[Sylvanfan]

In terms of the schedule...what can really be done? It's pretty much perfect right now where Division teams see 14 common opponents. Fans see every other NFL team at least once every 4 years against their team and in their stadium every 8 years.

Essentially the difference between the Chiefs and Chargers was that the Chargers had to play New England and at Cincy, whereas the Chiefs played at Cleveland and Buffalo. So the Chiefs realistically ended up with what I'd say was one easier game and it proved enough for them to edge out the Chargers.

The NFL succeeds because fan interest in most markets remains fairly high. I don't think there is anything wrong with letting Chief fans see their team in the playoffs this year because they matched what the Chargers did in the 14 common games and posted a better record in the two non common games.

Unless you want to have a league where you go 16 years between seeing another team, or go to something insane like 24 games, you will always have schedule quirks. Some teams will end up with easier schedules than others in some years, but over 4 year terms IT BALANCES OUT.

Something that may fix the current issue would be to allow for one more Wild Card team in each Conference. With 3 Division winners and 3 wild card teams you'd have 3 games in each Conference the first week. Than the next week you have the same two you currently have. That way the top team in each conference gets a bye in round one, and than the other teams could be seeded based on record. That way the team with the best record in the Conference gets a bit of a reward. Right now say the Packers and Seahawks win next week. I don't think Atlanta as the #1 seed is getting much of a reward over Chicago even though they had the better record. Just like in the AFC the #2 seed likely gets to face Indy who has a weaker record than the Jets or Ravens.