It's Time For A Change

The first week of the NFL postseason is past now, and it was packed with enough excitement to last until training camp in August. And we're lucky - there's still 3 more weeks to go. But this time of year always brings me to thoughts of realignment; not for the divisions, but for the playoff structure.

I was disgusted by the fact that the New York Giants made the playoffs this season with a 8-8 record, when the Denver Broncos, at 9-7, missed the playoffs in the AFC. Now, I don't particularly like either of these teams, so this is not a case for my team to get in. The Bills were 7-9, and aren't ready yet. But this is an argument for parity in a league that thrives on it. Here is my proposal.

Eliminate the conference playoffs, and seed the best 12 teams in order for the postseason. I would keep the current schedule order and divisions so as not to cut out current division and conference rivalries, as well as keeping the division winner as a playoff team to keep the winning of the division title as an important goal. But I would eliminate the seeding preference those teams get, and rank purely on record. So, if this system were to exist now, here's how it would look this postseason:

1) San Diego (14-2)
2) Chicago (13-3)
3) Baltimore (13-3)
4) Indianapolis (12-4)
5) New England (12-4)
6) New Orleans (10-6)
7) Philadelphia (10-6)
8) New York Jets (10-6)
9) Kansas City (9-7)
10) Seattle (9-7)
11) Denver (9-7)
12) Dallas (9-7)

Note that all seedings are based on current NFL tiebreaking procedures. First of all, under this system, Denver makes the playoffs while the Giants stay home. Why? Simply because the Broncos have the better record, which should be the deciding factor rather than the circumstance of a team's conference. Also, with the top 4 teams having a bye, Indianapolis gets a bye instead of the Saints, which their two extra wins provides. So, the matchups:

Cowboys @ Patriots; Broncos @ Saints; Seahawks @ Eagles; Chiefs @ Jets.

The first two games are between teams that only play each other every 4 years, which creates a more interesting matchup as the teams only have film to prepare themselves. The other two games feature teams that didn't play this year, again no old game to fall back on. And isn't it fair that the 10-6 Jets host a playoff game while the 9-7 Seahawks have to go on the road? I think so.

The days of AFL-NFL separation are long over, and it's time for the playoff structure to follow suit. This method would reward teams for a better regular season record, and not punish them for being in a stronger conference, and, in the case of the Giants, reward them because they play in a weak one. It's time for a change.