Part of why the Week 18 game between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings was so big was what it meant for the loser. The loser would be a 14-win Wild Card team, which is obviously rare, and they'd also be the No.5 seed and go on the road in the first round.
Heading into that game, when asked about there being a 14-win team that'd go on the road in the Wild Card Round. Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown called for the playoff seeding rules to change.
“It’s crazy. I think the rule should be changed,” St. Brown said. “Obviously if you win the division, you should obviously make a playoff spot, but having a 14-win team having to go on the road is kind of crazy. But I guess I don’t make the rules. Hopefully we can get a win and get home-field advantage, but whatever happens, we both have a spot in the playoffs, so we might see each other again after this game.”
It was obviously a moot point for the Lions after a decisive 31-9 win over the Vikings in the regular season finale. And the wildfire situation in Southern California has moved Monday night's game between the Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams to Arizona, which stands to diminish any home field advantage the Rams would have had, but the idea of seeding playoff teams by win total or win percentage stands. Right now, the four division winners are automatically the top four seeds in each conference.
Report: NFL may change playoff seeding rules
On the network's pregame show on Saturday, CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones said the NFL will look into changing the playoff format.
"The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format,” Jones said. “Maybe, the top four teams in win percentage get a home game instead of division winners.”
"The NFL will take another look this offseason at potentially changing the playoff format." - @jjones9 👀 pic.twitter.com/wpbam29Y5m
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 11, 2025
Such a change would be subject to consideration and possibly put to a vote at league owners meetings. The first of those meetings this offseason are scheduled from March 30-April 2. The playoff format will surely be talked about, with plenty of people who think it should be changed. But Jones landed on the bottom line about the uphill climb for it to actually be changed, this offseason or anytime soon.
"Team owners haven’t shown much of an appetite for changing, though,” Jones said.