I put in the original rankings at the top of the thread:
2002 NFC Playoff Rankings:
1. Philadelphia
2. Tampa Bay
3. Green Bay
4. San Francisco
5. Atlanta
6. NY Giants
OUT: New Orleans, Seattle, St. Louis, Washington, Carolina, Minnesota, Arizona, Dallas, Chicago, Detroit
My source, ESPN.com, still maintains that Atlanta is #5.
In post 39, nypokerface reasoned that the Giants should be #5 over Atlanta because the Giants have the better record.
In post 51, I corrected myself, accepting nypokerface's reasoning and moving the Giants to #5.
In post 76, beaureguard said that Atlanta is #5 over the Giants because Atlanta beat the Giants 17-10 in New York in Week 5.
In post 84, jpl asked that the Giants would be moved to #5 over Atlanta.
In post 90, I questioned beaureguard's reasoning, questioning whether the head-to-head matchup has any relevance if one team has a better record.
However, it is unlikely (though possible) that a major source such as ESPN.com is wrong. beaureguard's proposition in post 76 sounds reasonable, but I am going to need to find official rules and stats and all to settle this debate. NFL.com is giving me grief, and I have a meeting to attend soon, so I will let you guys have at it for a while. If you can link me to an something official, all the better.