That would best serve the fans. Even with the loss this week, the Chiefs would have retained the fifth seed in a reseeded playoff bracket, but everything else would have changed. A reseeding would give the Colts the third spot over the Bengals—with Kansas City, Indianapolis and Cincinnati all being , the first tiebreaker would have been conference record, not head-to-head result, giving the Colts the better seed.
With the caveat that a reseeded playoff tournament may have led to different outcomes during the regular season see the Chiefs example in Week 17 above , here is what the playoff bracket should look like, based upon the current records for the teams that actually did qualify for postseason play:. Again the Chiefs could have been the third seed, and the Steelers would be in the playoffs had Kansas City won, but they didn't, starters on the bench notwithstanding.
Still, the playoff picture would be vastly different if the league reseeded, giving Indianapolis a potential second-round game at New England and the Bengals-Chiefs winner going to Denver. A reseeded NFC would create the same first-round matchups, but both games would be played in different venues, changing, well, everything about which teams may be expected to advance.
And speaking of advancing, the current playoff bracket has Philadelphia going to Carolina if the Eagles win and New Orleans heading to Seattle if the Saints win. At , not only do the 49ers have to go on the road to face a team with eight wins, but they may have to face Seattle in the second round if the Eagles also win.
Not that Carolina—which beat the 49ers this season—is an easy game, but one would have to think teams want to avoid playing in Seattle for as long as possible this postseason. Of course, that is assuming the 49ers will beat the Packers, which is no easy task at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. As I said before, the debate to reseed the NFL playoffs is not new, and that's because the need to reseed comes up nearly every year in response to the way the NFL organizes its postseason tournament.
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens finished , but because they won their division, they hosted the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens won that game, giving them playoff momentum en route to a Super Bowl championship. Who can forget the ending to that game last season? Seattle would have faced Minnesota in the first round, while Green Bay would have hosted Washington.
Even if the Packers and Seahawks both advanced, just like they did last year, Seattle would have faced San Francisco, and Atlanta would have hosted Green Bay in the divisional playoff round.
If there were ever a situation that would demand the NFL to more seriously consider reseeding, it was that year, which also had two NFC wild-card teams travel to division champions with fewer wins. The season was probably as ridiculous as , if not more, with Seattle not only making the playoffs but getting a home game as well, while two teams in the NFC missed the playoffs entirely. A reseeded NFC that year would have given the Saints a first-round bye over the Chicago Bears, based on the tiebreaker of a better conference record.
The Bears, then the No. It goes on and on. In , the Arizona Cardinals hosted and defeated the Packers. In , the San Diego Chargers backed into the playoffs before beating the Indianapolis Colts at home. Had those playoffs reseeded, the Colts—who had the No. For what it's worth, the Steelers were also outside of their weaker division that year, while the Colts were Since then he has become one of the best defensive playmakers in the NFL, earning his second Pro Bowl selection this season.
Despite missing two games, he has still racked up tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He is a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators and a real standout player on what has been a fearsome defense all season.
How they got here: The Colts defense has been the real workhorse unit this season. Their season has not been without their occasional struggles on offense, scoring just 10 points in a loss against the Baltimore Ravens and putting up just 19 in a win over the Bears.
They had a chance at taking the top spot in the AFC South all season, but missed out as the Titans won their final game, as a result setting the Colts up with the seventh seed and a trip to Buffalo to face the Bills. Playoff history: The Colts' four trips to the Super Bowl have seen them collect two Lombardi trophies.
Their last success came in when they beat the Chicago Bears with Peyton Manning as the quarterback. They have since lost to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV in , while their last three trips to the postseason have seen them advance to the Divisional Round, including last season, twice either side of an AFC Championship defeat to the Patriots in However, they are heading into Buffalo against a team who just handled the Miami Dolphins, who occupied the fifth seed at the time.
It may be a Wild Card round exit for the Colts. Head coach: Matt LaFleur is in his second season at the helm, flaunting every bit of experience he gained while shaping the Packers offense to his liking in his first year as head coach. Key man: It's tough to talk about one without mentioning the other. Both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams have been breathtaking this season.
Rodgers finished the regular season of passing for 4, yards, a ridiculous 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions, while Adams had catches for 1, yards and a league-high 18 touchdowns. How they got here: The Packers closed out the season with six straight wins to coast to the playoffs, notably dismantling the Titans in Week 16 as they held Henry to under yards rushing.
One of their standout results came in Week Three when they beat the Saints There were alarm bells in Week Six when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routed LaFleur's side after two Rodgers interceptions and a dismal defensive display, before the Packers also fell to defeats against the Dalvin Cook-led Vikings and the Colts.
Playoff history: Green Bay's playoff record across the last three decades has been rather outstanding. They have missed out on the postseason just seven times since , winning two of three Super Bowl trips against the Patriots in and Steelers in They have an all-time playoff record of , losing to the San Francisco 49ers in last season's NFC Championship game.
Head coach: Sean Payton has been with the Saints since and has made the playoffs in nine of his 14 years as head coach. That stretch includes a Super Bowl win in over the Indianapolis Colts. Key man: Superstar wide receiver Michael Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain in Week One that has been bothering him all season. He was put on injured reserve in Week 15 in an attempt to get him healthy for a playoff run.
The reigning offensive player of the year is such a key part of a Saints offense that currently ranks fifth in scoring. The return of Drew Brees' favourite target is a fearsome sight for opposition defenses. If he is fully healthy then, Thomas will aid Alvin Kamara in taking the Saints offense to another level at just the right time. How they got there: The Saints were looking at the No 1 seed for much of the season.
