How the NFL can make the playoffs more exciting
In my opinion, the best playoff in all of sports is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's filled with everything including endless overtimes until a winner is crowned. If you also are a keen follower of the NHL, you'd notice that more than half of the teams make the playoffs, same with the NBA. Baseballl expanded their playoff system, well, I really wouldn't call it expanding...Anyways back to the point. The NFL needs to expand their playoff program, to me it's too boring and I feel like the higher ranked teams get no reward since the bye week has killed momentum leading to a first round exit following a first round bye.
While there are a few formats I have in mind, the one I think that will work the most is this one. Have 16 teams make it. Give away 4 division spots, and 4 spots to the runner up in each division. This will enable a 16 team playoff rather than a 12 team playoff. And it will feature more wildcard spots because the best non division winner and the worst non division winner will play (5-8) as well as the other two non division winners (6-7). The 1st seed will play the 4th seed and the 2nd will play the 3rd. That way, once the first week of the playoffs are over. It will go down from 16 teams, to 8 teams. The 4 teams remaining in each conference are reseeded and will play for the right to play in the conference championship game, then the Super Bowl.
While this may seem a tad confusing, let me explain. In this format, teams are seeded 1-8. 1-4 seeds belong to division winners and are handed out according to their record. Seeds 5-8 are given to second place ONLY in each division and are ranked the same way, on record. In the first week of the playoffs, instead of having 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 format like in the NHL and NBA. It will go 1-4, 2-3, 5-8, 6-7. Basically two separate playoffs, the division winners play in a different playoff bracket than the runner ups, until the next week when they were four teams left and they are combined into one. Once they are combined, they are regrouped and matched up according to seed. That will then bring it down to two teams per conference, then you'll have the Super Bowl.
This expansion gives more teams a chance in the playoffs and is more fairer than having a wildcard team at the 6th seed play a division winner at the 3rd seed right off the bat in week one of the playoffs. This format will truly prove who the best team is because in order to play a division winner, you must play a runner up, just like yourself. The only downside is that it adds one game to the journey, you'd play five instead of four. But with four more teams, it brings a more challenging, longer playoff fans will be sure to enjoy.
While there are a few formats I have in mind, the one I think that will work the most is this one. Have 16 teams make it. Give away 4 division spots, and 4 spots to the runner up in each division. This will enable a 16 team playoff rather than a 12 team playoff. And it will feature more wildcard spots because the best non division winner and the worst non division winner will play (5-8) as well as the other two non division winners (6-7). The 1st seed will play the 4th seed and the 2nd will play the 3rd. That way, once the first week of the playoffs are over. It will go down from 16 teams, to 8 teams. The 4 teams remaining in each conference are reseeded and will play for the right to play in the conference championship game, then the Super Bowl.
While this may seem a tad confusing, let me explain. In this format, teams are seeded 1-8. 1-4 seeds belong to division winners and are handed out according to their record. Seeds 5-8 are given to second place ONLY in each division and are ranked the same way, on record. In the first week of the playoffs, instead of having 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 format like in the NHL and NBA. It will go 1-4, 2-3, 5-8, 6-7. Basically two separate playoffs, the division winners play in a different playoff bracket than the runner ups, until the next week when they were four teams left and they are combined into one. Once they are combined, they are regrouped and matched up according to seed. That will then bring it down to two teams per conference, then you'll have the Super Bowl.
This expansion gives more teams a chance in the playoffs and is more fairer than having a wildcard team at the 6th seed play a division winner at the 3rd seed right off the bat in week one of the playoffs. This format will truly prove who the best team is because in order to play a division winner, you must play a runner up, just like yourself. The only downside is that it adds one game to the journey, you'd play five instead of four. But with four more teams, it brings a more challenging, longer playoff fans will be sure to enjoy.
