AFC Playoffs

[Ben63]

So the AFC playoffs are shaping up quite nicely, we have a pretty good idea about who is going to be where (other than the AFC East champ).

#1- Titans
#2- Steelers
#3- (AFC East Champ)
#4- (Chargers/Broncos)
#5- Colts
#6- Ravens

Ok, so number 6 is not set in stone, but it is a good possibility. I can't wait to see how the AFCE shakes out, but I am pulling for the Dolphins, would love to see the Patriots not make it. What is ridiculous is the Pats could go 11-5 and not make it, and the AFCW champ will be 9-7 or 8-8. I can't wait for the Jets/Dolphins game next Sunday, it will be a true playoff type battle.

I don't have the same excitement for the Broncos/Chargers game, but watch out for the Chargers to make a run if they get in. They have done so little with all of the talent they have, but are the type of team that could click at the right time and win a playoff game or two. I don't have that same feeling about the Broncos. Winner will get the Colts, who are on fire as of late.

This discussion will be much more interesting next week when the matchups are set, but I just thought I'd toss the topic around for now.

[Deslok]

So the AFC playoffs are shaping up quite nicely, we have a pretty good idea about who is going to be where (other than the AFC East champ).

#1- Titans
#2- Steelers
#3- (AFC East Champ)
#4- (Chargers/Broncos)
#5- Colts
#6- Ravens

Ok, so number 6 is not set in stone, but it is a good possibility. I can't wait to see how the AFCE shakes out, but I am pulling for the Dolphins, would love to see the Patriots not make it. What is ridiculous is the Pats could go 11-5 and not make it, and the AFCW champ will be 9-7 or 8-8. I can't wait for the Jets/Dolphins game next Sunday, it will be a true playoff type battle.

I don't have the same excitement for the Broncos/Chargers game, but watch out for the Chargers to make a run if they get in. They have done so little with all of the talent they have, but are the type of team that could click at the right time and win a playoff game or two. I don't have that same feeling about the Broncos. Winner will get the Colts, who are on fire as of late.

This discussion will be much more interesting next week when the matchups are set, but I just thought I'd toss the topic around for now.

That Colts-Chargers matchup in the wildcard weekend, should it happen, would be quite a doozy. That really is 2 teams that are talented enough to go all the way. Now, the Chargers do have to overcome their coaching, but they've got the talent. Of course, they should already have the division since they beat the Broncos earlier this season... except for the whole somehow calling it a forward pass deal.

And with Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Minnesota, Atlanta, the Giants, and Carolina all heading towards the playoffs, there's going to be some serious smash mouth football going on. No greatest show on turf type set ups. Should be fun.

[Ben63]

So the Dolphins are in, as are the Ravens. Only one spot left. That will be claimed by either San Diego or Denver tonight.

1. Titans
2. Steelers
3. Dolphins
4. Chargers/Broncos
5. Colts
6. Ravens

The fact that New England went 11-5 and did not make the playoffs is a travesty. The playoffs need reform.

[YmoBeThere]

Oh, what happened to the Pats? Oh, yeah...sorry.

[Ben63]

Ok I think it's safe to say that San Diego will take the number 4 seed and the playoffs will look like this

Round 1 byes: Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers

Ravens (6) at Dolphins (3)- I really like this matchup. Baltimore dominated the regular season game but if Miami can avoid turnovers I think they have a chance. Baltimore's defense has been playing lights out recently, and all season for that matter. Flacco has shown poise in big sopts this season, but it wasn't the playoffs. I like Baltimore to win because of the defense and the amount of veterans who have playoff experience. Miami's experienced playoff vets are Chad Pennington and Joey Porter. Other than that they are a young team and their playoff victories will come in due time. What Miami has done this season is beyond what any Dolphin fan had hoped for, but I still think they will come out and play extremely hard.

Colts (5) at Chargers (4)- The fact that the Chargers are in the playoffs is a travesty. They do not deserve to be here. But they are so here we go. EXTREMELY hard not to pick the Colts here. They have 9 in a row and no one is playing better football than Peyton Manning. Colts win this one pretty easily I think. Both wild card teams are very good and I expect both to advance.

Just an afterthought: We hear so much about cold playoff games and how the weather will effect the game. Not this week. The AFC games are in Miami and San Diego and the NFC games are in domes (Minnesota and Arizona)

[tommy]

So the Dolphins are in, as are the Ravens. Only one spot left. That will be claimed by either San Diego or Denver tonight.

1. Titans
2. Steelers
3. Dolphins
4. Chargers/Broncos
5. Colts
6. Ravens

The fact that New England went 11-5 and did not make the playoffs is a travesty. The playoffs need reform.

Why is it such a travesty? Everybody knows, and everybody says at the beginning of the season, that winning your division is the immediate goal. New England didn't get it done. They split with both the Jets and Dolphins, losing to both at home, and lost to three of the four other playoff-bound teams they played -- Indy, San Diego and Pittsburgh, beating only Arizona. Sure, they won 11 games, but they beat up on a bunch of patsies, including Kansas City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Bottom line is if they had taken care of business, meaning beating your division opponents at home, they win the division.

