A new proposal in the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations would add one additional playoff team to each conference. Instead of the top six teams in each conference making it, a seventh team in the AFC and NFC would qualify. Only the No. 1 seed would earn a bye into the divisional round.
If the new proposal takes place, it’s a big change to the NFL postseason. And had it been in place in the recent past, it might have radically altered the course of the Detroit Lions.
Back in 2017, the Lions would have qualified for the No. 7 and final spot in the postseason. Their 9-7 record edged out the Seattle Seahawks on a tiebreaker. Being the No. 7 seed would have drawn the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round.
The Lions had already vanquished the Vikings in Minnesota that season. A postseason rematch would have given head coach Jim Caldwell’s team a shot at the elusive playoff victory, one that might have allowed Caldwell to remain as the head coach.
We can never know if Caldwell winning a playoff game after 2017 would have kept him in place as the head coach. But it’s an interesting thought as to how the new proposal could have a radical difference on the fates of so many.
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