Home alone won't bring playoff win

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2006 | by Larry Weisman

Ah, the comforts of home.

Sleeping in one's own bed. No long trip by air. Familiar locker room. The support of the raucous fans.

Home-field advantage in the playoffs is one of the perks NFL teams covet and work hard to attain. Posting the conference's best record assures not only one game in the cozy confines but a bye week as well. Should the top seed prevail in its divisional round matchup, it plays for a Super Bowl berth at home as well.

This is big. Really big. Isn't it?

"It's everything," says Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. "They've got that word 'advantage' in there for a reason."

Hmph. Another rookie mistake.

The NFL went to the 12-team postseason format in 1990, and in that 15-year stretch, only eight No.1...