8-8 team in the playoffs

[SidSmythe]

It's sad an 8-8 team made the playoffs.

I would love to see a rule change to:
You must win your division and have a winning record to make the playoffs.

As much as I can't stand Phillip Rivers, the Chargers are actually a good team and the Broncos would have been an embarrassment. Would have been a practice game for INDY.

[Iron Shiek]

It's sad an 8-8 team made the playoffs.

I would love to see a rule change to:
You must win your division and have a winning record to make the playoffs.

As much as I can't stand Phillip Rivers, the Chargers are actually a good team and the Broncos would have been an embarrassment. Would have been a practice game for INDY.

Everyone keeps talking about ravens or whoever as teams they don't want to face. However people better watch out for the chargers. They are putting things together finally. And while we beat them, it wasn't necessarily a decisive victory. I think they play Indy tough, but I'm not sure who I would pick to win that game.

[frankthetank1]

It's sad an 8-8 team made the playoffs.

I would love to see a rule change to:
You must win your division and have a winning record to make the playoffs.

As much as I can't stand Phillip Rivers, the Chargers are actually a good team and the Broncos would have been an embarrassment. Would have been a practice game for INDY.

Everyone keeps talking about ravens or whoever as teams they don't want to face. However people better watch out for the chargers. They are putting things together finally. And while we beat them, it wasn't necessarily a decisive victory. I think they play Indy tough, but I'm not sure who I would pick to win that game.

i was thinking last night that i would not want the steelers to play the chargers. their defense has gotten better with rivera as their dc and they are playing well. rivers is having a huge year and they are a good team in the post season

[Chachi]

It's sad an 8-8 team made the playoffs.

I would love to see a rule change to:
You must win your division and have a winning record to make the playoffs.

As much as I can't stand Phillip Rivers, the Chargers are actually a good team and the Broncos would have been an embarrassment. Would have been a practice game for INDY.

How would you handle seeding then?

You have an 8-8 division winner, blocked from playoffs because of your rule change, this lets in a "wild card" 9-7 team giving you 3 WC teams (12-4, 10-6, 9-7).

Does the 12-4 team become the 4th "division winner" and get a home game? I would assume yes in your scenario.

But, let's say the records of the 3 remaining division winners are 13-3, 11-5, 10-6. Is the 11-5 division winner the #2 seed, and get a bye, or is the 12-4 WC, but new "division winner", the #2 seed? Would a division title mean something for seeding purposes but not in qualifying for the playoffs in the first place?

I think getting into the playoffs is a much more important ideal than what seed you get once there. After all, what seed you are don't mean squat if you don't even qualify for the playoffs.

In my hypothetical above, using your rule, I don't see how a division title means something in regards to the less important seeding qualification yet not in the more important playoff qualification. So using your rule change I would have to give the #2 seed to the WildCard 12-4 team over the division winner. But, if so is the case, why have divisions at all?

Division titles should have meaning, and your proposed rule change, IMO, would take that away.

[Ghost]

With competent refereeing, the Chargers would have had a winning record this season.

And I don't see there ever being a time when the Divisional winner, regardless of record, doesn't go to the playoffs. The Divisions ebb and flow with talent and this year it just happens that a .500 record was good enough.

[papillon]

For a while I was thinking that the top 6 teams based on record, etc should be in the playoffs, but, after further review, winning your division should get you a playoff spot and a home game.

Pappy

[feltdizz]

It's sad an 8-8 team made the playoffs.

I would love to see a rule change to:
You must win your division and have a winning record to make the playoffs.

As much as I can't stand Phillip Rivers, the Chargers are actually a good team and the Broncos would have been an embarrassment. Would have been a practice game for INDY.

I don't think you should miss the playoffs as an 8-8 division winner but you damn sure shouldn't host a playoff game against a 12-4 or 11-5 team.

The rules should be changed to:
a division winner should host a playoff game... however if the wild card opponent has 2 more wins then the division winner then the WC team should host the playoff game.

There is no reason a division winner at 8-8 should host a game against a 12-4 or 11-5 team. now if it's 8-8 hosting a 9-7 team.. or 10-6 hosting 11-5 then Ok.. I can deal with that but 11-5 on the road against an 8-8? C'mon....

[feltdizz]

For a while I was thinking that the top 6 teams based on record, etc should be in the playoffs, but, after further review, winning your division should get you a playoff spot and a home game.

Pappy

I disagree... as a just posted. Winning a division should get you a playoff spot... and 9 times out of ten it should get a home game... but when the WC is 11-5 and you are 8-8... I think the 11-5 team should get the home game.

[RuthlessBurgher]

For a while I was thinking that the top 6 teams based on record, etc should be in the playoffs, but, after further review, winning your division should get you a playoff spot and a home game.

Pappy

I disagree... as a just posted. Winning a division should get you a playoff spot... and 9 times out of ten it should get a home game... but when the WC is 11-5 and you are 8-8... I think the 11-5 team should get the home game.

In this case, at least 2 out of the 4 games would be played in different locations this coming weekend. The wildcard Falcons (11-5) have a better record than the division champ Cards (9-7) and the wildcard Colts (12-4) have a better record than the division champ Bolts (8-8). The Dolphins and Ravens have the same total record, conference record, and division record (11-5, 8-4, 4-2) and I have no idea what their records are in games against common opponents or whatever the next tiebreaker would be (and I don't feel like looking it up...so there :P ). The only game that we are sure would remain in the same place if your suggestion were to pass would be the 9-6-1 Eagles at the 10-6 Vikings.

[TallyStiller]

Winning your division is, and should be, meaningful. It makes division games fiercer and promotes the rivalries that make the league what it is. If you want to host a playoff game, win your division. Just that simple.

[Discipline of Steel]

Winning your division is, and should be, meaningful. It makes division games fiercer and promotes the rivalries that make the league what it is. If you want to host a playoff game, win your division. Just that simple.

I vote with Tally on this issue.

[SidSmythe]

I'm not taking away from anyone winning their division.
BUT at least win it w. a winning record.

Lets say the Chargers didn't pull off that game against the Cheifs and ended up 7-9 and the Broncos win the division at 8-8. That team is a joke and so is that division. I wanna watch some good football come playoff time, not give INDY a practice game.

Fortunately for us, the Chargers are a very good 8-8 team