90s playoff format in prior years- what if extra WC game?
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 11:54 pm
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)
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)