New NFL Format Standings are Back Again

Back again is my attempt to make the NFL playoffs and seedings far more fair. Check out last season's final standings. We combine the AFC East and AFC North into one division. The AFC West and AFC South will be in another. The division winner earn byes.

The NFC East and the NFC South will be in one division and the NFC North and West will be in the other.

Each team will play their current division foes twice every year and the four new teams in the division once. For example, the Buffalo Bills will still face the Patriots, Dolphins, and Jets twice a year, but will face the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, and Steelers once a year. Four games will be played against teams in the other conference in the same way they are now. And the other two games will be based on last season's record.

Here are the updated standings: actual and new. If the playoffs began today, the AFC playoffs would look like this:
Byes: 1) NE 8-2; 2) Den 7-3.
Home playoff games: 3) Cin 6-3-1; 4) Ind 6-4.
Road playoff games: 5) KC 7-3; 6) Pit 7-4.

AFC playoffs in the new format:
Byes: 1) NE 8-2; 2) Den 7-3.
Home playoff games: 3) KC 7-3; 4) Cin 6-3-1.
Road playoff games: 5) Pit 7-4 ; 6) Mia 6-4.

For the second year in a row, the current NFL format rewards the Colts for being in a weak division and hurts Kansas City for sharing a division with Denver. In the new format, five teams would be tied for the sixth spot. Miami has the best conference record of the five.


If the playoffs began today, the NFC playoffs would look like this:
Byes: 1) Ari 9-1; 2) Det 7-3.
Home playoff games: 3) Phi 7-3; 4) Atl 4-6.
Road playoff games: 5) GB 7-3; 6) Dal 7-3.

NFC playoffs in the new format:
Byes: 1) Ari 9-1; 2) Phi 7-3.
Home playoff games: 3) Det 7-3; 4) GB 7-3.
Road playoff games: 5) Dal 7-3; 6) SF 6-4.

This is exactly the scenario the new format is designed to prevent. Right now, Atlanta would get a home playoff game, despite having a 4-6 record. It is simply unfair. In the new format, Atlanta would be in a five-way tie for eighth place.Realistically, any division-winning team in the current NFC South will have to go at least 5-1 to finish with a winning record.