The NFL’s playoff seeding system is flawed because division winners are ranked higher than non-division winners even if they have a worse record. A team that has a losing record (such as 7-9) could host a playoff game if they play in a bad division and win their division.
That kind of scenario could come into play in the NFC this year.
The Cowboys currently lead the NFC East with a 7-7 record. If the season ended today, Dallas would host the 49ers (11-3) in the first round of the playoffs. San Francisco would be punished for playing in a better division than Dallas. That shouldn’t happen.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio has an idea that would prevent that kind of scenario from happening in the future.
“Since the league went to 32 teams, which was when the Texans came in in 2002, my ideal suggestion — which has never been put forth in front of anybody important — I don’t think there should be divisions,” Fangio said on Dec. 11. “I think you’ve got 16 in each conference. Everybody should play each other once. That’s 15 games. Then if you want a 16th game, you play a natural rival from the other conference — Jets and Giants play every year, Eagles-Steelers, Texans-Cowboys, etc., play every year.
“Then keep it at 16 games, but you’ll avoid the problem that’s going to happen this year where probably an 8-8 team is hosting a 12-4 team. You’re going to get the six best teams in each conference. The divisions always float. There are some that are easy some years, some that have a bunch of good teams, that switches back and forth every couple years. I just think that’d be a good way to avoid it.”
The one drawback with Fangio’s plan would be the lack of non-conference games. If a team played a different non-conference opponent each season, it would take 16 years for an AFC team to play against every NFC team.
Would that be better than the current system? Fangio thinks so.
Fangio also isn’t a fan of the league’s proposed 18-game schedule. He suggested a reasonable substitution: two bye weeks.
“I just think 16 is more than enough,” Fangio said. “You can see some of these teams, us included to a degree, the injuries start to pile up. If they want an extra week of TV, give everybody two byes during the season.”
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