obviously persuaded by local/regional proximity, well, except for maybe Tennessee getting stuck in Division 4.

 

[Scooch]

i wish there were a better way to do it. 32 teams makes it tough. maybe scrap the home and home division scheduling. eight teams in a division, everyone plays each other once, 4 division winners and the 8 other 8 playoff teams coming from conference standings?

I don't want to touch a thing when it comes to the NFL's divisional alignment and scheduling. It's wonderful.

I love the home-and-homes because it maintains rivalries. We had to deal with years of Jim Kelly, you have to deal with Brady. We each get to feast on the Jets.

I love that each division plays the entirety of 2 other divisions each year.

I love that the remaining 2 games on the schedule are intended to create competitive balance based on the previous season's standings.

There are 32 teams and yet no NFL team goes more than 4 years without playing every other NFL team. Unlike, say, the friggin' NCAA-imposed idiotic scheduling of the 14 team ACC.

If there is a tweak to be made it would be to set a floor. Maybe a division winner has to at least win 8 games. I'm not a passionate advocate of that, but it's a decent solution if people have a big problem with the occasional sub-.500 division champ.

Otherwise, mitts off.

 

[Millhouse]

I don't want to touch a thing when it comes to the NFL's divisional alignment and scheduling. It's wonderful.

I love the home-and-homes because it maintains rivalries. We had to deal with years of Jim Kelly, you have to deal with Brady. We each get to feast on the Jets.

I love that each division plays the entirety of 2 other divisions each year.

I love that the remaining 2 games on the schedule are intended to create competitive balance based on the previous season's standings.

There are 32 teams and yet no NFL team goes more than 4 years without playing every other NFL team. Unlike, say, the friggin' NCAA-imposed idiotic scheduling of the 14 team ACC.

If there is a tweak to be made it would be to set a floor. Maybe a division winner has to at least win 8 games. I'm not a passionate advocate of that, but it's a decent solution if people have a big problem with the occasional sub-.500 division champ.

Otherwise, mitts off.

I am hesitant to say this but maybe add 2 wildcard teams then

Other sports have 8 seeds that are totally hopeless and here's football with good teams left out because there are only 6 spots and lousy divisions.

 

[Scooch]

I am hesitant to say this but maybe add 2 wildcard teams then

Other sports have 8 seeds that are totally hopeless and here's football with good teams left out because there are only 6 spots and lousy divisions.

They are, right? Isn't it next year that each conference adds a third wild card and only the #1 seed gets a bye?

 

[KaiserUEO]

I am hesitant to say this but maybe add 2 wildcard teams then

Other sports have 8 seeds that are totally hopeless and here's football with good teams left out because there are only 6 spots and lousy divisions.

They are, right? Isn't it next year that each conference adds a third wild card and only the #1 seed gets a bye?

i believe so.

the struggle now is how to get SuperBowl Sunday moved to Presidents w/e. without going to 18 games, we could be looking at a double bye for 1 or 2 teams and a single for the other 2 division winners.

punching out 8 slots then.

 

[orange79]

I wouldn't change the divisions, or the scheduling. The only tweak I would make is a rule stating that a division winner must have at least a .500 record in order to host a Divisional round game. To me, it's hard to justify a 7-9 team hosting an 11-5 team in the first round.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

...we'd have an unusual 11 game season

 

[Scooch]

i believe so.

the struggle now is how to get SuperBowl Sunday moved to Presidents w/e. without going to 18 games, we could be looking at a double bye for 1 or 2 teams and a single for the other 2 division winners.

punching out 8 slots then.

I don't think it'd be that big of a challenge if the league wanted to do that. They'd need to cover, what, 2 weeks? Could start the season a week later and add one more in-season bye week for teams.

Having an extra bye might not even be such a bad idea, given the concerns about injuries.

 

[Eric15]

It really sucks that one of the following 9-4 teams is not going to make the playoffs: Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, and that the abysmal NFC South champ will be in.

 

[Alsacs]

Detroit is going to beat @Chi, Min, and @ GB is for the division they will be 11-5 at worst
Seattle has a tough schedule SF, @ARI, STL but they should win atleast 2 for 11-5.
Dallas may lose out, but the loser of this week's DAL-PHI game is likely the odd time out. Dallas has @PHI, INDY, @WAS

Philly has DAL, @WAS, @NYG they should win 2 of 3.

The AFC wildcard race is fun and unpredictable. The divisional races are done except the AFC North.

Honestly the NFC South I have no clue as Carolina could win that division at 7-8-1 or New Orleans could win it at 7-9.

 

[Eric15]

Fortunately, the NFC has sorted itself out. The deserving 11-4 teams (Arizona, Detroit, Dallas, Seattle, Green Bay) are all in. Yes, it's weird that an abysmal Carolina team will be hosting a playoff game, but it's not like the Eagles or Niners have anyone to blame but themselves for not playing better down the stretch.

 

[Guinness]

LMAO@eagle fans.

 

[donniesyracuse]

LMAO@eagle fans.

Finally some karma for signing a dog-murdering psychopath.

 

[Moontan]

Yes, it's weird that an abysmal Carolina team will be hosting a playoff game

Carolina won't be hosting a playoff game.

 

[CusefanATL]

Fortunately, the NFC has sorted itself out. The deserving 11-4 teams (Arizona, Detroit, Dallas, Seattle, Green Bay) are all in. Yes, it's weird that an abysmal Carolina team will be hosting a playoff game, but it's not like the Eagles or Niners have anyone to blame but themselves for not playing better down the stretch.

uhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Alsacs]

Atlanta is 5-0 against NFC South teams and 1-9 against non-NFC south teams and that 1 win is against Arizona who is likely to be their wild card opponent if the Falcons beat Carolina.

 

[Alsacs]

Peyton Manning in his last 4 games 3 TDs and 6 INTs and their offense has not looked great. I wonder what is up with him as Denver hasn't looked great.

New England struggled as they typically do against the Jets, but the AFC looks really weak beyond NE.

AFC playoff picture
1. New England-locked up HFA
2. Denver- they will beat Oakland at home
3. Pittsburgh-Cincinnati winner on SNF
4. Indianapolis
5. Pittsburgh-Cincinnati loser
6. San Diego/Baltimore/Houston

NFC playoff picture
1. Seattle- win at home against St.Louis and they get HFA
2. Green Bay-Detroit winner gets a bye.
3. Dallas
4. Atlanta-Carolina winner
5. Arizona unless Seattle loses
6. Green-Bay-Detroit loser.

NFC 1-3 teams look legit, AFC looks wide open.