Pride of Detroit
After making some tweaks to their playoff seeding proposal, the Detroit Lions decided to nix the whole thing.
The Detroit Lions have withdrawn their proposal to revise NFL playoff seeding rules, which aimed to prioritize regular-season records over division titles to determine playoff positions. This initiative sought to address scenarios like the 2024 season, where the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings, despite their strong record, were seeded fifth and had to play on the road, while division winners—like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams last season—hosted games with lesser records.
After tweaking their initial change, the Lions’ proposal suggested that after the first playoff round, teams would be reseeded based on overall records, allowing higher-performing Wild Card teams to potentially host games over division winners.
Despite adjustments to the proposal, including maintaining initial seeding for division winners and only reseeding in later rounds, the Lions ultimately decided to retract the proposal before it reached a vote—unlike the pending decision to ban the Tush Push. The Lions decision to back out from the rule change underscores the complexities involved in altering long-standing playoff structures in a league that, for the most part, has it figured out when it comes to rewarding divisional play. The challenges of balancing competitive fairness with traditional league frameworks is a tricky one to strike.
While the proposal did not advance, it has sparked ongoing discussions about playoff fairness and the potential for future reforms that could better reflect team performances throughout the regular season.
