Lions' Playoff Situation Could Lead to NFL Rule Change Next Season
The Detroit Lions are sitting comfortably this weekend while almost every other team in the NFL playoffs fights to keep their season going. Detroit earned this rest thanks to its victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18, which pushed the Vikings down to the No. 5 seed despite owning the third-best record in the NFC.
The result of that one loss has stirred conversation around the league on the NFL's unique playoff seeding structure, which reserves the top four seeds and home playoff games exclusively for division winners. And it turns out the Lions-Vikings situation may play a role in a rule change this upcoming offseason.
NFL may look into changing the playoff format this offseason, per @NFLonCBS
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 11, 2025
With Top 4 teams and win % get a home game instead of division winners pic.twitter.com/PdU6h3CVxU
"The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format." - @jjones9 👀 pic.twitter.com/wpbam29Y5m
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 11, 2025
CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported on Saturday that the league will look into potential playoff structure changes in the spring. Jones notes one possible option includes the top four teams and win percentage determining who gets home-field advantage, instead of division standings.
This would be a bold, but welcomed change, at least by some fans. After all, the 2025 playoffs featured three matchups where the team with the worst record was home due to division titles holding so much weight.
Considering this alteration from the Lions' side, it has both benefits and drawbacks. If Detroit keeps winning NFC North titles over the next several years, it can guarantee its division mates a much tougher playoff path in the current format by making the No. 5 seed the highest attainable standing going into the postseason.
However, should the Lions slip up at any point and this change was enacted, Detroit could still earn something like the No. 3 or 4 seed and host a playoff game. With how hotly contested the NFC North is, and projects to be moving forward, having some leeway may benefit the Lions, who won't have it easy repeating as division champs.
It could've been the Lions as the No. 5 seed over Wild Card Weekend under the current format if Week 18 went any differently, so a format that insulates the team from a disaster scenario like that in the future is certainly worth considering.
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