Wild Card Weekend game thread (non-Pats)

Euclis20

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Aug 3, 2004
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Staley calling that timeout changed everything. Weekend would have seen better games on the AFC side
I'm seeing this a lot, but I'm really not sure about it. Bills/Pats doesn't change, Chargers/Bengals likely wouldn't be any better than Raiders/Bengals, and I guess the Raiders put up a bigger fight than the Steelers, but honestly there's no reason to think that based on their first two losses to KC.
 

Mystic Merlin

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I'm seeing this a lot, but I'm really not sure about it. Bills/Pats doesn't change, Chargers/Bengals likely wouldn't be any better than Raiders/Bengals, and I guess the Raiders put up a bigger fight than the Steelers, but honestly there's no reason to think that based on their first two losses to KC.
The Pats would’ve played the Bengals, the Raiders the Chiefs and the Chargers the Bills.

Pats were 10-7, and the Chargers and Raiders would have been 9-7-1.
 

mr_smith02

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Nov 29, 2003
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This was a boring weekend of NFL playoff football overall. The NFL will never go with fewer playoff teams because of the money, but the quality of the games has suffered.
 

Helmet Head

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How would you do it? Just the division winners?

I liked 12. I do sort of like that only one team gets a bye now.
I liked the old 12 team format. Thought 6 teams from each conference was perfect. NFL is just so top heavy that you are going to have a lot of blowouts early on no matter what you do.

I do think we are eventually heading to a 16 team playoff with no byes. Not sure that is the right direction though.
 

BaseballJones

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Not totally sure why KC is giving that play away in this situation. Save it for when you might actually need it.
 

Awesome Fossum

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Back when it was a 16-game schedule, a not really serious idea I always thought would be fun is if you won 10 games, you made the playoffs. If you won 9, you didn't. So the size of the bracket could change conference to conference and year to year.
 

rymflaherty

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Whatever, maybe this is so ridiculous now it’s become fun…

Would be more fun if Johnson gets to 40 yards and finishes off a SGP….if he gets to 40 and Friermuth 25 that hits another….and even better.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Ugh... Yankees fans <eye roll>

But seriously I would prefer the 6 teams, 2 byes format back. But maybe I'm just nostalgic to the yesteryears.
I think the 16 game, 6-team playoff format was PERFECT.

In MLB, 10 of 30 teams make the playoffs (33.3%).
In the NBA, well, I don't know if they're going to continue to keep the system as is or how you count it, but 16 out of 30 teams make the playoffs (53.3%).
In the NHL, 16 of the 32 teams make the playoffs (50.0%).
In the NFL, it was 12 of 32 (37.5%). Now it's 14 of 32 (43.8%).

16 games also made for ideal schedules.
 

Senator Donut

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Bengals/Titans as the early Saturday game was the lock of the century. I have a hard time knowing that one of those two are in the AFC title game.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
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Bengals/Titans as the early Saturday game was the lock of the century. I have a hard time knowing that one of those two are in the AFC title game.
Why? Tennessee has been terrific this year, and they've had to deal with a ridiculous amount of injuries to boot. They're really good.
 

E5 Yaz

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Saturday: -
Bengals-Titans: 4:30 ET on CBS
- 49ers-Packers: 8:15 ET on FOX

Sunday
- ARZ/LAR-Bucs: 3:00 ET on NBC
- Bills-Chiefs 6:30 ET on CBS