90s playoff format in prior years- what if extra WC game?

[CSKreager]

If the NFL playoff format of the 1990s was around in the years that preceded (1978-1989), what team would have benefitted most:

If there was a 3rd Wild Card and the teams that one day would be 6 seeds missed out in the 5-team era might have snuck in?

If the 3rd seeded division winner got to host a home playoff game instead of playing agiainst a 1-2 seed?

Here are the hypothetical 3-6 WC matchups that would have taken place if that format existed before the 90s. Which of these theoretical Wild Card Games would have been the most likely to possibly impact the playoffs that year?

Could one of these 6 seeds have been a live playoff underdog ala the 85 Pats? Could a really good 6 seed have made a SB run long before the '05 Steelers?

(Not going to include the 82/87 strike years)

1978
NFC- Green Bay (6) at Minnesota (3)
AFC- Oakland (6) at Denver (3)

1979
AFC- New England (6) at Miami (3)
NFC- Washington (6) at L.A. Rams (3)

1980
NFC- Detroit (6) at Minnesota (3)
AFC- New England (6) at Buffalo (3)

1981
NFC- Washington (6) at Tampa Bay (3)
AFC- Denver (6) at San Diego (3)

1983
NFC- St. Louis (6) at Detroit (3)
AFC- Cleveland (6) at Pittsburgh (3)

1984
AFC- New England (3) at Pittsburgh (6)
NFC- St. Louis (6) at Chicago (3)

1985
AFC- Denver (6) at Cleveland (3)
NFC- Washington (6) at Dallas (3)

1986
AFC- Cincinnati (6) at New England (3)
NFC- Minnesota (6) at San Francisco (3)

1988
NFC- NY Giants (6) at Philadelphia (3)
AFC- Indianapolis (6) at Seattle (3)

1989
AFC- Kansas City (6) at Buffalo (3)
NFC- Green Bay (6) at Minnesota (3)

[74_75_78_79_]

A few of them I could see the 6th-seeder pulling the upset, but in neither case making the Super Bowl.

A hypo-1st-rounder in ’84 between Berry’s Pats (one year prior to their SB-berth) and the also-9-7 Steelers I see being a real tough one for the home-team.

The following year’s scenario - assuming Denver knocks off Cleveland - you would have had an interesting Den@LA, NE@Mia divisional round. I still see NE getting out of the conference just the same.

As for ’88, you got the G-men visiting that very thorn-in-their-side at the immediate time...Buddy’s Eagles! But considering the obvious playoff woes of those very Birds, does it even-things for the very team who hoisted the Lombardi just two years prior? Plus, winning all four games vs NYG in ’88 & ’89 is one thing, but hat-tricking Tuna in a single season?? Tall order it indeed would have been! If G-men do get by, I think they get through the ‘Fog’ the following week then make the NFCCG at Candlestick quite better and more suspenseful than what we actually did have at frozen Soldier Field.

[BD Sullivan]

I believe this would be the 1970-77 lineup for #3 and #6 teams--knowing full well that seeds were irrelevant through 1974:

1970

NFC: NY Giants at Dallas
AFC: Cleveland at Cincinnati

1971

NFC: Detroit at San Francisco
AFC: Pittsburgh at Cleveland

1972

NFC: NY Giants at San Francisco
AFC: Cincinnati at Oakland

1973

NFC: Detroit at Dallas
AFC: Kansas City at Oakland

1974

NFC: Philadelphia at St. Louis
AFC: Houston at Pittsburgh

1975

NFC: Detroit at St. Louis
AFC: Miami at Baltimore

1976

NFC: San Francisco at Los Angeles
AFC: Denver at Pittsburgh

1977

NFC: Atlanta at Minnesota
AFC: New England at Pittsburgh