Division winners vs Playoff spot

[*jason*]

(12-31-2020, 11:30 AM)Bigcatfan Wrote: This NFL rule has bothered me for many years. All division winners are given a playoff spot, and your record isn't an issue for that spot. I have a serious issue with how the NFL allows a team with a below average record be awarded a spot in the playoffs just because they win their division. The team with the best record of the 4 teams win that division, ok, that's nice, but to be given a free shot in the playoffs over a team that has a better record than you is just not fair. That means that its really not worth the effort to win the last remaining games. Your not going to win your division, and a losing team that did win that division gets in.
That's how its looking for the NFC EAST. No team has a winning record, but whatever team wins the division goes to the playoffs, And a team with a better record may be knocked out from another division.

There's not much of a point of having divisions if the winner doesn't make the playoffs. Most years it's not even an issue though. I'd probably have a bigger problem with it if Seattle hadn't beat New Orleans years ago in the playoffs. The Seahawks weren't NFC east bad that year, but New Orleans had the better record, and had to go on the road to Seattle. I wouldn't mind seeing the Cowboys get in, and even pull off an upset with Dalton. There's not much else to root for at this point.