NFL Owners Unanimously Approve 16-Team Playoff Contingency Plan

NFL owners have unanimously approved a plan to expand the playoffs from 14 to 16 teams as a contingency for the COVID-19 pandemic, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 

The changes would only occur if "meaningful games are canceled" as a result of the coronavirus.

Only two games have been postponed this year on account of COVID-19 outbreaks, both of which have already been made up, but it could be more difficult to reschedule games once teams complete their byes.

Pelissero previously provided a breakdown of what would have to happen to avoid any changes to the playoff structure:

The initial proposal called for the reseeding of each team according to record. In the event this plan is implemented, however, the eight division winners would still earn a top-four seed in each conference, which follows the traditional format.

This year already features an expanded postseason with the move from 12 to 14 playoff berths, but the contingency adds even more possibilities and aims to give teams a fair shake if games are permanently scratched.

Last week, half of the league (16 teams) dealt with positive COVID-19 tests, many of which resulted in putting players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Ben Roethlisberger and three other Pittsburgh Steelers players were added to the list Tuesday, per a statement from the team.

The pandemic continues to envelop the United States with over 100,000 new cases in four of the last five reported days, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.