With the finale of the NFL season happening today (and tonight) - so as to leave New Year's Eve for college football bowl games, I guess - there are still a few questions left to answer. One of Washington, Minnesota and New Orleans will join Dallas, Green Bay, Seattle, Tampa Bay and the Giants in the NFC playoffs. The Redskins control their own destiny (win and they're in) while each of the other two need to win and get help.
In the AFC, the Chargers and Steelers are still fighting over the # 3 spot (with the loser getting the # 4 seed) and San Diego owns the tie-breaker so they get it if they win, or if both teams lose their final game. Tennessee gets the final playoff position if they win, but apparently Cleveland gets it if the Titans lose. If that's true - meaning that Cleveland doesn't even have to win today; they just need Tennessee to lose - then I have to assume there's some weird tie-breaking rule that facilitates that. Think how strange that is, though: right now, both teams are 9-6. If they both finish 9-7, then Cleveland gets in; if they both finish 10-6, somehow Tennessee gets the nod! I can see how that could happen, since they presumably didn't play each other this season - one of the earliest tie-breakers after seasonal record - but it's still kind of wacky. It certainly makes for some fun scenarios at the end of the season.
Anyway, either the Browns or the Titans will join the perfect Patriots, Peyton Manning and the Colts, the Chargers, Steelers and Jaguars in the AFC playoffs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The tie-breaker between CLE and TEN is determined by comparing records vs. the same opponent. (If I'm correct it's the 3rd level of tie breaking as they remainded tied after the first 2)
As a result TEN gets the playoff spot.
But the point of my "wacky" comment was that it seemingly made a difference whether or they both finished 9-7 or 10-6. I guess what you're saying is that the final games involved teams that would fall into the "same opponent" category and affect the tie-breaker. Wacky.
Post a Comment