By allowing division winners to automatically make the playoffs with a minimum of home field advantage in the first round, the NFL has unwittingly (or maybe wittingly) rewarded lesser teams with unfair benefits. We knew that the NFL coveted regular season parity, but did we realize that it so blatantly extended into the playoffs?
The San Diego Chargers finished the season with an 8-8 record, three games behind the 11-5 New England Patriots. The Chargers were rewarded with a first round home playoff game, while the Patriots were not admitted into the playoffs.
The Cardinals finished 9-7, tied with the Cowboys, Bucs and Bears for the sixth best record in the NFC. The Cowboys and Bucs finished 3-3 in divisions that did not feature a sub .500 team. Despite playing in a tougher division, the Bears finished with the same 7-5 conference record that the Cardinals did. But due to automatic playoff bids for divsion winners, the Cardinals had already clinched a playoff spot in Week 14.
It is doubtful that the Chargers or Cardinals would have made the playoffs had they not had the luxury of feasting on each of their terrible divisions in their respective conferences. The Cardinals were undefeated (6-0) against the NFC West. The 49ers, Seahawks and Rams were a combined 13-35. The Chargers were were a correct call away from going undefeated in their division play. Instead they were 5-1 against the Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs who had a combined 15-33 record.
In the interest of preserving rich rivalries, we can accept the unbalanced schedule. For now we can stomach teams playing teams twice in their own division while not playing every team in their own conference. We can accept that teams in weaker divisions will have advantages over teams in stronger divisions. To use a sports analogy, that is the way the ball bounces.
But we draw that line at automatic playoff births for division winners. We definitely despise allowing division winners automatically getting home field advantages over stronger playoff teams.
What are we telling Colts fans who watched their 12-4 Colts get nipped by a score in overtime at the San Diego Chargers? Are we supposed to tell them, yea you played a tougher schedule and finished four games better, but since you were in a division with 13-3 Titans that they get a whammy?
It gets worse though. The division winners are guaranteed home field advantage over Wild Card teams for the entire playoffs. So the 9-7 Cardinals, who beat the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons in the opening playoff round will now have the home field advantage over the 9-6-1 Eagles.
The Falcons were 7-1 at home during the regular season, but only 4-4 on the road. The Cardinals were 6-2 at home but only 3-5 on the road. The home field advantage may have been the difference for the Cardinals. Ahead 30-24 with 4:15 left and needing to run the clock out, the Cardinals did not have a loud crowd drowning out Kurt Warner's play signals.
Now the Eagles are the latest team to travel to Arizona while it should be the Cardinals who are the road team, as they were in their successful match-up against Carolina. The Eagles only finished 2-4 in their tough division. But finished with the same 7-5 conference record that the Cardinals did by throttling teams like the Cardinals.
In Week 13, the Eagles blew out the Cardinals 48-20 at home. But despite that and a better record, the Eagles are going on the road for their third straight playoff game. The mediocre Cardinals are being rewarded with their second home playoff game in three weeks. To think it would be three out of four had this scenario played out last year when the Super Bowl was at Scottsdale.
We are happy to see the Cardinals throw their hat in the ring with the Eagles as an underdog feel good story. But the NFL needs to stop giving division winners automatic playoff births. And the NFL certainly should not give home field advantage to the worse teams.
If the last seed can make the playoffs and win four games away from home and thus a championship, then we will have feel great stories. That is the scenario that played out last year with the New York Giants. The Giants went on the road to beat the Bucs. They then beat the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium before going on to beat the 13-3 Green Bay Packers at icy Lambeau Field. That in itself was a memorable feat. But the Giants truly immortalized their memory by spoiling the Patriots quest for the first 19-0 season in NFL history.
The Giants were a feel great story, as the 10-6 Giants just barely grabbed the last spot in the playoffs (no system gave it to them). Maybe we will feel pretty good about the Cardinals too if they win the Super Bowl. But if we do it will be the difference between drinking a fine wine and a batch of homemade hooch.
Picture: Running backs LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers and Ederrin James of the Arizona Cardinals. August 25, 2007.
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