In true 2020 fashion, the winner of the NFC East could potentially have only 6 wins and host a playoff game. And while the NFL did update the playoff format to include 7 teams from each conference this year, the format still allows for a trash football team to make the playoff – aka whoever comes out of the NFC East. This isn’t just embarrassing for the NFL, it could potentially screw over a much better team.
All you need to know about the pile of garbage that is the NFC East is that the combined record of all four teams is 13-28, with the Washington Football Team’s 4-7 record at the top. Let me repeat that, Washington is in first place in the NFC East with 4 wins and 7 losses . To put that in perspective, the top two teams in every other division have combined for at least the same number of wins as the entire NFC East. No other division has more than 23 total losses, and that includes the AFC East who have the 0-10 Jets.
The biggest issue I have with the current NFL Playoff rules is that each division winner makes the playoffs. On paper that’s a solid rule; but after looking at the NFC East standings you simply want to ask “Why?” Why should an absolutely terrible football team be in the playoffs just because they are the winner of an even more terrible division?
Not only is having an awful team in the playoffs terrible for fans since we will have to be the ones to watch this trash, it also causes a harmful ripple effect on the rest of the NFC playoff teams. Whoever comes out of the NFC East will be the #4 seed and host #5 in their stadium – meaning that whoever is #5 essentially gets a first round victory.
As it stands now, the Seahawks would have the easiest Week 1 opponent while everyone else has a tough battle to advance to the next round. If I’m the rams, I’d be pissed. The Rams would have to face the Cardinals who are a tough matchup for anyone, while Seattle gets to play a team that would struggle in the SEC.
Now, to play devils advocate…. everyone loves an underdog story, and that’s why it’s okay for some scrappy teams with bad records to qualify for the playoffs. While that it true, I’d argue none of these teams are actual underdogs. Underdog sports teams are usually good teams that are unproven; they earned their spot in the playoffs, but nobody expects them to do anything once they are there. Think of the 2018 Eagles – they were underdogs in every one of their playoff matchups and made it to the Superbowl. In contrast, the 4-7 Washington Football Team is not the 2018 Eagles. Tune-in to sportstalk radio in any of the NFC East cities – no one thinks any of these teams have earned anything, and no one thnks they have a legitimate shot at making it past round one. The only team with any margin of support is Washington….but then people remember Dan Snyder still owns the team and they quickly revert back to hating them. For the other NFC East Teams, all the commentary is about the disappointing season, and how they either want to fire the head coach, bench the starting QB, or the in Eagles case – both.
Here’s how to solve the “NFC East problem” – the Top 7 teams in each conference make the playoffs. If you are among the top 7 teams AND you won your division, then you earn the right to host a playoff game in round 1 (granting the team with the best record a first-round bye). This is basically the same format they have in place for this years playoffs, except under my rule, the NFC East wouldn’t qualify.
