there should be a rule where .500 teams don't make the playoffs when there are teams that have won 2 - 3 games more
no team should benefit that much for having a weak division
playoffs should be for the elite
E
No!
If a team wins its division, it deserves to be in the playoffs, PERIOD.
Plus, look at what's happened so far.
8-8 San Diego just KNOCKED OUT 12-4 Indy.
And, 9-7 Arizona (from the weak NFC West) just eliminated the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons and 12-4 Carolina Panthers.
Plus, lest you forget, in 2004, two 8-8 teams (St. Louis and Minnesota) advanced to the divisional round, at the expense of the champs from their respective divisions (Seattle and Green Bay).
New England Patriots didn't make it to the playoffs for two simple reasons:
1) The Patriots didn't win the AFC East (Miami did, via a tiebreaker).
2) They weren't the best wildcard; Indy was 12-4 and Baltimore had the tiebreaker on them.