That was threatened when they lost Brees to serious injury - broken ribs and a collapsed lung - in Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers. However, they turned to Taysom Hill, who kept them on track with two wins against the Atlanta Falcons either side of a victory over the Denver Broncos.
Their path to the first-round bye was blocked though by back-to-back tough losses against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. But a crushing victory over the Minnesota Vikings - featuring six TDs from Kamara - and a further emphatic win over the Carolina Panthers, has given them plenty of momentum heading into Wild Card weekend. Since then, their postseason performances have been somewhat disappointing and not without controversy.
Their past three playoff defeats included the 'Minneapolis Miracle', some questionable calls from the officials in an NFC Championship loss to the Los Angeles Rams and then further disappointment in when a Kyle Rudolph touchdown reception in overtime saw them fall to the Vikings once more.
Combine that with a strong defense, they are a team no one would want to face. They are certainly contenders to make it to the Championship game, but they may regret that it won't be in their building. Head coach: In advancing in , Pete Carroll has now reached the playoffs in nine of his 11 seasons as head coach of the Seahawks, winning the NFC West title on five occasions.
Can he make it to the Super Bowl for a third time? Key man: Who else other than Russell Wilson? His deep-ball remains a work of art, and the perfect route to exploiting the talents of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
His ever-remarkable ability to escape pressure in the pocket has meanwhile kept Seattle in games at times. This team runs through him. On defense, Jamal Adams has been the tone-setting leader the Seahawks needed, playing an instrumental role in the unit's improvement over the past month.
The safety leads the team with 9. Some of our favorite frames from Week How they got here: Seattle chalked up five successive wins to start the year, edging a thrilling contest against the Patriots in Week Two, fending off a dangerous Miami Dolphins team and edging the Vikings by one point.
Then followed three defeats in their next four as they lost to the Bills, Cardinals and Rams amid the height of their defensive concerns. They finished the season in strong fashion, winning six of their last seven around an ugly loss to the New York Giants with standout victories against the Cardinals and Rams. Playoff history: Seattle hold a record in the postseason, having missed out on the playoffs in just four of the last 18 seasons.
Maybe the biggest disappointment of the day was the Dolphins, who just needed a win to secure a playoff berth but instead allowed the Colts to control their own destiny after Miami was blown out by a Bills team without much to play for.
The Ravens and Browns didn't squander their chances at the playoffs, though. Needing wins to get in, both cruised to victories, with Baltimore winning by so much that it could rest Lamar Jackson for much of the second half against the Bengals. Cleveland was helped by Pittsburgh resting Ben Roethlisberger and other starters, but the Browns weren't going to complain.
Kansas City Chiefs bye 2. Buffalo Bills vs. Indianapolis Colts 3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns 4. Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens. Green Bay Packers bye 2. New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears 3. Seattle Seahawks vs.
Los Angeles Rams 4. Washington Football Team vs. But, this was a night of celebration for long-suffering Bills fans who have been waiting forever to see their team return to the AFC Championship game. It was the culmination of years of work, the successful development of Josh Allen, and smart front office decisions to support him.
The best news, overall, is that Josh Allen avoided making crucial mistakes in this game. His worst play was a strip sack, when two defenders crushed the pocket and Matthew Judon slapped the ball away before Allen could finish his throw. Luckily, the Bills recovered it. Allen finished of for yards and a short touchdown to Stefon Diggs. Devin Singletary had seven carries for 25 yards, and Allen chipped in a couple token carries. Kansas City Chiefs 22, Cleveland Browns At one point in this game, it looked like the Chiefs were going to run away with an easy victory, especially after the Browns fumbled a would-be touchdown through the endzone at the end of the first half.
Cleveland would face a deficit heading into the final 30 minutes of play. The Browns clawed their way back into the game and the door for a comeback swung wide open when Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game with a concussion. As they led by two possessions in the third quarter, Mahomes suffered a head injury that forced him out for the remainder of the contest.
Backup quarterback Chad Henne came in and held the lead — even if if took diving head first to try and convert a third-and 14 — and eventually threw the game-sealing pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill defeat the Cleveland Browns Mahomes finished 21 of 30, with passing yards and two total touchdowns.
Henne totaled 66 passing yards in relief of Mahomes. Hill and tight end Travis Kelce combined for 16 catches and receiving yards — while running back Darrel Williams carried the backfield load with 78 rushing yards. Here is how our Browns community had to say about the play that sealed the loss:.
The Chiefs faced a 3rd-and-4 with to go. The swing pass to the running back just barely picked up the first down, and Cleveland burned their final timeout. One more first down by Kansas City would officially seal the game. On second down, Garrett sacked Henne to set up 3rd-and at the two minute warning.
This was it: get the stop, and Mayfield would have a chance with about left. Allow a first down, and the season is over. Of all things, Henne freaking scrambled and ran and dove for the first down. It looked like he got it, but the officials marked him just short, setting up 4th-and They went for it.
Then, with 7 seconds left on the playclock, they snapped it and completed the quick out to Hill for the first down. Tom Brady vs. Brees looked very much ready for retirement, rarely throwing the ball more than 10 yards downfield and finishing with only yards passing and three interceptions to one touchdown. Tom Brady was far from excellent, but he got the job done. Brady finished of for yards passing with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Devin White was a man possessed.
Call it the Louisiana voodoo or just call it what it was - an All-Pro level player in his first playoff game after missing the last two weeks. Devin White was next level all game long.
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