Beginning with Jets automatically playing at Oakland for that final AFL Championship (2nd-place Chiefs - out), what playoff scenarios in any given year(s) would intrigue you the most?
From '70-thru-'74, we'll assume that division-winners would have 'rotated' yearly for a 1st-Rd bye hence hosting their CC (e.g. '72 Oak@Mia-winner at Pit for AFCC; '73 LA@Min-winner at Dal for NFCC) followed by, simply, 3rd-vs-2nd-seed-winner at 1 from '75-thru-'01 (e.g. '80 Buf@Clev-winner at SD; '86 SF@Chi-winner at NYG) and then, finally, '02-present simply being 4@1 vs 3@2 ('05 NE@Ind vs Cin@Den; '10 Sea@Atl vs Phi@Chi).
To start things off...we would have had Vikings in '75 waiting in the NFC catbird seat for Cards@Rams-winner; no "Hail Mary"! Nor Oilers in '78 & '79 (nor '80! no playoffs ever for Earl or Bum). '78 would have Steelers awaiting Den@NE-winner, '79 would be Dolphins@Steelers playing for a trip to the Murph!
If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
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74_75_78_79_
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
2007 would have been ...
AFC: Pit@NE, SD@Ind; NFC: TB@Dal, Sea@GB
IMO, the only two teams who could have knocked off the undefeated Pats is the team who actually did beat them IRL and the other team with a Manning at QB. Assuming that SD still upsets the Colts - both playing each other one week earlier in this event - and the Giants not being in the playoffs in the first place, it looks like (again, my opinion) we would have had ourselves a 19-0 finisher, like it or not.
1999: No Titans/MCM. Simply 9-7 Seahawks at 13-3 Colts, winner at 14-2 Jax. Peyton wins his first playoff game already? Or does Holmgren top Mora? No playoffs (nor 62-7 humiliation) for Marino/Johnson in their final year; no playoff berths at all for Jimmy while with the Dolphins!
1992: Buffalo out thus no "Comeback"! Instead its Chargers at Dolphins, winner goes to Three Rivers. Unless there also was rainy mud in MIami the week after the regular season, maybe we get a different result this time. And if SD does win that one, is it the Chargers making it to the SB, thru the 'Burgh, two years earlier in Ross's very first year with them (and winning there again, as IRL, in '94)??
2020: I guess Brady doesn't win a 7th for himself. An extra Ring for Mahomes/Reid? Do Saints or Green Bay represent the NFC?
AFC: Pit@NE, SD@Ind; NFC: TB@Dal, Sea@GB
IMO, the only two teams who could have knocked off the undefeated Pats is the team who actually did beat them IRL and the other team with a Manning at QB. Assuming that SD still upsets the Colts - both playing each other one week earlier in this event - and the Giants not being in the playoffs in the first place, it looks like (again, my opinion) we would have had ourselves a 19-0 finisher, like it or not.
1999: No Titans/MCM. Simply 9-7 Seahawks at 13-3 Colts, winner at 14-2 Jax. Peyton wins his first playoff game already? Or does Holmgren top Mora? No playoffs (nor 62-7 humiliation) for Marino/Johnson in their final year; no playoff berths at all for Jimmy while with the Dolphins!
1992: Buffalo out thus no "Comeback"! Instead its Chargers at Dolphins, winner goes to Three Rivers. Unless there also was rainy mud in MIami the week after the regular season, maybe we get a different result this time. And if SD does win that one, is it the Chargers making it to the SB, thru the 'Burgh, two years earlier in Ross's very first year with them (and winning there again, as IRL, in '94)??
2020: I guess Brady doesn't win a 7th for himself. An extra Ring for Mahomes/Reid? Do Saints or Green Bay represent the NFC?
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JuggernautJ
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
It would be interesting to see which eventual champions wouldn't make it in any/every year.
In other words, we'd have to eliminate every Super Bowl winner who wasn't a division winner (not to mention reconfigure the playoffs for every season in which there was a wild card team in the playoffs... a truly daunting task).
