How Are Wildcards Determined In the NFL?

How are Wildcards Determined In the NFL?
-The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the National Football League (NFL) regular season to determine the NFL champion.
-The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, the league’s championship game.
-Since 2002, the playoffs have consisted of fourteen teams: twelve division winners and two wild cards.

Introduction

In the NFL, there are a total of six playoff spots available to teams. The four division winners in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, and the two remaining spots are filled by the conference’s two wildcard teams.

So, how are NFL wildcards determined? It’s actually a fairly simple process. The two Wildcard spots in each conference go to the two teams with the best record who did not win their division. For example, let’s say that the division winners in the AFC are the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Kansas City Chiefs. The two Wildcard teams would then be whichever two teams among the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans ended up with the best records.

It’s important to note that head-to-head record is NOT a factor in determining Wildcard berths. So, if two teams are tied with identical records but one team has beaten the other head-to-head, that team will not necessarily get the nod over their division rival. In fact, head-to-head record is only used as a tiebreaker in determining division winners – not Wildcard qualifiers.

If there is a tie for a Wildcard berth, the following tiebreakers are used in this order:
1. Common Games Record: This is determined by comparing only those games played against common opponents.
2. Record in Conference Games: This is determined by comparing only those games played against teams in your own conference.
3. Strength of Victory: This measures how strong your opponents were – basically, it’s a measure of who you defeated. Stronger victories count for more than weaker ones .
4. Strength of Schedule: This measures how difficult your opponents were – basically, it’s a measure of who you played (not necessarily who you defeated). Tougher schedules count for more than easier ones .

How are Wildcards Determined in the NFL?

The NFL Wild Card Round is a single-elimination tournament held every year to determine the seven teams from each conference that will advance to the NFL Divisional Playoffs. The four division winners from each conference are seeded 1-4 and given a bye in the first round, while the other two teams are seeded 5-6 and must play each other in the first round.

The Basics

In the NFL, the team with the best record in each conference automatically earns a playoff berth. The other two spots in each conference are given to Wild Card teams, who are the non-division winners with the best records. In order to determine which teams receive Wild Card berths, the following tiebreakers are used, in order:

1. Head-to-head results
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division

The Different Types of Wildcards

In the NFL, there are four types of wild cards that can be used to determine which teams make the playoffs. These include the divisional, conference, super conference, and finally, the at-large berth.

The divisional wild card is given to the team with the best record in each division that did not win their division. For example, if the NFC North had three 10-6 teams and one 8-8 team, the 10-6 team with the best record would get the divisional wild card.

The conference wild card is given to the two teams in each conference with the best record that did not win their division or did not make it as a divisional wild card. In order for a team to be eligible for a conference wild card, they must have a better record than any team in their conference that did not make the playoffs. For example, if an NFC team has a 9-7 record and an AFC team has an 8-8 record, then the NFC team would get the conference wild card because they have a better record.

The super conference wild card is given to the two teams in each conference with the best record that did not win their division or make it as adivisional or conference wild card. In order for a team to be eligible for a super conference wild card spot, they must have a better record than any team in their conference that did not make the playoffs.

The at-large berth is given to any remaining NFL team with one ofthe best overall records that did not qualify for any other playoff spot. This means that if there are two 9-7 teams remaining (one from each conferences), and both are better than all other non-playoff teams, then both will receive an at-large berth into the playoffs.

The Process

The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl, usually held in early February, which is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.

Since 1975, when playoff formats were first standardized, eight teams have qualified for the playoffs each year: four from each conference (the NFL’s two major divisions), consisting of two division champions and two wild card teams. Wild card teams are determined by a number of different criteria, all designed to give teams with winning records a better chance at making the playoffs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the NFL playoff system is very complex. There are many different factors that go into determining who makes the playoffs and who doesn’t. The wildcard system is just one part of the puzzle. If you want to learn more about how the NFL playoffs work, be sure to check out our other article on the subject.