The Value of Playoff Seeding

The value of playoff seeding in the NFL Playoffs is being displayed more then ever this year. This weekend the AFC divisional match ups are set with the Bills against the Chiefs and Titans playing the Bengals.

Every team that makes the playoffs earned it, but the week 18 games that people said did not matter for the Chiefs definitely did. The chiefs lost to the Bengals week 18 34-31 which clinched the 2 seed for them.

Now they have to play the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the playoffs, who look like the most dangerous team with their explosive offense. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes each threw for 5 touchdowns in the first round of the playoffs and there reward is meeting each other in the next round.

The scenario could not be worse for the Chiefs and Bills, because the Titans are getting back Derrick Henry and have a match up against a young Bengals team. Sometimes the playoffs aren’t who you play but when you play that team.

The NFC has a similar scenario where the Buccaneers avoided the Packers by getting the second seed. This now results in them playing the winner of the Rams and Cardinals game instead of traveling to Green Bay in the freezing cold.

Players the caliber of Tom Brady understand how difficult it is to play an away playoff game with certain match ups. This is why they make sure to clinch the seed necessary to get the easiest path.

It is easier said than done to win each week in the NFL, but playoff seeding is critical to a team’s chance in winning a super bowl. The Chiefs and Bills learned a lesson this year that they will make sure to correct in the future.