After expanding the playoffs to 14 teams (seven in each conference) in 2020, the NFL has seen a new problem develop in its postseason format.
There are three teams with superior records than their opponents who will play their respective wild-card games on the road this weekend.
The league’s current format rewards division winners, regardless of record, a home playoff game and that could result in some odd-looking upsets.
However, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones on Saturday, the NFL could reevaluate that system this offseason and find a new way to reward good teams.
Jones suggested the top four teams in each conference by win percentage could be rewarded with home games but that idea has yet to be officially pitched.
He also noted team owners have not shown an appetite of late for changing the current format, potentially signaling some if not most are wary of tossing the importance of winning one’s division to the wayside.
The Minnesota Vikings (14-3, five-seed), Washington Commanders (12-5, six-seed) and Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, five-seed) all play road games this weekend against teams with just 10 wins but won their respective divisions.
If the win percentage format were to be adopted, the Vikings would either be the two or three-seed depending on variable tiebreakers the league would employ.
Washington would be the four-seed and earn the final home game in the NFC while the Green Bay Packers (11-6, seven-seed) would be the five-seed and still have to travel on wild-card weekend.
On the AFC side, the Chargers would be boosted to four-seed and essentially swapped places with their wild-card opponent in the Houston Texans (10-7, AFC South champions).
Although, it’s unclear if the game would have been able to go on as scheduled due to the ongoing wildfire situation in Los Angeles. The Rams’ home playoff game scheduled for Monday was moved to Glendale, Arizona in the wake of the worsening natural disaster.
