The first wave of free agency cooled most offseason chatter in NFL circles, but rule change proposals became the focus as league meetings kicked off. One of the more debated proposals came from the Detroit Lions, who suggested revising playoff seeding to give higher seeds to Wild Card teams with better records than division winners.
This would change the format introduced in 2002, where division winners automatically get home games. That system showed flaws in Week 18 when the Lions hosted the Vikings. Both teams had identical 14-2 records, making the game a battle for the top NFC seed. However, the loser would drop to the No. 5 seed, losing home-field playoff advantage.
With the Lions winning that contest, it seemed odd for them to suggest a rule change. But it turns out the idea wasn’t originally theirs. Instead, it came through a process involving the league office and could lead to a major shift during the Spring League Meetings in May.
Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman reported that the NFL actually asked the Lions to propose the change. Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown criticized the playoff format before the Vikings game, suggesting a 14-win team on the road didn’t make sense, and that division champs should make the playoffs but not necessarily host games.
St. Brown’s comments may have influenced the league more than he realized. NFL EVP Troy Vincent heard his take and reached out to Lions president Rod Wood, requesting the team submit the proposal during the owners’ meetings. Wood agreed, putting the idea on the table for discussion in May.
The NFL has reasons to consider the change. That Week 18 Lions-Vikings game averaged 28.5 million viewers—third most since NBC regained NFL rights in 2006. But it deprived the league of a potential rematch in the NFC title game, due to the existing seeding rules.
The Commanders helped create a better playoff path by winning in the Wild Card round, setting up a Lions matchup. But had Tampa Bay won instead, the Lions-Vikings rematch would have come earlier. However, the Vikings lost to the Rams in the Wild Card, making that scenario irrelevant.
Still, the current setup impacted the Lions too. A loss would’ve meant facing the same three-game road gauntlet the Vikings were handed. That seems unfair for any 14-win team, and it could be the Lions facing the same fate in the near future.
With the NFC North improving overall, Detroit realizes this scenario could repeat. Now the challenge is adjusting the rule while keeping division titles meaningful. One fix could be playoff qualification for division winners, but home-field based solely on record. Another might only allow Wild Cards to host if the division champ has a .500 or worse record.
The coming weeks will involve deep debates as the NFL weighs the pros and cons. But both sides seem to want change, and a significant update could be on the horizon when the league gathers in Eagan, Minnesota next month.