Was the old playoff format better?

[T.E.]

Virtually every Goodell change has made the game worse. The Monday Night wild card game is another atrocity.

[Drew21PA]

1 hour ago, RiotAct said:

hilarious that we get the #2 seed on the regular right after they change the format.

Totally Billsy 

[Xwnyer]

1 hour ago, Nklaiste1 said:

When we played KC we were banged up and they had a 2 day rest advantage. If we had played under the old format (6 teams), we would've gotten a BYE and had a big rest advantage. 

 

So my question is which format do you think is better? The 6 team or 7 team? 

 

I personally like the 6 team format better because I feel 2 teams from each conference should get a bye.

 

 

 

 

I hate the 7 team format prefer a 4 team and each team gets a week off

[sven233]

More games = More money

 

It's that simple. I think there is a better chance they go to more Playoff teams with multiple byes than back to 6 with 2 byes. They will look to squeeze every penny out of the season that they can. Adding more Playoff teams increases interest in more cities and in turn generates more money. 

 

Not saying I want anything like that, but any way the NFL can add more revenue, you can bet it's being discussed. 

[BuffaloBillies]

Prefer going back to 6 over 7, but 8 is too many. Could have an entire division in. AFC North almost did it this year with 7.

[Gunsgoodtime]

2 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

If you survive a 17 game schedule with the best record in the conference don't you deserve an unfair advantage? 

 

They get that, but it's too uneven.  Was better with 2 seeds getting rewarded

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

12 hours ago, RiotAct said:

hilarious that we get the #2 seed on the regular right after they change the format.

It's fixed, I tells ya! 🤨

[GunnerBill]

I was against the 7 team playoffs when they introduced it. I'm actually in favour of it now. While I agree it has generally meant the wildcard games have been a bit more predictable I like the idea that winning your conference means something, the same way winning your division does, and it has definitely reduced the number of pointless games the final couple of weeks of the regular season. 

 

If you gave me free reign both on 17 games and 7 team playoffs I'd reverse the former but retain the latter. 

[djp14150]

12 hours ago, ngbills said:

I agree. The old 6 format or go to 8 (no byes or byes for top 4 (div winners all get byes). Do not like the 1 team getting a bye. Its a long season the difference between the 1 seed in many cases is just luck in what teams you played, etc. 

if div winners get byes you are suggesting 12 teams get in the playoffs.  5-12, 6-11, 7-10, 8-9 play in first round.

 

you could do a 

 

5-8 and 6-7

winners play 3 and 4

winners play 1 and 2

 

if you go to 4 divisions…top 3 get byes, 4 v 5 cross over div play then you have quarter finals. In current div format this is 4 div winners and top 2 WCs get byes then 7-10, 8-9 are the wild cards.

 

top 3 in conf gets byes then  4-13 do a wildcard leading to quarterfinals

 

[Alphadawg7]

I like 7 teams getting in, but I don't like only the 1 seed gets a bye which I feel is too strong an advantage for a single team, especially if the 2 and 1 are on path to play in the AFCCG in terms of how the bracket flows.  When you consider many times the 1 and 2 seedings are separated by tie breakers, it is kind of a crazy advantage for one team who won the same amount of games to have.  

 

So to be honest I am torn...and I do think a bye should happen for the top seed or seeds, so I don't like 8 teams where no one gets a bye.  So its either 6 or 7...so I would probably lean going back to 6 even though I do think 7 teams is more fun.  

[Billsfanatic8989]

I hate the Monday Night Games. Playoffs on a Monday seem abnormal. 

 

I preferred the 6 seeds in each conference. The 7 seed is usually mediocre and gets beat pretty bad. It's watered down.

 

Lastly, the season feels top long. 23 weeks between the start of the season and SB? If they add more games, the SB will eventually be in March. 

 

Too long. 

 

 

[PaoloBillsFanFromItaly]

12 teams formula was way better

[Bagwell358]

6 teams better and I think byes for top two were fair. Home field advantage and the bye does favor the top seed greatly. 
 

When the league went to 4 divisions per conference it did make securing a wild card more challenging and was part of the reason it took us so long to get into post season. Funny how we never have clinched with wild card since they changed format.
 

3 division winners and 3 wild cards made sense in the 90s. 
 

I think what we have now is as good as it can be with division and conference structure

[Mr. WEO]

same loss to the Chiefs

[BillsMontreal]

Money talk and they will not change their mind.

 

We're not far to have 18 games in a season.

They will find a way to have more playoffs game.

 

I know it doesnt make sens...but we talk about a lot of money. I mean, a lot!

[BeastMaster]

The best you could hope for is that they go to 8 teams per conference for the playoffs with a bye for the 1 and 2 seed.

 

It feels too easy a path for me being a 1 seed that plays one game to be in the title game , while the opponent goes through a gauntlet. Give the two the same thing so that if it lines up the top two from the regular season advance to face each other in the title game, it's more even. 

 

The one seed enjoys too much of an advantage IMO

[BillsFanSD]

The old format with 6 teams was better.  Teams like the 2023 Steelers shouldn't be in the playoffs, and the regular season is more enjoyable when the stakes of each game are higher.  

 

Obviously the NFL would add an 8th team before it switched back to the old format, and I would also prefer that over the current awkward system.

[RyanC883]

14 hours ago, ngbills said:

I agree. The old 6 format or go to 8 (no byes or byes for top 4 (div winners all get byes). Do not like the 1 team getting a bye. Its a long season the difference between the 1 seed in many cases is just luck in what teams you played, etc. 

 

like the idea of top 4 getting a bye

[ScotSHO]

I like 6 teams per conference.  This was the first year a 7 seed made some noise.  Although that could just have been the fraudulent cowpokes.

Edited January 24 by ScotSHO

[TheWei44]

Having an odd number of regular season games (17) and an odd number of playoff teams per conference is just strange (even putting aside all the other good reasons to have e.g. 16 games per season and 6 playoff teams with 2 getting byes).  What other major sports league plays an odd number of games?!  I guess the other three main leagues play so many more games, and so it's much easier to have an even number.  But still, I find 17 games per season just really strange.  It had always been an even number!