I imagine they are thrilled with how it turned out, but there was a real possibility of colluding to tie in a nationally televised game. As someone on Twitter pointed out, if nothing else these guys get hefty bonus checks if the team makes the wildcard game. I'd have to imagine a real discussion was had about conceding a tie to avoid the risk of a loss.
And as for altering the rules for the last game, I'm kind of surprised there isn't more discussion about going EPL style and all playing at once. It seems to me a competitive advantage to know what you have to do to get in. I know it will never happen because they have to maximize viewership, but it seems unfair that some teams know what they have to do to get in while some don't.