Quote:I'll provide an example of something I'm concerned about even with a 7 team per conference playoff format.

 

Lets suppose that the Bengals are 11-4 and have clinched the AFC North Title.   With the Ravens and Steelers at 9-6 and scheduled to face each other on the final Sunday of the regular season.    With a 6 team playoff,  a realistic scenario could be the winner makes the playoffs and the loser is out of the playoffs.   With a 7 team playoff format,  both have already clinched a playoff spot in this scenario.    With the winner of the Jets-Dolphins game making the playoffs as the 7th seed.   Both teams enter the final Sunday with a 7-8 record.   Instead of having the meaningful game between two 9-6 teams,  the meaningful game now is between 7-8 teams.   The emphasis of an expanded playoff format is on the teams with lower win totals.    It decreases the quality of the product.

 

This is a very good point.  When the NFL began putting several divisional games in the last few games of the season for each team it created a situation where every year there are play-in games which are virtually playoff games and this was a brilliant idea that in retrospect should have been done a long time ago.  Adding the 7th playoff team per conference diminishes what was previously accomplished not that long ago with shifting those divisional games.

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