2022 NFL Season Thread

[Mathgod]

Here's what I would do

- Resume the Bills Bengals game on Sunday
- Cancel the Bills/Pats game and the Bengals/Ravens game
- Scrap the first round bye for this year
- Expand the playoffs to 8 teams per conference for this year (1vs8, 2vs7, etc)
- AFC Championship game played at neutral site
- Ensure the Pats a playoff spot since they were denied a chance to play their way in

Far from perfect but maybe the closest thing to fair that can be done.

[Senator Clay Davis]

If they temporarily expanded the playoffs, it would be permanent by...next year. We know it wouldn't go back down after, and we've already seen enough to know expanding to 7 has done nothing but make the first weekend worse. I've already said it, but contract it down to 6 in the AFC only. No one cares if the Patriots/Dolphins/Steelers are the team that loses by multiple scores in the WC round to the #2 seed. Then have Bengals/Bills this weekend, Ravens/Patriots scrimmage for a comp pick, and be done with it.

[Mathgod]

^ but then you still have the problem of multiple teams were in the running for the first round bye, so how do you settle that if you don't get rid of the bye this year?

The format used to be 6 teams per conference, but they kept running into situations where 10-6 teams kept missing the playoffs so they expanded it to 7. I don't think it's going back to 6, unless they make some kind of rule that there's only a 3rd wild card team if the team in that spot has a winning record.

[Senator Clay Davis]

There's never gonna be a good solution here. But adding a team might be the worst solution of all, then you're punishing the Chiefs, Bengals, and Bills, and rewarding a completely mediocre team. And opening the eight team playoff box would suck. We all know it will happen eventually, but adding team seven has been terrible and made wild card weekend more boring, so let us hold off on eight as long as possible.

[ResAlien]

https://apnews.com/article/kansas-ci...25b19eb48f3233

Sounds like they’re not gonna replay the game and won’t go with the more ridiculous scenarios. Probably winning percentage determines seeding and everyone goes on their way. A decision is expected tomorrow

This is nuts to me

Adding an eighth playoff team to the field in both conferences and giving the top two teams a first-round bye is perhaps the most intriguing among the many possibilities

[Mathgod]

Well if you're that opposed to mediocre teams being in the playoffs, you should be against the idea of division winners being guaranteed a playoff spot. Every year it seems like there is one bad division winner per conference that takes up space in the playoffs and never wins anything against good teams.

As for this year, I still don't understand how they're going to determine who gets a bye and who doesn't.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I'm all for division winners not being guaranteed a home game, that the Bucs could be under .500 and host a 13-4 team is ridiculous. But division winners should still make the playoffs. And if they go with what Res posted then the Chiefs would get the #1 seed if they win, as 14-3 > 13-3.

[calgarygeologist]

I think the only way of improving the playoff situation in the future is going from 4 divisions to 2 and giving the division winners a bye and either going with a 6 or 8 team format. This way you eliminate garbage teams winning in a crappy division from the playoffs.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I'm all for division winners not being guaranteed a home game, that the Bucs could be under .500 and host a 13-4 team is ridiculous. But division winners should still make the playoffs.

Ok, but that doesn't exactly jive with what you were saying earlier.

And if they go with what Res posted then the Chiefs would get the #1 seed if they win, as 14-3 > 13-3.

And therefore deny Buffalo and Cinci a chance to play for the bye. Very unfair if you ask me.

[tvp2003]

Just do a coin flip, Friday Night Lights style.

And make sure you do it in an undisclosed location with only a local TV camera on hand.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

Ok, but that doesn't exactly jive with what you were saying earlier.



And therefore deny Buffalo and Cinci a chance to play for the bye. Very unfair if you ask me.

Until you eliminate divisions division winners should be rewarded, even if it's a crappy division. It still is winning something. Wild card teams won nothing. Crappy division winners just don't deserve the advantage of a home game. Which helps, obviously, since we've seen two of the last three sub .500 division winners actually win a playoff game. But adding the #7 seed hasn't done anything, only the Colts stayed within two TDs in their loss. Every other game has been a boring, one sided game, and sneaking in Trubisky, Ben's corpse and an Eagles team last year who couldn't pass the ball made for dreadful games.

