Division Races
Starting in 1970, and until 2002, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. The winners of each division, and a fourth "wild card" team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents records, and conference play.
The New York Giants lost their last regular-season game. Had they won that game, they would have tied for first place in the NFC East division and taken the division championship on a tie-breaker; then, the tie-breakers would have led to a coin toss between Dallas and Detroit for the NFC wild card. Because of this close call regarding possible use of coin toss, future tie-breakers would be expanded to have more competitive aspects.
National Football Conference
| Week | Eastern | Central | Western | Wild Card | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DALLAS | 1–0–0 | 3 teams | 1–0–0 | 3 teams | 1–0–0 | 4 teams | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | DALLAS | 2–0–0 | 3 teams | 2–0–0 | 2 teams | 2–0–0 | 3 teams | 2–0–0 |
| 3 | ST. LOUIS* | 2–1–0 | DETROIT | 3–0–0 | LOS ANGELES | 3–0–0 | 6 teams | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | ST. LOUIS* | 3–1–0 | DETROIT* | 3–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO* | 3–1–0 | 4 teams | 3–1–0 |
| 5 | ST. LOUIS | 4–1–0 | DETROIT* | 4–1–0 | LOS ANGELES | 4–1–0 | MINNESOTA | 4–1–0 |
| 6 | ST. LOUIS* | 4–2–0 | DETROIT* | 5–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 4–1–1 | MINNESOTA | 5–1–0 |
| 7 | ST. LOUIS* | 5–2–0 | MINNESOTA | 6–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 5–1–1 | 3 teams | 5–2–0 |
| 8 | ST. LOUIS | 6–2–0 | MINNESOTA | 7–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 6–1–1 | LOS ANGELES | 5–2–1 |
| 9 | ST. LOUIS | 7–2–0 | MINNESOTA | 8–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 7–1–1 | N.Y. GIANTS | 6–3–0 |
| 10 | ST. LOUIS | 7–2–1 | MINNESOTA | 9–1–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 7–2–1 | LOS ANGELES | 6–3–1 |
| 11 | ST. LOUIS | 8–2–1 | MINNESOTA | 9–2–0 | LOS ANGELES* | 7–3–1 | SAN FRANCISCO | 7–3–1 |
| 12 | ST. LOUIS | 8–3–1 | MINNESOTA | 10–2–0 | LOS ANGELES* | 8–3–1 | SAN FRANCISCO | 8–3–1 |
| 13 | N.Y. GIANTS* | 9–4–0 | MINNESOTA | 11–2–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 9–3–1 | DALLAS* | 9–4–0 |
| 14 | DALLAS | 10–4–0 | MINNESOTA | 12–2–0 | SAN FRANCISCO | 10–3–1 | DETROIT | 10–4–0 |
American Football Conference
| Week | Eastern | Central | Western | Wild Card | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 teams | 1–0–0 | 3 teams | 1–0–0 | DENVER | 1–0–0 | 3 teams | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | 4 teams | 1–1–0 | 3 teams | 1–1–0 | DENVER | 2–0–0 | 6 teams | 1–1–0 |
| 3 | BALTIMORE* | 2–1–0 | 2 teams | 2–1–0 | DENVER | 3–0–0 | 2 teams | 2–1–0 |
| 4 | BALTIMORE* | 3–1–0 | CLEVELAND | 3–1–0 | DENVER | 3–1–0 | MIAMI | 3–1–0 |
| 5 | BALTIMORE* | 4–1–0 | CLEVELAND | 3–2–0 | DENVER | 4–1–0 | MIAMI | 4–1–0 |
| 6 | BALTIMORE | 5–1–0 | CLEVELAND | 4–2–0 | DENVER | 4–2–0 | MIAMI | 4–2–0 |
| 7 | BALTIMORE | 6–1–0 | CLEVELAND | 4–3–0 | OAKLAND | 3–2–2 | DENVER | 4–3–0 |
| 8 | BALTIMORE | 7–1–0 | CLEVELAND* | 4–4–0 | OAKLAND | 4–2–2 | KANSAS CITY | 4–3–1 |
| 9 | BALTIMORE | 7–1–1 | CLEVELAND* | 4–5–0 | OAKLAND | 5–2–2 | KANSAS CITY | 5–3–1 |
| 10 | BALTIMORE | 7–2–1 | CLEVELAND | 5–5–0 | OAKLAND | 6–2–2 | KANSAS CITY | 5–3–2 |
| 11 | BALTIMORE | 8–2–1 | CLEVELAND* | 5–6–0 | OAKLAND* | 6–3–2 | KANSAS CITY | 6–3–2 |
| 12 | BALTIMORE | 9–2–1 | CLEVELAND* | 6–6–0 | OAKLAND* | 7–3–2 | KANSAS CITY | 7–3–2 |
| 13 | BALTIMORE | 10–2–1 | CINCINNATI | 7–6–0 | OAKLAND | 6–3–2 | MIAMI | 9–4–0 |
| 14 | BALTIMORE | 11–2–1 | CINCINNATI | 8–6–0 | OAKLAND | 8–4–2 | MIAMI | 10–4–0 |
Read more about this topic: 1970 NFL Season
Famous quotes containing the words division and/or races:
“God and the Devil are an effort after specialization and the division of labor.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“There are only two races on this planet—the intelligent and the stupid.”
—John Fowles (b. 1926)