in 2012, the playoffs were expanded again so that two wild card teams face off in a one game wild card round to determine which team advances to the division series, with the playoffs then continuing as it had before 2012 ( though with the possibilty of a fifth seed being in the playoffs and a fourth seed being out ) after the end of the wild card round.

Minutes after the final line of the Orioles win was shown, Evan Longoria hit a walk off home run, to complete their playoffs comeback and win the wild card birth.

It was closed on Sunday, January 20, 2002, a day after the Bears lost in the playoffs.

Then, after the team appeared in the playoffs in 1990, Paul Brown died.

Chicago halted St. Louis ' run to the playoffs by taking 4 of 5 games from the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in early September, after which the hapless Cubs finally won their first division title in 14 years.

Star receiver Michael Irvin was suspended by the league for the first five games of 1996 following a drug-related arrest ; he came back after the Cowboys started the season 2-3 ; they finished 10-6 and won the NFC East title, but were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs 26-17 by the second-year Carolina Panthers.

Gailey led the team to two playoff appearances with a 10 – 6 record in 1998 and an NFC East championship, but the Cowboys were defeated in the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals 20-7 ; after an 8 – 8 season in 1999 ( during which Irvin suffered a career-ending spinal injury in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles ) ending in another playoff loss ( this time to the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 ), he was fired and became the first Cowboys coach who did not take the team to a Super Bowl.

They failed to make the playoffs after losing at Philadelphia in the final regular season game which saw the Eagles reach the playoffs instead.

Only a year after making the Finals, the Red Wings finished a distant fifth, 24 points out of the playoffs.

They advanced to the third round of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs after defeating the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks both in six games, coming back three straight after the Sharks ' 2 – 1 series lead.

During the playoffs, Joe Louis Arena is generally adorned with a giant octopus with red eyes, nicknamed " Al " after Joe Louis Arena head ice manager Al Sobotka.

The Texans participated in the playoffs for the first and only time at the end of the 2011 season, after having clinched the South Division title and qualifying as the AFC's third seed.

On November 4, 2007 the Patriots defeated the Colts 24 – 20 ; in the next matchup on November 2, 2008, the Colts won 18 – 15 in a game that was one of the reasons the Patriots failed to make the playoffs ; in the 2009 meeting, the Colts staged a spirited comeback to beat the Patriots 35 – 34 ; in the most recent 2010 game, the Colts almost staged another comeback, pulling within 31 – 28 after trailing 31 – 14 in the fourth quarter, but fell short due to a Patriots interception of a Manning pass late in the game.

In the playoffs Baltimore advanced to the AFC title game after a 20 – 3 rout of the Cleveland Browns, whereas Miami survived a double-overtime nailbiter against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL awards ceremony after the conclusion of the playoffs.

Tice was named the permanent coach after the season, but he would not lead the Vikings back to the playoffs until 2004.

The Vikings became the second team in football history to miss the playoffs after getting off to a 6 – 0 start.

Pete Carroll, Parcells's successor, would also take the team to the playoffs twice in 1997 & 1998 before being dismissed as head coach after the 1999 season.

In his first year, he took the team to the 2001 playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings a week after beating the St. Louis Rams for the team's first ever playoff win.

In 2003, the Saints again missed the playoffs after finishing 8 – 8.

The Mets continued playing well after 1986 and won the division in 1988, but lost the playoffs that year and declined into the 1990s.

They then defeated the Bears 29 – 21 in the Divisional playoffs, before falling to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship, losing 34 – 14.

Following Unitas ' departure, the Colts would make the playoffs three consecutive season from 1975 to 1977, losing in the divisional round each time.

Indianapolis began the season with a 3 – 4 record, but would go onto win nine consecutive games to end the season at 12 – 4 and make in into the playoffs as a wild card team, eventually losing to the Chargers during the wild card round.

The team failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and experienced their first losing season in four years.

The team advanced to the playoffs four times before appearing in Super Bowl XX in January 1986, losing to the Chicago Bears.

Since 1968, the Jets have appeared in the playoffs thirteen times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.

The Mets missed the playoffs on the last day of the regular season in 2007 and 2008 and posted a losing record from 2009-2011.

The Mets did not fare any better in 2010, finishing with a losing record and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

In the 2010 season, the Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to earn a spot in the playoffs with a losing record ( 7 – 9,. 438 ); that year, 7 teams in the NFL with a record of 7 – 9 or better did not make the playoffs, including two 10 – 6 teams.

The Bills advanced to their third consecutive Super Bowl after posting an 11-5 regular season record, but entered the playoffs as a wild card after losing tiebreakers.

The loss caused the Bills to finish with an 11-5 record, losing out on the AFC East title to the Miami Dolphins based on tie-breaking rules, and thus making them a wild card team for the playoffs.

After winning Super Bowl II after the 1967 regular season, the Packers became a losing team for much of the 1970s and 1980s, only making the playoffs in 1972 and the strike-shortened 1982 season.

In 2009 the Pierce Brahmas won the American Pacific Conference, losing in the first round of bowl playoffs to the National Champs Mt.

Kile went 16 – 11 in 2001, and the Cardinals made the playoffs again, losing to the eventual world champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS.

The Surf continued their success finishing 51-43 ( 4th overall record ) and once again in the playoffs, this time losing to the Quebec Capitales 3 games to 1 in the opening round.

He was replaced by Neil Fiala, who led the team to a West Division title in 2000 before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Evansville Otters.

However, playing in a division where the same three teams — the Flyers, Capitals and Islanders — made the playoffs every year for six years running meant that the Devils found themselves in a losing battle with the Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins for the division's last playoff spot.

It was the Isles ' first losing season and the first time they had missed the playoffs since their second year of existence.

The Rangers played a legendary semifinal series against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1973 – 74 playoffs, losing in 7 games and becoming the first of the " Original Six " to lose a playoff series to an 1967 expansion team.

As was the case two seasons prior, the Flyers became decimated by injuries, the most significant of which was losing Kerr for the remainder of the playoffs.

The veteran team narrowly missed the playoffs, despite having a losing record at 36 – 46.