Modification Proposals
The 2002 changes have led to two limitations in the playoff system: First, several division champions have hosted and defeated wild card teams that had better win-loss records. Second, there have been division champions that have had worse records than teams failing to qualify for the playoffs. There are two notable examples:
- In the 2008-2009 playoffs, the San Diego Chargers clinched the AFC West championship with only an 8–8 record, and hosted the 12–4 Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round, while the New England Patriots failed to even secure a wild card spot at 11–5. The Chargers then went on to defeat the Colts in that playoff game.
- In the 2010-2011 playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West championship with a 7–9 record, hosting and defeating the 11–5 New Orleans Saints. Failing to make the playoffs were the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both with 10–6 records. The 2010 Seahawks were the first team in NFL history to win both a division championship and a playoff game with a losing regular season record.
As a result, frequent calls have been made to modify the playoff format even further. One proposal has been to expand the playoffs to 14 teams. Proponents of expansion note the increased revenue that could be gained from an additional two playoff games. They also note that the 12-team playoff system was implemented when the league only had 28 teams and six divisions (of 4 to 5 teams each). The opposition to such a move notes that an expansion of the playoffs would "water down" the field by giving access to lower-caliber teams. Opponents to expansion further point to the NBA Playoffs and the NHL playoffs where 16 of 30 teams qualify for the post season, and there is often a decreased emphasis on regular season performance as a result.
After the 2007 playoffs saw two wild card teams with better records (Jacksonville Jaguars and eventual Super Bowl XLII champions New York Giants) go on the road to defeat division winners (Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively) during Wild Card Weekend, the NFL explored another proposal to change the playoffs so that the team with the better record would host the game, even if that meant a division winner went on the road. The NFL's Competition Committee withdrew the request later that offseason, with Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay mentioning that they wanted the idea to simply get a discussion going. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was a strong opponent of the rule change, believing that "if you win a division, it's good for your fans to know you will have a home game."
Just before the 2010-11 Seahawks-Saints playoff game, McKay wanted to revisit the previous proposal to reseed teams during Wild Card Weekend. However, sportswriter Peter King wrote that he believed league owners were still hesitant on implementing any such changes at this time due to the then-pending 2011 work stoppage, the proposals to extend the regular season from 16 to 18 games and how it will impact the postseason, and the simple fact that not enough teams have been seriously "jobbed" by the current format.
| Season | Wild Card team | Regular season record | Division winner | Regular season record | Score | Final postseason result of division winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Indianapolis Colts | 10–6 | New York Jets | 9–7 | Jets, 41–0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs vs Oakland Raiders 30–10 |
| 2003–04 | none | |||||
| 2004–05 | none | |||||
| 2005–06 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 12–4 | New England Patriots | 10–6 | Patriots, 28–3 | Lost Divisional Playoffs vs Denver Broncos 27–13 |
| 2006–07 | none | |||||
| 2007–08 | none | |||||
| 2008–09 | Indianapolis Colts | 12–4 | San Diego Chargers | 8–8* | Chargers, 23–17 (OT) | Lost Divisional Playoffs vs Pittsburgh Steelers 24–35 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 11–5 | Arizona Cardinals | 9–7 | Cardinals, 30–24 | Won Divisional Playoffs vs Carolina Panthers 33–13 Won Conference Championship vs Philadelphia Eagles 32–25 Lost Super Bowl XLIII vs Pittsburgh Steelers 27–23 |
|
| 2009–10 | Green Bay Packers | 11–5 | Arizona Cardinals | 10–6 | Cardinals, 51–45 (OT) | Lost Divisional Playoffs vs New Orleans Saints 45–14 |
| 2010–11 | New Orleans Saints | 11–5 | Seattle Seahawks | 7–9* | Seahawks, 41–36 | Lost Divisional Playoffs vs Chicago Bears 35–24 |
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 12–4 | Denver Broncos | 8–8* | Broncos, 29–23 (OT) | Lost Divisional Playoffs vs New England Patriots 45–10 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 10–6 | New York Giants | 9–7 | Giants, 24–2 | Won Divisional Playoffs vs Green Bay Packers 37–20 Won Conference Championship vs San Francisco 49ers 20–17 Won Super Bowl XLVI vs. New England Patriots 21–17 |
|
| * – .500 or losing record |
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Read more about this topic: National Football League Playoffs
Famous quotes containing the word proposals:
“One theme links together these new proposals for family policy—the idea that the family is exceedingly durable. Changes in structure and function and individual roles are not to be confused with the collapse of the family. Families remain more important in the lives of children than other institutions. Family ties are stronger and more vital than many of us imagine in the perennial atmosphere of crisis surrounding the subject.”
—Joseph Featherstone (20th century)