The NFL is meeting this week to discuss many potential rule changes, including what to do with the Tush Push and allowing players to participate in the 2028 Olympics.
However, one proposal will not go to a vote, as the Lions withdrew their proposal to change playoff seeding.
After Detroit had to fight until the last game of the season to win the NFL North, the organization aimed to potentially make it easier for teams with good records who didn’t win their divisions.
This doesn’t mean that the proposal will never go to vote, just that it won’t be passed ahead of the 2025 season. It is certainly possible that the Lions re-submit the proposal next year to try and get it to pass.
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Here’s a breakdown of the Lions’ proposal and why it didn’t go to vote.
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Why did Lions withdraw NFL playoff seeding proposal?
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Lions didn’t have the “necessary support” with their playoff proposal for it to pass, which is why they withdrew it before the vote. However, the proposal may be revisited at a later date, potentially when the NFL votes to add an 18th game to the schedule.
This is standard procedure, as proposals only go to vote if they have a chance at passing. For Detroit, the team couldn’t muster enough support to even get to a vote this time around.
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What was the new playoff seeding proposal?
The Lions proposed that the NFL seed the playoffs by record, regardless of whether teams won their division or not.
Last year, Detroit finished the season with an NFL-best 15-2 record, but they were at risk of not getting a top-four seed if they didn’t beat the Vikings, who were 14-3 on the year, in the final game of the season. The Lions won the game, meaning the Vikings had to play the 10-7 Rams on the road in the first round of the playoffs, which resulted in a loss.
As has been the case since the NFL went to eight divisions, the eight division winners in the top four seeds in each conference, followed by the wild-card teams. That frequently leads to wild-card matchups where a team with a worse record hosts a team with a better record in the 4-5 matchup.
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