How Does Wildcard Work in the NFL?

How does the NFL’s Wildcard system work? What teams have the best chance of making the playoffs?

What is a Wildcard in the NFL?

The NFL’s Wild Card system is simple. The top two teams in each conference (excluding the division winners) with the next best records regardless of division affiliation qualify for the playoffs as “wild card” teams. The NFL’s playoff berth system is one of the most fair and balanced in all of professional sports. Sincewild card teams were instituted in 1975, 37% (26 of 70) of Super Bowl participants have been wild card clubs.

How do teams qualify for the Wildcard?

In order to qualify for the Wildcard, a team must have a winning record and must finish within one game of the division leader. If there are two teams tied for the same record, the team that score more points during the season will win the tiebreaker. The Wildcard games are generally played on Saturday and Sunday after the regular season has ended.

What are the benefits of being a Wildcard team?

There are two benefits that Wildcard teams have over division winners. The first is that Wildcard teams get to choose their opponents. This means that a Wildcard team can choose to play a team that they match up well against, rather than being stuck with a team they might struggle against.

The second benefit is that Wildcard teams get an extra week of rest. This means that they can be better prepared for their playoff game, and they also have a higher chance of having injured players back in time for the playoffs.

What are the drawbacks of being a Wildcard team?

There are a few drawbacks to being a Wildcard team. First, Wildcard teams have to play an extra game. They play a Wildcard game on the first weekend of the playoffs against another Wildcard team. The winner of that game moves on to the divisional round, where they play one of the top two seeds in each conference.

Second, Wildcard teams are at a disadvantage because they might have to travel for their Wildcard game. The higher seed always hosts the lower seed in the NFL playoffs. So, if the sixth seed is playing the third seed, the sixth seed will have to travel.

Finally, because they are not one of the top two seeds in their conference, Wildcard teams might have to play the top seed in their conference in the divisional round. The top two seeds get a bye in the first round of the playoffs and don’t have to play until the divisional round. So, if the sixth seed beats the third seed in their Wildcard game, they would then have to travel to play the top seed in the divisional round.

Despite these drawbacks, being a Wildcard team is still better than not making the playoffs at all.

How has the Wildcard affected the NFL landscape?

The Wildcard system has been in place since the 1970 NFL season, and has since been adopted by almost every major professional sports league in North America. The Wildcard is designed to allow teams that didn’t win their division, but had a good enough record to still compete for a spot in the playoffs. In the NFL, there are 4 division winners and 2 wildcard teams in each conference. The division winners are seeded 1-4 based on their record, while the wildcard teams are seeded 5-6. The top 2 seeds get a bye week while the other 4 teams play each other in the Wildcard round.

The Wildcard system has had a profound effect on the NFL landscape. It has made it possible for small market teams and teams with less popular players to remain competitive. It has also allowed for more parity among all 32 teams. In the past decade, we have seen numerous Wildcard teams make deep runs into the playoffs and even win the Super Bowl.

The Wildcard system is not without its critics though. Some argue that it gives an unfair advantage to division winners who may have an easier road to the Super Bowl. Others argue that it dilutes the importance of winning a division title. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, there’s no denying that the Wildcard system has had a major impact on the NFL landscape.