As anticipated, NFL owners voted on Tuesday to approve the expansion of the postseason to 14 teams.
The vote was initially scheduled to take place at the NFL annual league meeting which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the approval came via conference call and required a yes vote from three-quarters of the 32 owners.
With the expanded format, 43.7 percent of all NFL teams will qualify for the postseason.
Only the No.1 seed in each conference will get a postseason bye. Not only is that a huge advantage, but it should make the weeks leading up to the postseason that much more exciting.
Here’s how it will look:
Wild Card Round
- No. 1 seed: Bye
- No. 2 vs. No. 7
- No. 3 vs. No. 6
- No. 4 vs. No. 5
Divisional Round
- No. 1 seed vs. lowest remaining seed
- Winners of the other two games that aren’t lowest remaining seed
Championship Game
- Winners of divisional playoff games
According to NFL.com, Wild Card Weekend will include three games Saturday, Jan. 9 and another three games Sunday, Jan. 10. CBS will broadcast Saturday’s games, as well as live-stream on CBS All Access. A separately-produced telecast, tailored for a younger audience, will air on Nickelodeon.
Sunday’s NBC games will also be aired on the network’s streaming service, Peacock, as well as Telemundo.
Rule changes and other football matters are currently set to be discussed at a May 19 meeting with head coaches and general managers.
