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During the NFL's annual league meeting last week, the Detroit Lions made a proposal to change the league's playoff format. The interesting thing about the proposal is that it didn't get voted down. Although the NFL's 32 owners didn't approve the change, they did agree to table the discussion until their next meeting in May.
There's still a chance that the playoff format could undergo a major change for the 2025 season and a big reason that might happen is because Roger Goodell apparently wants it to happen. Last week, the NFL commissioner said the postseason format was something that the league definitely needed to evaluate.
As things stand, it's starting to look like there are three legitimate options on the table for 2025, so let's take a look at all three.
Option 1: Approve the Lions' proposal
Under the Lions' proposal, the seven teams in each conference would still consist of four division champions and three wild-card teams. However, the big change is that the teams would be seeded by who has the best record. Under this proposal, a wild-card team could be seeded ahead of a division winner if the wild-card team has a better record.
If this proposal would have been in place in 2024, the Chargers (11-6) would have been the fourth-seed in the AFC and they would have gotten to host the fifth-seeded Texans (10-7) instead of the other way around. Also, the NFC playoff picture would have been turned upside down.
Here's what the NFC playoff seedings looked like in 2024:
1. Lions (15-2)
2. Eagles (14-3)
3. Buccaneers (10-7)
4. Rams (10-7)
5. Vikings (14-3)
6. Commanders (12-5)
7. Packers (11-6)
Here's what they would have looked like with the Lions' proposal:
1. Lions (15-2)
2. Eagles (14-3)
3. Vikings (14-3)
4. Commanders (12-5)
5. Packers (11-6)
6. Buccaneers (10-7)
7. Rams (10-7)
That's a huge shift. The Rams were the only team that came close to beating the Eagles in the playoffs and Philadelphia would have had to host them in the wild-card round. Also, the Commanders and Vikings both would have gotten to host a playoff game instead of opening the postseason on the road. That could have been huge for the Vikings, who got smoked on the road by the 10-7 Rams, 27-9.
When Goodell was asked about this proposal last week, he seemed to be enthusiastic about it.
"I thought it is a very healthy proposal and a very healthy point that we need to evaluate and continue to look at," Goodell said. "It went through many different forms. There was some great data to show that we should really look at some form or version of this."
According to Pro Football Talk, Goodell was "visibly irritated" that more teams weren't on board with a possible change.
Option 2: Approve a modified version of the Lions' proposal
When you can't get every team to agree on a rule change, that's when you start to compromise and this would be the compromise. Under this rule, the playoff format would be similar to what is now with one big exception: Division winners would still get to host a playoff game UNLESS they finished with a losing record.
If this rule had been in place last season, it wouldn't have been used. As a matter of fact, the last time it would have been utilized was 2022 when the 8-9 Buccaneers won the NFC South, which earned them the right to host the 12-5 Cowboys in the wild-card round. If this rule had been in place, the Cowboys would have gotten to host the game since Tampa Bay finished the season with a losing record.
The reason owners might like this more is because the rule wouldn't be used every year. Over the past 25 years, this rule would have only been used four times: 2010 (Seahawks win NFC West at 7-9), 2014 (Panthers win NFC South at 7-8-1), 2020 (Commanders win NFC East at 7-9) and 2022 (Buccaneers).
Goodell mentioned this compromise specifically when asked about the Lions' proposal by CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
"There was some discussion potentially about if you're .500 or less and you won that division, should you also get the home game? I think there was some interest in that also," Goodell said.
If owners aren't willing to approve the Lions' proposal, they might be more willing to vote this through.
Option 3: Keep the current playoff format
The playoff debate got heated last week and one reason for that is because there are a lot of teams and coaches who love the current format. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wants to see the NFL keep things the way they are.
"I'm a division purist," Tomlin said at the annual league meeting last week. "I love the rivalries that is division play. I love the structure of our scheduling that highlights it. I think the division winners should get a home playoff game."
If the playoff format is going to change, it would need 24 votes for that to happen, so it's unclear if Goodell will be able to convince enough owners to push the change through.
The next league meeting is scheduled for May 20-21 in Minnesota and that's when we'll find out whether there will be any changes made to the playoff format for 2025.
