The NFL Playoffs Format Needs To Change

It’s time to change the NFL Playoffs format. There are things that just don’t make sense and result in clear advantages or disadvantages depending on the team. The one I’ve been screaming the most is how many teams get in the playoffs, and how it affects the entire playoffs. At the moment, 12 teams get in the playoffs, 6 from each conference. However, 4 teams, 2 from each conference, get a bye week so there are 4 games on wild card weekend. Do people not know how valuable a bye week is? And you have that in the PLAYOFFS?! 

Since 1990, when the 12 team playoff format was introduced, 1 or 2 seeds have reached the super bowl 42 times out of 54. That’s 78%. Sure, it could be that just best teams go to the Super Bowl, you know, 78% of the time, in a game where they say “Any given Sunday.” Are you buying that? Cause I’m not. But really, let’s think, a team coming off the bye in the regular season, don’t they have more time to gameplan, rest, and heal their injured players? In football, that bye week is something players look forward to. By having it in the NFL playoffs, it adds a clear advantage to the 1 and 2 seeds.

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“But Chick, they ARE the 1 and 2 seed, they deserve it.” Ah right, they deserve the bye week, despite already being one of the best teams in the league, having home-field advantage, they need that extra week. I know this sounds like some typical Millennial complaining but really it only makes sense.

Moneywise, why isn’t the NFL doing this? By eliminating the bye week, and adding two teams so everyone plays one team, you’ve doubled the number of games in the opening week of the NFL Playoffs. More games = more money. With no bye week, even an 8th seed could beat a 1 seed. This could make it that ANYONE makes the Super Bowl, and wins. This is my idea of what they should do. People love upsets, there’s no doubt about that. But right now the NFL Playoffs are broken. As it stands right now, the Patriots and the Ravens are the 1 and 2 seeds and favorites to win the Super Bowl in the AFC, while the 49ers and the Saints are the top seeds in the NFC. I’m willing to put money that these teams are the ones that will go to the Super Bowl. Sure, they’re the best teams in the league, but you have to think that bye week helps them so much.

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Seeding Change

There’s one more thing that I would change to the current NFL Playoff format. Right now, if you win the division you are a top 4 seed. I don’t like that, because right now the Bills are going to be the 5th seed, despite the fact they have a better record than the 3rd and 4th seed. It doesn’t make much sense and puts too much pressure to win the division. However, I think winning the division is important, I mean it is 6 games out of your team’s schedule every year. If you win your division, you get a playoff berth, from there, your record determines your seeding. In this case, the Bills would be the 3rd seed and the rest of the seeds would be determined.

I will always be disgruntled with how the current NFL Playoffs format, it adds a clear disadvantage to seeds 3-6 with the bye week for the 1 and 2 seeds. I care less about how the seeds are decided than the bye week. Make the NFL Playoffs 8 teams with no bye week and watch the chaos ensue. That’s what football is all about.

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