NFL Football

[TheEagleXIII]

I have supported the New York Jets for the last 34 years. When Gridiron became popular in the UK we picked our teams. I picked the Jets.

Oof. Condolences But props for sticking it out - it took me a decade to settle on a team!

Pre-season, I liked the sound of the expanded playoffs and so far I still do. I’m totally against expanding it any further as long as there’s 32 teams.

The fact Washington got in with a losing record has nothing to do with the expansion - they would have made it under the old system. It was just an awful division.

The Bears on the other hand wouldn’t have previously made it with an 8-8. It’s just been a weak conference overall this year. I’m hoping the benefit of the expanded playoffs is it will make it slightly more difficult for the bad teams to get through. They’ll still have to go through the same number of games to reach the Super Bowl, but the wildcard teams that sneak in with losing or .500 records will now have to go through the top 2 seeds in just to make it to the conference finals.

[Robotrek]

Well, good revenge on the Titans today. King Henry didn't look much like a king today, did he?

[jon]

I think there was a chance the NFC East Division winner would’ve actually gone 6-10 if the Redskins lost the final regular season game, which is just unbelievable.

I think that shows that it was better in my opinion when divisions had 5 teams. I don’t think a losing team ever made the playoffs back then. If it meant no expansion to 32 teams does anyone really think it’s necessary for Jacksonville or Carolina to have a team. And the 2 first round byes is perfect.

[TheEagleXIII]

I think there was a chance the NFC East Division winner would’ve actually gone 6-10 if the Redskins lost the final regular season game, which is just unbelievable.

There was! When the Giants beat the Cowboys in week 17 they both went 6-10, and a Washington loss on SNF would have puthem at 6-10 too, but the Giants would have won on a tiebreak. What with all sport feeling kinda weird at the moment due to COVID, it woulda been the perfect time for something so ridiculous to happen! With the Eagles at 5-9 it would probably have gone down in history as not just the worst division ever, but surely also the closest.

I think that shows that it was better in my opinion when divisions had 5 teams.

4 teams per division makes sense with 32 teams, although I wasn't a huge fan when it was first changed. Something just felt missing - like when the NBA and NHL went to 5 team divisions. I do miss the old 5 team set-up, though, even though some divisions made no sense, like the Bucs being grouped with 4 northern cold weather teams.

[Herschie]

First Browns playoff win since Bill Belichick was their coach in 1994. And who'd they beat that time? The Patriots. Although I guess you can say that the Browns back then are technically today's Ravens.

Actually my dad took me to my first football game the week before when New England played the Bears at Soldier Field that Christmas Eve. New England won to get into the playoffs at 10-6, but the Bears still got in at 9-7.

[Teddybear]

I think that shows that it was better in my opinion when divisions had 5 teams.

4 teams per division makes sense with 32 teams, although I wasn't a huge fan when it was first changed. Something just felt missing - like when the NBA and NHL went to 5 team divisions. I do miss the old 5 team set-up, though, even though some divisions made no sense, like the Bucs being grouped with 4 northern cold weather teams.[/quote]

I too fondly recall how it used to be 3 divisions in each conference and how the highest seeded wild card team got a home playoff game in the first round - thank goodness for Tecmo Super Bowl that allows us re-live the 1991 NFL season over and over. Speaking of some strange team placements....the Falcons in the NFC West?

I do like the current divisions set-up as well. I get the controversy about a 7 win divisional winner automatically getting a home playoff game but they do play nearly 40% of their scheduled games against division foes - win your division and get a home playoff game seems fair to me (regardless of record)

[lynchie137]

I'm a dolphins fan, and yea they lost 59-10. I'd like to think they aren't as bad as they were yesterday, but maybe they are that bad. I will still cheer for them to win; I know some fans might cheer for them to lose to get a good draft pick. Maybe they will get better as the season goes on.

I just don't get that line of thinking. As you pointed out, the more a team loses, the better their odds are in getting a good draft pick and a potentially great player. But there's also no guarantee that said player will make that team who drafts him any better. Plus, cheering against one's team just seems so wrong to me..

[DialSforSam]

I think that shows that it was better in my opinion when divisions had 5 teams.

I too fondly recall how it used to be 3 divisions in each conference and how the highest seeded wild card team got a home playoff game in the first round - thank goodness for Tecmo Super Bowl that allows us re-live the 1991 NFL season over and over. Speaking of some strange team placements....the Falcons in the NFC West?

And then adding the Panthers to the NFC West as well. Made about as much sense as the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC East.

[TheEagleXIII]

Been a while since I’ve been on the edge of my seat during a game but this Bucs/Packers game...

This is why I love this sport so much. And not just cos I thought the Packers were out of it and we now have a chance again. But this game is just designed so perfectly to create so much drama that other sports just can’t replicate.

[Voor]

^^^^sure is exciting, but I think other sports are equally exciting during high-stakes games. Even baseball—I could care less about the regular season, but the World Series always has some drama and 1 or 2 edge of your seat games.

I’m still trying to understand why the Packers kicked that field goal when you’re down 8 with 2 minutes to go at the 8 yard line.....against Tom Brady. Like, what?