NFL owners will convene for a conference call Tuesday, and one topic up for discussion will be the long-rumored 14-team playoff bracket. Unsurprisingly, the owners are expected to ratify the change to the league’s playoff-qualification setup, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports.
Unlike the 17-game season, the postseason expansion would take place beginning in 2020. The uncertainties, however, stem from when the two extra games will be played and which network(s) will air them. Regardless, these games will create additional revenue that will impact future salary caps.
Rumors of the additional playoff games heading to Monday night have surfaced, though that would obviously be a tough sell for coaches due to the quick turnaround in advance of divisional-round games. The league could use both Saturday and Sunday tripleheaders as well. This season will likely use the latter setup, though Peter King of NBC Sports notes the league has discussed a 2-3-1 setup involving a Monday game and should be expected to revisit that schedule in the future.
Only one team in each conference will earn a bye, which certainly opens the door to a team benefiting from a favorable schedule and having a major advantage. No team without a playoff bye has qualified for a Super Bowl since the 2012 Ravens did so.
During the 2010s, only three teams went from the wild-card round to the Super Bowl — the 2012 Ravens, 2011 Giants and 2010 Packers. It happened only three times during the 1990s (the ’92 Bills, ’97 Broncos and ’99 Titans) as well. During the 2000s, though, six teams (the 2000 Ravens, ’03 Panthers, ’05 Steelers, ’06 Colts, ’07 Giants and ’08 Cardinals) made the Super Bowl after playing in Round 1.
The NFL has used the 12-team playoff format for the past 30 years. Under the previous setup, used from 1978-89, 10 teams qualified. From 1970-77, four teams from each conference advanced to the postseason. The NFL will have gone from a zero-bye format during the ’70s to a three-bye ’80s bracket to two in the modern era to one in the 2020s. The only deviation came in 1982, when a players’ strike shortened the season to nine games. The playoffs then became a 16-team bracket.
Boooooooo
I hope the owners reconsider, we don’t need to water down the playoffs by adding a mediocre team in each conference each tear
So the 7-9 Raiders or 7-9 cowboys will be a playoff team. Fantastic.
As a Cowboys fan, I’d say don’t worry about it. We’ll find a way to mess this up too lol.
I don’t want to see a “Cinderella” team in the SB. It’s nice in Final Four, but we want to see the 2 best teams in reality.
So you wouldn’t root for your team if it squeaked into the playoffs then made a run to the Super Bowl? I think it’s a fair move. You have to win your conference in the regular season to earn the bye.
No
This is an issue where you take off your homer hat. Because if your team were 0-fer but still were in a playoff and won you’d be ecstatic. But for the enjoyment and integrity of the games the purpose if a playoff system is that the regular season matters, diluting the playoffs negates that.
How incredibly boring that would be be.
the best part about this is one less bye. id love to see no byes. no team should have a bye.
So how does the players union feel about this? Or does that not matter into the equation?
Pretty sure it was part of the just-approved CBA. If I’m wrong, somebody please correct me.
Awful
Bad idea, motivated solely by greed.
Geez the wild card weekend usually is one sided games…and most played poorly. Water it down and it’s just a total joke… owners your greedy side is showing again
Complaints from fans on seeing more meaningful games leading up to playoffs and the chance to see more playoff football? Come on man!
Not thrilled about this change. The structure already benefits teams that dominate a weak division.
How could anyone not be excited about game officials getting two additional chances to f__k up and cost a team a win?