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Originally Posted by 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.
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I will say while the AFC west really benefited from playing the NFC west the Chiefs had an unbelievably easy schedule. The Chiefs got the Browns on the road from the AFC North while the Raiders had to play in Pittsburgh. They got the Bills from the AFC East and the Raiders got the Dolphins (midseason when they were still competitive). They also got to play the Titans with their back up (Collins) while the Raiders had to deal with Young (like him or not the Titans win with Young as QB) and they played Jacksonville when the Jags had to start Bouman a guy they literally had to bring in off the street a week before the game while the Raiders had to face Garrard.
I'm not saying the Raiders got robbed because they didn't take care of business against teams like the 49ers and Cardinals but the Chiefs faced only one team with a winning record all year outside the Chargers. It was a gift schedule and I give them credit for taking advantage of it but they will be in really tough next year especially with the loss of Charlie Weis who is a great co-ordinator.