National Football League Wild Card Championships

The National Football League has, without a doubt, the best playoff structure of any of the big four pro sports in North America.

The NBA and NHL reward too many mediocre teams with playoff berths by allowing 16 teams to qualify for the postseason. MLB allows too few teams as just eight teams qualify for the baseball playoffs.

The NFL Plaoyffs are set up perfectly!

Back in 1970 the greatest NFL Commissioner of all time, Pete Rozelle, instituted the Wild Card Playoff system that fans enjoy today. The eight divisional leaders plus the two teams with the next best record in the NFC and AFC are rewarded with playoff berths.

Wild Card Championship History

Through the first decade of the NFL Wild Card format the teams that made it into the playoffs with a wild card berth were basically whipping posts. That all changed during the Super Bowl XL tournament when the Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles and became the first Super Bowl Champions that started the playoffs as a wild card team.

The Raiders were led by upstart quarterback Jim Plunkett, running back Mark  van Eeghen, wide receiver Cliff Branch and tight Raymond Chester on offense. The Raiders defense was one of the most feared in their day and one of the greatest of all time. Led by Ted “Mad Stork” Hendricks, Lester Hayes and Mike Davis they were a punishing unit that not only wanted to stop teams but also bust them up in the process.

After the Raiders break through in Super Bowl XL the wild card teams went silent until Super Bowl XXXII when the Denver Broncos won the first of their back-to back Super Bowl Championships as a wild card team. Since the Broncos win in 1998, The Baltimore Ravens (2001), the Pittsburgh Steelers (2006) and the New York Giants (2008) have all won the Super Bowl from the Wild Card position.

2010 NFL Wild Card Payoff Contenders AFC

We see the 2010 NFL Wild Card chase as being one of the wildest races ever. In the AFC the battle will be between three teams. The New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans are all poised to make a playoff run as a wild card team.

Of those three teams the Texans have the toughest road as their 2010 opponents had a 140-116 combined record during the 2009 season. The Bengals opponents went 138-118 while the Jets opponents went 128-128. With Revis Island open once again in New York, the Jets will come away with one of the Wild Card berths in the AFC and the Texans will make the postseason party for the first time in their history as the other wild card team.

2010 NFL Wild Card Payoff Contenders NFC

The situation in the NFC is much more muddied than in the AFC. At least five teams have a real shot at representing the NFC as a wild card team. This is how we see things shaking out in the the wide open National Football Conference.

Get yourself strapped in because the 2010 NFL Playoff chase will be a wild ride, we can’t wait!