Should the NFL Expand the playoffs to 8 teams and eliminate byes?

[plenzmd1]

17 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

I am aware. Anything over 50 percent is awful to me. Just my opinion, of course.

I agree, i would go back to the 6 if they could. Damn, even go back to my formative years and 3 division winners, 2 wild cards if i remember correctly. Back then, believe home field was pre determined and division winner could not play a wild card team from own division. I  think those were the rules

4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I’ve not seen much commentary on the fact that seventeen games means that half the teams play an additional home game and vice versa. With the betting line traditionally giving a three point bump to the home team, doesn’t this seem patently unfair from the jump? 

home field has been greatly diminished for some reason...many theories. Much better travel, headsets in the helmets,  better prep, better visiting locker rooms etc..but the 3 point for home bump i think is now closer to a point/point and a half . 

 

And in terms of fairness, at least all AFC teams had 9 away games this year. 

 

Just think about this, Bills are 9-3. Have played 4 games in Orchard Park

[Chaos]

The NFL has a weird series of compounding advantages.  For example head to head am for non-divisional opponents means that if two teams tie the home team in the h2h won, they can home field advantage again. That is not particularly fair.  

[djp14150]

17 hours ago, What a Tuel said:

 

No way do they give 1st and 2nd seeds two bye weeks. That also means 3 weeks of no football for the top seeds. 

 

 

That is the plan. It doesn't necessarily have to line up timewise.

 

other option…

 

have 12 teams in per conference. Division winners get bye. 2nd get playoff spot, best 4 from there.

 

week 1 set up a 3/4 at 2 games. Divisions who played in season dont face here. Since it was east v north. It’s east vs south and north vs west.

week 2 winners at division winners

week 3 conf semis

week 4 conf championships

week 5 super bowl

 

 

 

[purple haze]

On 12/7/2022 at 1:51 PM, Big Turk said:

I have been thinking about this recently.  

 

There is no other major league sport that gives the enormous advantage that the NFL does to it's #1 team in the conference. All of those teams have to play in the first round of the playoffs. NBA now even have play-in games to get into the playoffs...although I am not sure why simply having a better record doesn't qualify you. What's the point of all those games if you can be eliminated by a team with a worse record before the actual playoffs?? That doesn't make much sense, unless it's a money grab.

 

NHL has 8 teams, MLB has 6 teams. Nobody has any byes.  All of those sports play far more games than the NFL. Granted, the physical toll is different for NFL players, but still.

 

It used to be the top 2 teams that got a bye when there were 6 teams. Why when there could have been 3 normal playoff games, I am not sure of.  Now that they expanded to 7, obvious one team has to get a bye.  Expanding to 8 should eliminate the bye and the unfair advantage that it gives them.

 

No.  7 is already too many.  Half the league in the playoffs would be a joke.

[Thurman#1]

On 12/8/2022 at 6:51 AM, Big Turk said:

I have been thinking about this recently.  

 

There is no other major league sport that gives the enormous advantage that the NFL does to it's #1 team in the conference. All of those teams have to play in the first round of the playoffs. NBA now even have play-in games to get into the playoffs...although I am not sure why simply having a better record doesn't qualify you. What's the point of all those games if you can be eliminated by a team with a worse record before the actual playoffs?? That doesn't make much sense, unless it's a money grab.

 

NHL has 8 teams, MLB has 6 teams. Nobody has any byes.  All of those sports play far more games than the NFL. Granted, the physical toll is different for NFL players, but still.

 

It used to be the top 2 teams that got a bye when there were 6 teams. Why when there could have been 3 normal playoff games, I am not sure of.  Now that they expanded to 7, obvious one team has to get a bye.  Expanding to 8 should eliminate the bye and the unfair advantage that it gives them.

 

 

 

I hate the idea of expanding.

 

But I also hate that one team gets such a huge advantage.

 

Honestly, six in each conference was the way to go. But they've already left that behind for more money.

[WyoAZBillfan]

I agree that home field should be reason enough. Though 8/16 in play offs seems too much and like last year, we had some horrible play off teams/games. I did like #1-2 teams having bye weeks. 

[billsfan89]

I don’t think they should get rid of the bye at all you really need to make teams push for the best records beyond simply home field 

[WyoAZBillfan]

2 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

I don’t think they should get rid of the bye at all you really need to make teams push for the best records beyond simply home field 

They do, the right to continue fighting for a championship. Pretty good incentive too, plus extra money. 

[billsfan89]

32 minutes ago, WyoAZBillfan said:

They do, the right to continue fighting for a championship. Pretty good incentive too, plus extra money. 

 

Seeding become drastically less important without a bye. Once teams hit the back 3ish games of the season I think teams would be less competitive for top seeds if all seeding amounts to is home field. Whereas if you have to play one less round and get home-field that seeding is something you are going to go all out for. 

[WyoAZBillfan]

5 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

 

Seeding become drastically less important without a bye. Once teams hit the back 3ish games of the season I think teams would be less competitive for top seeds if all seeding amounts to is home field. Whereas if you have to play one less round and get home-field that seeding is something you are going to go all out for. 

Fair enough, fighting for a play off spot is motivation enough, winning at home is extra. To say a team is less competitive, well they shouldn’t worry cause they likely won’t go far anyways. 

[Doc Brown]

If it was up to me I'd git rid of divisions and just make it AFC vs. NFC.  Go back to 16 games and 6 playoff teams in each conference decided by overall record.  Top two seeds get the bye.  You play all 15 AFC teams (alternating sites each year).  Then one game where you play against the same team in the opposite conference each year (the Bills would've played @Cowboys (3 seed) this year.  Next year they would host whoever finishes as the #1 seed in the NFC (probably Philly).  Just make sure you have eight home games and away games.  Get rid of those stupid international games.  Will never happen but that would be my preferred method.  

[LeGOATski]

Depends on what happens this year:

 

1. If the Bills get the bye and then win, I say no.

2. If the Bills get the bye and then lose, I say yes.

3. If the Bills don't get the bye, I say yes.

4. If the Bills barely miss the playoffs as the 8 seed, I say yes.

 

I reserve the God-given right to change my mind next year.

[Locomark]

No. Bring back the 2 Bye system. 

[Talley56]

Not a fan, in fact, I'd rather them go back to 6 teams per conference.  You'll never be able to convince me that any of the 7 seeds we've had so far were playoff-worthy Yes, I'm saying that even though the Colts played us right down to the wire a couple years back as the 7 seed.  That was nothing more than an "any given Sunday".