The initial wave of free agency tabled most of the speculation in NFL circles but rule proposals have taken center stage as the league conducts its annual meetings. One of the most controversial proposals came from the Detroit Lions where they suggested the league adjust its playoff seeding to accommodate for wild card teams who have better records than division winners.
The proposal would be a change from the format that was established in 2002 where division winners receive an automatic home game regardless of record. But the rule had its flaws when the Lions hosted the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. The game rightfully had the top seed in the NFC on the line as both teams entered with matching 14-2 records. But it also had significant consequences as the loser would fall down to the No. 5 seed and greatly reduce their chances of getting a home playoff game.
Since the Lions won, it seemed strange that they were the team to propose the change. But the Lions weren’t the original source of the idea, leading to an interesting process that could result in a major change when the league meets for the Spring League Meetings in May.
NFL Initially Suggested Lions Playoff Rule Proposal
The report comes from Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman, who says that the NFL pressed the Lions to propose the change at the end of last season. Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was a vocal critic about the NFL’s playoff rules in advance of the showdown with the Vikings and told reporters he believed the rule should be changed heading into next season.
“It’s crazy. I think the rule should be changed,” St. Brown said. “Obviously if you win the division, you should obviously make a playoff spot, but having a 14-win team having to go on the road is kind of crazy. But I guess I don’t make the rules.”
Little did St. Brown know, his comments may have actually made the rules. NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent caught wind of St. Brown’s suggestion and called Lions team president Rod Wood to make the proposal at the league’s annual owner’s meetings last month. Wood obliged and the proposal is now on the table for next month’s spring meetings.
It makes sense that the NFL would want to make a change. The Week 18 matchup between the Lions and Vikings ranked third since NBC re-acquired NFL rights in 2006 with an average of 28.5 million viewers across its platforms, but it also robbed the NFL of what could have been a marquee rematch in the NFC Championship Game.
The Washington Commanders helped the NFL by winning in the Wild Card round and setting up a divisional matchup with Detroit. But it was more likely the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have earned the win playing at home, meaning the Lions and Vikings would have met in the divisional round if the Vikings got past the Rams and the Buccaneers defeated the Commanders. (The Vikings lost to the Rams in the Wild Card round, so this was a moot point.)
But the change also had a benefit to the Lions. As a result of losing the game, the Vikings had to go on the road and face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round and would have had to have won three straight road games just to reach the Super Bowl. If the Vikings were 10-7, this would have made sense. But as a 14-win team, it would have been an unnecessary gauntlet that the Lions would have faced had they lost that game.
With the NFC North getting stronger as a whole, the Lions know that this may not be the only time they run into this rule. But the next question is how the NFL agrees to institute a new format while keeping the importance of winning your division. A simple idea is to just list the teams in order of their record and give division winners an automatic playoff spot. But another is to institute a rule where a Wild Card team would receive home-field advantage if a division winner finishes at or below .500.
It’s a process that could have some pulling their hair out as the NFL makes a decision. But it’s a rule that both sides clearly want and could lead to a big change when the league convenes in Eagan, Minn. next month.