And as to the argument some are making that they're clearly better than teams that got in, I don't see that to be the case. Are they a better team than the #4, #5 and #6 seeds in the AFC, meaning San Diego (Charges whipped them 30-10), Indy (lost to them, and Indy has won what, 9 straight?), and Baltimore? I don't think that's at all clear.

[A-Tex Devil]

Ed Reed is the best player at any position in the league.

Discuss...

[Ben63]

Why is it such a travesty? Everybody knows, and everybody says at the beginning of the season, that winning your division is the immediate goal. New England didn't get it done. They split with both the Jets and Dolphins, losing to both at home, and lost to three of the four other playoff-bound teams they played -- Indy, San Diego and Pittsburgh, beating only Arizona. Sure, they won 11 games, but they beat up on a bunch of patsies, including Kansas City, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Bottom line is if they had taken care of business, meaning beating your division opponents at home, they win the division.

And as to the argument some are making that they're clearly better than teams that got in, I don't see that to be the case. Are they a better team than the #4, #5 and #6 seeds in the AFC, meaning San Diego (Charges whipped them 30-10), Indy (lost to them, and Indy has won what, 9 straight?), and Baltimore? I don't think that's at all clear.

If it was only about winning the division, why do they play 16 games? Divisions are a great way to keep thing organized, schedule games, and create consistent rivalries. But winning ones division has alot to do with who else is in your division. It is not the Patriots fault they play in a strong division. If they played in the AFC-W they would have won the thing by 3 games. The playoffs should be the 6 best teams. No one will dispute the 13-3 Titans, the 12-4 Steelers, and the 12-4 Colts deserve to be there. Two more 11-5 teams made it (Dolphins, Ravens.) So there are 5 teams. Who should be #6? No team finished 10-6, and only the Jets finished 9-7. Everyone else was 8-8 or worse. So out of the 11 remaining teams, the Patriots don't deserve to hold that spot when they finished 2 games or more ahead of the other teams. San Diego went 8-8 in a poor division and you think that should be rewarded with a playoff berth? Totally pathetic if you ask me.

So you also think the Arizona Cardinals should be in the playoffs? They played in a terrible division and went 6-0 against the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers. The other wins were Miami, Dallas, and Buffalo. So a team who beats two teams with a winning record should be there just because they are lucky enough to play in a bad division? No, the NFL playoffs need reform and I don't think Roger Goodell will be the man to do it.

[A-Tex Devil]

If they played in the AFC-W they would have won the thing by 3 games. The playoffs should be the 6 best teams.

How do you know that? They're schedule would have been completely different. You can't take the Pats' 11-5 and just drop them in a different division. They would have had to play the NFC South (arguably strongest in the NFC) instead of the NFC West who was awul. That's just one changed variable.

Winning your division in every major sport gets you into the playoffs. That's been the case since as long as I've been alive. It's not like their ability to get into the playoffs was left to the whims of random Harris poll voters and coaches with memories shorter than 2 months . They knew what they needed to do to get a guaranteed spot and didn't get it done (understanding that injuries played a factor, but that's part of the game).

[Ben63]

Winning your division in every major sport gets you into the playoffs. That's been the case since as long as I've been alive.

But is that the way it should be? I say no. Just because it has always been that way doesn't mean it is right or it should stay that way.

[brevity]

It is not the Patriots fault they play in a strong division. If they played in the AFC-W they would have won the thing by 3 games.

Not seeing your point. If they played in the AFC West, then they wouldn't be based in Foxboro, MA.

I have very little sympathy for the Patriots, or really any non-playoff team that has a better record than a playoff team. Bottom line: in an AFC postseason setup where the two best wild card teams get invited, they were the 3rd best wild card team.

Sorry, but this seems kind of low on the Sports Travesty Meter -- more analogous to bubble teams that complain about being left out of the NCAA basketball tournament, and less analogous to any of the dozens of crimes against humanity that exist in college football.

P.S. I don't know if anyone else has ever suggested this... You know how Jessica Simpson is considered bad luck for the Cowboys? I wonder if Bridget Moynahan was good luck for the Patriots.

[tommy]

If it was only about winning the division, why do they play 16 games? Divisions are a great way to keep thing organized, schedule games, and create consistent rivalries. But winning ones division has alot to do with who else is in your division. It is not the Patriots fault they play in a strong division. If they played in the AFC-W they would have won the thing by 3 games. The playoffs should be the 6 best teams. No one will dispute the 13-3 Titans, the 12-4 Steelers, and the 12-4 Colts deserve to be there. Two more 11-5 teams made it (Dolphins, Ravens.) So there are 5 teams. Who should be #6? No team finished 10-6, and only the Jets finished 9-7. Everyone else was 8-8 or worse. So out of the 11 remaining teams, the Patriots don't deserve to hold that spot when they finished 2 games or more ahead of the other teams. San Diego went 8-8 in a poor division and you think that should be rewarded with a playoff berth? Totally pathetic if you ask me.

