When National Football League owners heard arguments last spring for the two extra wild-card games, they were told they were in a fight with college football for the entertainment dollar.
College football had 19 postseason bowl games. Pro football had nine playoff games. When the amount of money was mentioned for adding the two extra games, there was no hesitation.
”Very little dialogue,” Saints President Jim Finks recalled.
Now that the wild-card weekend is here, the NFL again has demonstrated it knows how to package its product. Instead of watering down the postseason, the league has enhanced it. Instead of a lost weekend with two wild-card games featuring four also-ran teams, they have a weekend with matchups to rival the traditionally outstanding divisional playoffs.
If it is unfair for two division champions-the Bears and Cincinnati Bengals-to have to play in the first round, the new format also provided late- season interest in more cities than ever.
With the Bears, San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants running away with their division titles in the NFC, the only drama of December was which two would gain the first-week byes.
The additional wild-card spot also kept ticket interest in Seattle, New Orleans, Houston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Dallas until the final weekend. Philadelphia and Washington also went to the wire to decide home field.
The Saints saved the league the embarrassment of a sub .500 team advancing by kicking a field goal with two seconds left Monday night to finish 8-8-and finish Dallas. The league can argue that two winning teams-Pittsburgh and Seattle, both 9-7-still failed to make the playoffs.
Since the advent of two wild cards per conference in 1978, the wild-card weekend has seemed to be no more than a preliminary for the real playoffs. Now the postseason begins in earnest Saturday and Sunday with four matchups all featuring interesting story lines:
1. WASHINGTON AT PHILADELPHIA. Does anybody realize the Eagles are the No. 1 rushing team in the league? With quarterback Randall Cunningham leading them with 942 yards, they beat out the Bears.
They also beat up the Redskins so badly in their Oct. 21 encounter that players were taunting the Redskins` sideline, asking if they brought enough body bags.
”If we win this one, in my opinion, it`s downhill from here, because this is the toughest matchup,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher said. The Eagles have won eight of their last 10 games and might be the hottest team in the playoffs.
2. KANSAS CITY AT MIAMI. The Chiefs last made a cameo playoff appearance in 1986. The Dolphins last appeared in 1985.
The AFC has looked so good this year that even its two wild-card entrants have a legitimate chance to get to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs beat the Dolphins 27-24 in the 1989 season finale, with Kansas City`s Christian Okoye running for 96 yards and Miami`s Dan Marino throwing for 300 yards.
3. HOUSTON AT CINCINNATI. A rematch of the Bengals` 40-20 victory two weeks ago. The Oilers won 48-17 Oct. 14 in Houston.
This is a test of the outdoor, cold-weather ability of the run-and-shoot offense.
”Detroit went up to Green Bay a couple weeks ago and beat them in frozen weather, so I don`t think you can say cold weather or wet weather is a unique problem for the run-and-shoot,” Houston offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said.
Cincinnati running back James Brooks may be a bigger problem for the Oilers. He rushed for 201 yards last time, with runs of 45, 56 and 40 yards.
”We were very embarrassed by what he did,” said Houston rush man Ezra Johnson.
More Top Picks Whole House Fans
4. SAINTS AT BEARS. Who says the playoffs are for passing teams? The Saints have the 26th-ranked passing offense in the league, the Bears the 28th- ranked passing offense.
”What`s the weather like up there?” Finks asked Friday night.
Cold and four inches of snow expected.
”Great,” Finks said. ”Saints weather. When do they turn the water on the field?”