But even meeting just the first criteria would produce quite a few different champions (as you showed above).
Of course, there is also the psychological factor to consider... knowing that there was no wild card "safety net" would players play differently and coaches make different decisions knowing it was win or go home in each division?
As Yogi once said. the game is "98% half mental."
I wonder how different our perception of NFL history might be if we eliminated wild cards from the play offs and therefore didn't have any wild card champions. Would we have the same "teams of the decade(s)"? The same Hall of Fame members?
It is an interesting prospect to consider...
In other words, we'd have to eliminate every Super Bowl winner who wasn't a division winner (not to mention reconfigure the playoffs for every season in which there was a wild card team in the playoffs... a truly daunting task).
But even meeting just the first criteria would produce quite a few different champions (as you showed above).
Of course, there is also the psychological factor to consider... knowing that there was no wild card "safety net" would players play differently and coaches make different decisions knowing it was win or go home in each division?
As Yogi once said. the game is "98% half mental."
I wonder how different our perception of NFL history might be if we eliminated wild cards from the play offs and therefore didn't have any wild card champions. Would we have the same "teams of the decade(s)"? The same Hall of Fame members?
It is an interesting prospect to consider...
Last edited by JuggernautJ on Fri Jan 30, 2026 1:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Brian wolf
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
I still consider the '97 Broncos as the best ever, WC Champion.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
Exactly!JuggernautJ wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2026 6:06 pm It would be interesting to see which eventual champions wouldn't make it in any/every year.
In other words, we'd have to eliminate every Super Bowl winner who wasn't a division winner (not to mention reconfigure the playoffs for every season in which there was a wild card team in the playoffs... a truly daunting task).
But even meeting just the first criteria would produce quite a few different champions (as you showed above).
Of course, there is also the psychological factor to consider... knowing that there was no wild card "safety net" would players play differently and coaches make different decisions knowing it was win or go home in each division?
As Yogi once said. the game is "98% half mental."
I wonder how different our perception of NFL history might be if we eliminated wild cards from the play offs and therefore didn't have any wild card champions. Would we have the same "teams of the decade(s)? The same Hall of Fame members?
It is an interesting prospect to consider...
Maybe some of these wild-card World Champs would have played just a tad better throughout had they KNEW they'd have to win their darn division to get on in. Sure-enough no one purposely takes it easy all along because they know that they have that, so called, 'safety net'. But, subconsciously, they may not play quite as hard throughout the regular season because of it; but, instead, takes it up a notch, or more, once the playoffs begin.
The '07 Giants come to mind! I can't help but to think that had Coughlin/Strahan/Eli & Co knew in-advance that they'd have to WIN the division to get in, that they possibly wouldn't have allowed that extra loss, or two. Maybe they prevent that sweep to Dallas, etc. But we'll never know all of that for sure.
Would the RAVENS of 2000 have 'made sure' that they didn't let the TITANS win more games than them?
Sure-enough the '80 Raiders would have either played a better game against the Eagles, or against the Cowboys, or BOTH (13-3) just to assure things thus Chargers not being in the playoffs at ALL! I have a strong feeling that they would have.
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JuggernautJ
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
Yup.
And another consequence would've been to increase the importance of division games.
With all of today's wild card teams the significance of division games is watered-down.
Without wild cards those games of "double importance" would've been even more consequential.
And another consequence would've been to increase the importance of division games.
With all of today's wild card teams the significance of division games is watered-down.
Without wild cards those games of "double importance" would've been even more consequential.
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Brian wolf
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
Great observations ... but I also believe that starting with that playoff experiment with the AFL in 1969, that really shouldnt have happened at all, the NFL liked the idea of having two divisional games per conference. The idea of playing for that bye amongst three divisional winners was good though. At least with a wild card representative, a team was being rewarded for trying to win their division. I truly miss those days of early playoff start times for both saturday and sunday.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: If strictly division-winners made playoffs, '69-present
https://www.profootballresearchers.com/ ... 735#p41735Brian wolf wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2026 6:45 pm I still consider the '97 Broncos as the best ever, WC Champion.