So you also think the Arizona Cardinals should be in the playoffs? They played in a terrible division and went 6-0 against the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers. The other wins were Miami, Dallas, and Buffalo. So a team who beats two teams with a winning record should be there just because they are lucky enough to play in a bad division? No, the NFL playoffs need reform and I don't think Roger Goodell will be the man to do it.

OK let's take a look at the argument for New England vs. San Diego being more "deserving," regardless of division. First of all, you talk about the importance of beating teams with a winning record. San Diego beat 3. The Patriots? Also beat 3 -- the Jets, Miami, and Arizona. (They also lost games to the Jets and Miami.)

Now: Undoubtedly, San Diego played a tougher schedule. Their opponents played .515 football (132-124) while New England's were at .480 (123-133). You might respond that these numbers are due to San Diego's playing in a division with weaker teams. While that is true, the effect was mitigated by the fact that the AFC East and AFC West played each other this year, so while sure, San Diego played Oakland, KC, and Denver twice each, New England at least got to play them each once. And likewise, while the Patriots had to face Miami, the Jets, and Buffalo twice, the Chargers played all three of those teams once.

Then, look at the NFC Divisions that each had to face. The Chargers had to play each team in the NFC South, which included a very strong Carolina team, plus 11-5 Atlanta as well as Tampa Bay, which blew a playoff spot just today, and respectable 8-8 New Orleans. New England got to play all the teams in the NFC West, which was certainly the most pathetic division this year, meaning matchups with the Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals. No wonder the strength of schedule ultimately calculated out to the Chargers playing a much tougher slate.

So yes, the Patriots 11-5 record looks shinier, but when you look a little closer, it doesn't tell the whole story.

Oh, and one more thing. On October 12, the two teams played head-to-head. It was San Diego in a rout, 30-10.

[Turk]

The real problem is that the divisions are too small. No other sport has only four teams in each. In the NFL, beating three other teams to win a division title is rewarded out of proportion to the difficulty of the achievement. This year has an especially strong wild-card crop. 3 of the 4 road teams are favored, and the 4th is practically a toss-up (SD favored by 1.5 over visiting Indy, and I think that's inflated because Denver was terrible last night).

However, winning the division is a simple goal and easy to grasp for fans, so I don't think the NFL will change it anytime soon. The compromise that I'd suggest would be to have the team with the best record be the home team, and let the division champ host the game if both teams have the same record.

With 32 teams, I don't know how to make bigger divisions without presenting some scheduling difficulties. Four divisions of 8 teams is too big - you can't do home and home with everyone in the division, but the playoffs would be simple - the four div champs get byes, and the next four teams in each conference play off in Week 1, with the winners meeting the division champs.

[DukieInKansas]

I live in an AFCW city - and I think the Pats should be in rather than anyone from our division. I am glad that it isn't Denver, though!

[Ben63]

Ed Reed is the best player at any position in the league.

Discuss...

Yes. Not much more to be said.

Does he have a shot at the all time interception record?

[cato]

San Diego went 8-8 in a poor division and you think that should be rewarded with a playoff berth? Totally pathetic if you ask me.

Pathetic or not, the Bolts easily handled the Pats. If the Pats could have managed to beat such an undeserving team, they would be in the playoffs, no?

[Ben63]

Pathetic or not, the Bolts easily handled the Pats. If the Pats could have managed to beat such an undeserving team, they would be in the playoffs, no?

The playoffs are a reflection of a whole season of work, not one bad night, right?

[Bostondevil]

If there were an MLB style one game playoff between the Pats and the Chargers for that last playoff spot today, or let's say Thursday to give them a couple of days to prepare, would anybody here bet on the Chargers?

That said, no, the Pats didn't get it done, not really, but this New England fan isn't whining about not making the playoffs. It's not the fan base that's whining, it's the announcers, because they know a good football team when they see one, and the Pats make for a better story in January than the Chargers.

[cato]

If there were an MLB style one game playoff between the Pats and the Chargers for that last playoff spot today, or let's say Thursday to give them a couple of days to prepare, would anybody here bet on the Chargers?

Have you watched the Chargers recently? The game would not be the foregone conclusion you seem to think it would be.

[Turk]

Yes. Not much more to be said.

Does he have a shot at the all time interception record?

I beg to differ. You'd rather have Reed instead of Polumalu? Not me - interceptions aren't the only way to measure a safety, and Polamalu has 30 more tackles than Reed this season.

Let's set aside the "best player at any position" discussion - that's too much hyperbole. I'll gladly agree that Reed is the "best player on the Ravens".

As for the picks, the Googler has Minnesota's Paul Krause with 81, so Reed needs 40 more. I don't think he gets there. He's not going to last 6 more years with 7 picks a year, but he should finish in the top 5.