Eagles

NFL Owners Approve Expanded Playoff Format

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Mar 31st, 2020 · 2:19 PM EDT

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The NFL playoff system was not broken and did not need fixing. It certainly did not need expansion, but we’re gonna get it anyway, via a 14-team bracket that will be implemented this season:

The NFL owners have confirmed, via a vote on today’s teleconference, that there will be expanded playoffs after the 2020 season, source said. Expected and now official. One more team per conference.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 31, 2020

Tom Pelissero says wild card weekend will include three games on Saturday and three games on Sunday, which I guess is pretty cool. More football is always a good thing, I guess my gripe is that it felt like the 12-team bracket was close to perfect already and that this is just a way for owners to put more money in their pocket.

Whatever, let’s do a short exercise –

If this playoff bracket was used in 2019, we would have had a NFC setup looking like this:

Good deal for San Fran, bad deal for Green Bay, who went 13-3 and would have to play on wild card weekend. In the AFC, Pittsburgh would have slid in there at 8-8 as the #7 seed.

One team this should benefit is the Dallas Cowboys, who can now suck their way into the postseason at 8-9, only to lose a first round road game.

Time’s yours.