What would be the worst NFL regular season record that could win a division and make the playoffs?
SanctionII
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Would it be a situation where every team in a division goes 0-8-8, with the division winner being decided by applying tie breaker rules?
Each team in the division would lose all 8 non division games and would play to a tie in their 8 division games.
Under that farfetched scenario a winless team would win the division, make the playoffs and with a 14 team playoff field host an opening round game.
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This forum is starting to become a little bit too complicated for me.
I may have to instead begin posting more in the molecular chemistry, astro physics, and nuclear science forum whereby the propositions aren't quite as complex.
I suspect when we watch the NFC East next season, this scenario will come true.
Given the rules that eliminate almost all ties, you might have to have 1,000 NFL seasons for this to happen. That would be more time than it has been since William the Conqueror took over England in 1066.
William the Conqueror Penny
I wonder how the tie breaker would work? Would it be the team that lost its eight games by the smallest margin?
I think it goes by strength of schedule, win/loss points between division games. It’s a very complicated process even without getting into the extreme what if’s like the OP drew up lol
Now that was just plain mean. 😒
When I posted this thread I was thinking of the NFC East (aka Least).
I just filled out a complaint form regarding this thread. 😒
Except for the William the Conqueror Penny pic, which is pretty cool. 😊
I wonder how many good baseball cards a coin like that could buy back then? 🤔
The rule of thumb was that was the wage for one day of unskilled labor.
Maybe they had jousting cards back then, or a card for great swordsmen. Quite a few years later, in 1536, Henry VIII hired an expert swordsman from France to cut off Anne Boleyn's head. Although he was done with her, he wanted to make sure that the job was done right. A botched execution was, shall we say, rather gruesome.
Well at least we took everyone's mind off the NFC Least, I mean East...unless that doubledragon troublemaker comes back with one of his damned memes.
the worst record that could win a Division is probably 4-12. every Team plays the other three Division opponents twice for a total of six games, so if they each won three they'd be 3-3 after that. then if everyone lost every other game except for one victory, that Team would win the division.
that could accomplish it without trying to use all the tie-breakers. if every Team in a Division finished at 3-13 the tie-breakers would come into play to give the absolute worst possible record to make the Playoffs.
I guess that means 3-13 is the true answer and I would hate to be their first opponent, probably a 10-6 Wild Card Team on the road.
Keets to the rescue with a better take on my OP.
For some reason I thought that each team plays 8 division games. I was wrong. They play 6 division games because there are 4 teams for in each of the 8 divisions in the NFL.
So under my hypothetical (adjusted for 6 division games) each team in a division could end up with a record of 0-10-6, with each losing 10 non division games and each tying the 6 division games that they play.
If each tie game counts as half a win and half a loss, then adding 6 half wins and 6 half losses would give 3 wins and an extra 3 losses (ergo, Keets 3-13 record).
Applying tie breakers to each team in the division would produce the division winner, who would get a playoff spot and in a 14 game playoff field would get to host an opening round game.
To me, a division winner and playoff team with a record of 0-10-6 has more "shock value" than a one with a record of 3-13.
If however, a division winner and playoff team with a regular season record on 0-10-6 got hot and won the Super Bowl it would have a season record of 4-10-6. That is the worst possible record for a Super Bowl winner (under Keet's analysis the worst record a Super Bowl winner could have is 7-13).
I know, ....................... I know,.................... I have to much time on my hands in creating and posting to this thread.
But hey,....................... isn't sports "Analytics", with number crunching computers and really smart people looking at every statistic imaginable to assess performance and predict future performance the in thing these days????
If so, maybe my OP and posts to this thread are ahead of the curve and at the leading edge of Sports Forum evolution
Kevin, I stand corrected. you are right since I never even considered ties, 0-10-6 would be the lowest possible but also the most astronomically long odds possible. in reality, the 7-9 record of the Redskins this year is about as low as it will probably ever go, but I could see a long shot at 6-10 and an ultra long shot at 5-11. doesn't it seem like in almost every season there is one Division pushing the 8-8 possibility while another does what the AFC North did this years, three Teams right around 11-5?
this last scenario in the AFC North is interesting. assuming that Cleveland and Baltimore play at their 2020 levels, ending at 10-6 or 11-5, while the Steelers do what the Steelers always seem to do and the Bengals forge ahead with a healthy Joe Burrow, is it out of the realm of possibility that the entire Division could have some form of 10/10+ wins?? that would be strange and probably mean one of the four would stay home while a .500 Team advances.
Keets.
I never thought of going to the other end of the spectrum. You are correct. 4 teams in a division winning 10 games and three of them do not make the playoffs.
Now that you two have solved that could you help me look for my car keys?
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Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Mark.
Only if you sell me one of your proofs walkers.