If you choose to placate Buffalo and Cincinnati by totally changing the schedule for weeks to have them play, more teams than them will be facing unfair situations. Again, no perfect situation here. If it's not voiding the game then flip a coin, that is currently a real NFL tiebreaker, so go with that. It was probably a 50/50 game anyway, although with the knowledge of the first 10 minutes it was maybe a 60/40 Bengals game. But every scenario leaves someone screwed. Voiding screws the fewest people.

Six teams per conference was perfect. The NFL did not need to deviate from that. But gambling, TV deals, bigger salary caps and player money etc...Was always gonna happen. It's gonna be terrible when they go to eight, and eventually 10. But money wins, always. So we'll have to deal with an even more watered down playoffs. But lets wait as long as possible.

[Jason14h]

Honestly they should just simulate 1000 Madden games from the exact point it was suspended as suggested earlier. Who complains/Isn't it the 'fairest' representation of what would happen?

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Honestly they should just simulate 1000 Madden games from the exact point it was suspended as suggested earlier. Who complains/Isn't it the 'fairest' representation of what would happen?

That's a much better idea than flipping a coin.

Until you eliminate divisions division winners should be rewarded, even if it's a crappy division. It still is winning something. Wild card teams won nothing. Crappy division winners just don't deserve the advantage of a home game. Which helps, obviously, since we've seen two of the last three sub .500 division winners actually win a playoff game. But adding the #7 seed hasn't done anything, only the Colts stayed within two TDs in their loss. Every other game has been a boring, one sided game, and sneaking in Trubisky, Ben's corpse and an Eagles team last year who couldn't pass the ball made for dreadful games.

If you choose to placate Buffalo and Cincinnati by totally changing the schedule for weeks to have them play, more teams than them will be facing unfair situations. Again, no perfect situation here. If it's not voiding the game then flip a coin, that is currently a real NFL tiebreaker, so go with that. It was probably a 50/50 game anyway, although with the knowledge of the first 10 minutes it was maybe a 60/40 Bengals game. But every scenario leaves someone screwed. Voiding screws the fewest people.

Six teams per conference was perfect. The NFL did not need to deviate from that. But gambling, TV deals, bigger salary caps and player money etc...Was always gonna happen. It's gonna be terrible when they go to eight, and eventually 10. But money wins, always. So we'll have to deal with an even more watered down playoffs. But lets wait as long as possible.

Looking back several years, looks like I was wrong about how common .500 or worse division winners happen. Maybe it's because it makes such headlines when it does happen, making it seem like it happens more often than it actually does. Still though, without home field they probably lose all three of those games, and maybe by multiple scores, creating situations similar to the wild card ones you were mentioning.

The case for shrinking the playoffs makes sense, but you hate to see teams with 10 or maybe even 11 wins missing out, simply because in some years one conference is stacked while the other is thin.

[rubecube]

Another organization that would be a much more well-renowned dumpster fire if it weren't for Commanders, Browns, and Texans.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1610639503059820544

[Cecil Terwilliger]

It’ll be interesting to see how this event affects the emergency scenario planning in the nfl going forward. I imagine the wont want this to happen again without something more concrete in place.

[tvp2003]

Damar Hamlin jerseys are the most sought-after at the sports apparel store, Fanatics, since the Buffalo Bills safety's horrific on-field incident Monday in Cincinnati.

“Damar still has the most-purchased jersey among all athletes across all sports on Fanatics since Monday night,” a spokesperson for Fanatics tells CNN.

The company will donate all proceeds from jersey sales to Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, according to Fanatics co-chair Michael Rubin. In a tweet on Tuesday, he said "fans are showing an incredible outpouring of love and support for Damar Hamlin in buying his jersey."

Thought this was cool.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Well here is the final decision:

[Mathgod]

Not a bad way to settle it. Solution makes sense. My only question is does this clinch the division for Cinci, regardless of who wins next week's game? Or does the coin toss determine the division winner in addition to home field in a head-to-head playoff game?

[Sylvanfan]

I think Cincinnati clinches the North and the 3 seed even if they lose. But the coin toss would only determine where the game is played if the Ravens end up as the 6th seed. I'd Cincinnati win this game than no issues.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Only if the Bengals lose to the Ravens, which seems unlikely given the Ravens QB woes. But that it's even possible an NFL playoff game could have home field determined by a coin toss seemed impossible a week ago, so...