Report: NFL 'Will Take Another Look' at 'Potentially Changing' Playoff Bracket Format

The NFL reportedly plans on considering changes to its playoff format during the upcoming offseason.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the league "will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format," particularly in relation to seeding:

Jones noted that one possible change could see the Wild Card Round home games go to the teams with the highest winning percentage rather than division winners.

Under the current format, the team with the best record in each conference gets a first-round bye, while the other three division winners in each conference get a Wild Card Round home game against a wild-card team.

At times, that can result in a team with a better record having to go on the road to face a team with a worse record, which is the case in multiple matchups this season.

In fact, three of the six wild-card games fit in that category with the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings at the 10-7 Los Angeles Rams, the 12-5 Washington Commanders at the 10-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 11-6 Los Angeles Chargers at the 10-7 Houston Texans.

While it isn't an uncommon occurrence, there is perhaps more talk of a change this year than in previous years because of a 14-win team having to play a road game.

The Vikings and Detroit Lions battled it out all season long for superiority in the NFC North, and it came down to the final game of the 2024 regular season, which saw the Lions beat the Vikings to finish 15-2 and secure the No. 1 seed.

If the teams with the best records got a Wild Card Round home game rather than division winners, the Vikes would be the No. 3 seed and the Commanders would be the No. 4 seed, while the Bucs and Rams would be sixth and seventh.

Any change would likely still ensure that all division winners receive an automatic playoff berth, but there is perhaps some legitimacy to the idea that record should determine seeding rather than division titles.

Since every team plays a different schedule, it is impossible to have an overall apples-to-apples comparison, but winning a division is not necessarily a determining factor in whether one team is better than another from outside their division.

Sub-.500 teams have won their division in the past, and they have gotten first-round home games as a result.

Even if there is serious discussion about a change, it is not guaranteed to happen, as Jones noted that league owners have not shown an interest in altering the format in the past.