During the annual NFL League meeting last week, the Detroit lions made a proposal to change the league playoff format. The interesting thing about the proposal is that it was not voted. Although the 32 NFL owners did not approve the change, they agreed to present the discussion until their next meeting in May.
There is still the possibility that the playoffs format may undergo an important change for the 2025 season and a great reason why it could happen is because Roger Goodell apparently wants it to happen. Last week, the NFL commissioner said that the postseason format was something that the league definitely needed to evaluate.
As things are, it is beginning to seem that there are three legitimate options on the table by 2025, so we take a look at all three.
Option 1: Approve the proposal of the lions
According to the proposal of the lions, the seven teams at each conference would still consist of four division champions and three wild card teams. However, the big change is that the teams would be sown by who has the best record. According to this proposal, a wild card team could be sown before a division winner if the Commodines team has a better record.
If this proposal had been in force in 2024, the Chargers (11-6) would have been the fourth seed in the AFC and could have organized the Texans of the fifth sown (10-7) instead of the other way around. In addition, the image of the NFC playoffs would have turned upside down.
This is how the NFC playoff seeds were seen in 2024:
1. Lions (15-2)
2. Águilas (14-3)
3. Buccaneers (10-7)
4. RAMS (10-7)
5. Vikings (14-3)
6. Commanders (12-5)
7. Packers (11-6)
This is how they would have seemed to the proposal of the lions:
1. Lions (15-2)
2. Águilas (14-3)
3. Vikings (14-3)
4. Commanders (12-5)
5. Packers (11-6)
6. Buccaneers (10-7)
7. RAMS (10-7)
That is a great change. The Rams were the only team that was close to overcoming the Eagles in the playoffs and Philadelphia would have had to organize them in the Commodines Round. In addition, commanders and Vikings would have organized a playoff game instead of opening the postseason on the road. That could have been huge for the Vikings, who were smoked on the road by Rams 10-7, 27-9.
When Goodell was asked about this proposal last week, It seemed to be excited about it.
“I thought it is a very healthy proposal and a very healthy point that we need to evaluate and continue looking,” said Goodell. “It went through many different ways. There were some excellent data to show that we should really see some form or version of this.”
According to Pro Football Talk, Goodell was “visibly irritated” that more teams were not on board with a possible change.
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Option 2: Approve a modified version of the lions proposal
When they cannot make each team agree on a change of rules, it is when it begins to commit and this would be the commitment. According to this rule, the playoffs format would be similar to what is now with a big exception: the division winners could still organize a playoff game unless they ended with a losing record.
If this rule had been in force last season, it would not have been used. In fact, the last time it would have been used was 2022 when the 8-9 Buccaneers won the NFC South, which earned them the right to organize at 12-5 cowboys in the Commodines Round. If this rule had been instead, the cowboys would have been able to organize the game since Tampa Bay finished the season with a losing record.
The reason why owners might like more is because the rule would not be used every year. In the last 25 years, this rule would only have been used four times: 2010 (Seahawks win NFC West in 7-9), 2014 (Panthers won NFC South in 7-8-1), 2020 (commanders won NFC East in 7-9) and 2022 (Buccaneers).
Goodell mentioned this commitment specifically when asked about the proposal of the lions for the informant of CBS Sports Nfl Jonathan Jones.
“There was some discussion potentially about whether you are .500 or less and you won that division, should you get the game at home? I think there was also some interest in that,” said Goodell.
If the owners are not willing to approve the proposal of the lions, they could be more willing to vote this.
Option 3: Keep the current playoff format
The playoff debate warmed last week and a reason for that is because there are many teams and coaches who love the current format. The Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wants to see NFL keep things as they are.
“I am a division purist,” Tomlin said at the annual league meeting last week. “I love the rivalries that are the division game. I love the structure of our programming that highlights it. I think the winners of the division should obtain a playoff game at home.”
If the playoff format is going to change, I would need 24 votes for that to happen, so it is not clear if Goodell can convince enough owners to boost the change.
The next meeting of the League is scheduled for May 20 to 21 in Minnesota and that is when we will discover if there will be any change in the playoff format by 2025.
