After expanding the NFL schedule to include 16 games from the previous 14 game schedule played in 1977….the 1978 NFL season provided a number of tiebreakers as follows:
New England finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better division record (6–2 to Dolphins’ 5–3).
Buffalo finished ahead of Baltimore in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
Oakland, Seattle, and San Diego finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively, in the AFC West based on better record against common opponents (6–2 to Seahawks’ 5–3 and Chargers’ 4–4).
Minnesota finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on better head-to-head record (1–0–1).
Los Angeles was the top NFC seed over Dallas based on better head-to-head record (1–0).
Detroit finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central based on better division record (4–4 to Bears’ 3–5).
Atlanta was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Philadelphia (8–4 to Eagles’ 6–6).
St. Louis finished ahead of N.Y. Giants in the NFC East based on better division record (3–5 to Giants’ 2–6)
All of these tiebreakers were the result of the new 16 game schedule…..which proved to be a more interesting format for the NFL fan….as evidenced by the 1978 playoffs.
