The Minnesota Vikings are tied for the second-best record in the NFC this year, but their first playoff game is looming.
That’s because the only team ahead of them is the 15-2 Detroit Lionswho won the NFC North in Week 18 with a win over Minnesota.
The Lions earned a top seed and a bye, while the Vikings head to Arizona to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The match was originally scheduled for LA, but was moved due to wildfires.
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The NFL shield logo on the field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, November 25, 2024. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
It’s not the first oddity in the NFL playoffs. In the past, teams with seven wins have hosted wild card rounds.
However, that could soon change.
CBS Sports reports thisthe NFL will take another look at changing the playoff format this season.
CBS’ Jonathan Jones said one proposal is to give the top four teams based on home game winning percentage, rather than automatically giving them to division winners.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to a question during a pre-Super Bowl press conference at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
If that system were in place this year, it would mean the Lions, Vikings, Eagles and Commanders would host games on the NFC side. For the AFC it would be the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Chargers.
The Commanders and Chargers are on the road this weekend against the Buccaneers and Texans, respectively, as the latter two teams won the NFC and AFC South divisions.
However, Jones later added that team owners have not shown “much appetite” to change the format.
Before Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown won the division, he proposed change.
“Obviously if you win the division you obviously have to get a play-off spot, but it’s kind of crazy to go on the road with a 14-win team. But I guess I don’t make the rules.” he said at the time.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to a question during a press conference ahead of the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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The last time the playoff format was changed was prior to the 2020 season, when it was expanded from 12 to 14 teams. That resulted in only one team in each conference receiving a first-round bye, instead of two. It also led to six wildcard round games instead of four.
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