About this time every year, lots of NFL fans want to know about the tiebreaker system.
For the Carolina Panthers this season, I keep getting the same question from readers. If Carolina was to falter down the stretch and end up in a tie with Arizona, why would the Cardinals win the tiebreaker and the No. 1 NFC playoff seed?
The answer is simple. Carolina (13-0) and Arizona (11-2) don’t play each other in the regular season. If the teams were tied at the end of the regular season on Jan. 3 – it could only happen at either 13-3 or 14-2 – then the next tiebreaker would be record against other teams in the NFC.