NFL explores playoff format changes; division champions won’t be guaranteed home games: report

The Minnesota Vikings are tied for the second-best record in the NFC this year, but their first playoff game will be on the road.

That’s because the one team ahead of them is the 15-2 Detroit Lions, who defeated Minnesota in Week 18 to win the NFC North.

The Lions earned the top seed and a bye, while the Vikings traveled to Arizona to face the Los Angeles Rams. The game was originally scheduled to be held in Los Angeles, but was rescheduled due to wildfires.

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This isn’t the first time something strange has happened in the NFL playoffs. In the past, teams with seven wins have hosted wild-card rounds.

However, this may soon change.

The NFL will reconsider changing its playoff format this offseason, according to CBS Sports.

CBS’s Jonathan Jones said one of the suggestions would be to assign the top four teams based on winning percentage in their home games, rather than automatically assigning them to the division champion.

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to questions during a pre-Super Bowl press conference at Allegiant Stadium on February 5, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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If the system is in place this year, it would mean the Lions, Vikings, Eagles and Commanders would host games on one side of the NFC. For the AFC, it’s the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Chargers.

The Commanders and Chargers will face off against the Buccaneers and Texans respectively this weekend, as the latter two teams won the NFC and AFC South division titles.

However, Jones later added that team owners have not shown “much interest” in changing the format.

Before winning the division title, Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown suggested changes.

“Obviously, if you win the division, you obviously should be in the playoffs, but it’s a little crazy to have a 14-win team have to go on the road. But I guess I don’t make the rules,” he said at Time.

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to questions during a press conference before the Super Bowl on February 8, 2023 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

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The last time the playoff format changed was before the 2020 season, when the number of participating teams was expanded from 12 to 14 teams. This results in only one team in each conference getting a first-round bye, rather than two teams. This also resulted in six wild-card rounds instead of four.

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