The NFL officially expanded its playoffs to 14 teams -- seven in each conference -- Tuesday, adding teams to the postseason for the first time since 1990.
The previous format led to plenty of near-misses, and Aaron Schatz -- writing for ESPN and utilizing Football Outsiders' DVOA (defensive value over average) metric -- ranked the best teams who would've made the playoffs under the new rules, and the 1991 49ers earned the crown.
"A seventh seed would have also made for a great story," Schatz wrote, "because the 49ers played themselves back into contention with a third-string quarterback.