A suggestion made about the competitive balance issue!

[itssharif]

To start off I posted when we were officially 6-7 that we still definitely had much reason for optimism and hope to accomplish our first ever postseason birth. I broke down all the scenarios and honestly tried my best to feel the positivity the whole way through hoping that maybe believing it would give it a higher likelyhood of making it happen. Unfortunately due to one crap team that won undeservedly (twice) my scenario and dreams were washed away. So I heard a suggestion on the radio that I thought was very worthy of mentioning as an idea to minimize the issue of the competition committee's concern of teams laying it down and ruining the competitive balance.

The suggestion was to mandatorily make the last 2 weeks of the season divisional games. Though it doesn't guarantee that this problem would not exist any further I don't see with so many possible tie breakers in the balance how this would not be an effective and enjoyable solution as I know it would have been amazing to see each of these very competitive divisions go at it against one another. What do you all think?

[Nconroe]

Yeah, I don't think incentives or penalties would help, but perhaps, as mentioned, scheduling the last 2 or 3 games against the division wuld minimize the problem or perception of the problem.

Of course, then, the other division might say team A conceded so team B of same division could make the playoffs vs team F from another division.

Best thing is win the games , don't cry if you don't make it, since it was the losses you had that kept you out. fix the problems and you are in no matter how or what other teams do.

Texans had a team effort to not make plays when they had opportunity this year, one or two more good vs bad plays and we're in the playoffs no matter who is rested by Indy or Cincy or anyone else.

Heck, maybe we even partially benefitted from Pats partially resting some of their players.

[TheMatrix31]

That would be the best way to combat it.

[Arky]

It's not a bad idea. I think we saw some of that with the Philly vs. Dallas games this year. It certainly makes for interesting games. Same division playoff games I think would become more frequent in the Wild Card round...

[dalemurphy]

Pat Kirwin had the best idea I've heard so far. Granted, it doesn't solve the problem of teams quitting two weeks early, but still....

He suggested having all games the final week that have any playoff implications whatsoever all start at 4pm eastern.

[HPF Bob]

I like the division-opponent idea much better than I like the Kirwin idea. Who wants to watch Cleveland-Buffalo for the early game just because they have nothing to play for?

The division opponent idea is far better, IMO. It won't mean the top teams won't still rest their stars but it is unlikely most teams are going to go into the last two weeks of the season with a three-game division lead so they're going to have to play their stars in most cases.

And, really, who doesn't want to have many of the top contests backloaded on the schedule so their team stays in contention longer?