NFL will discuss expanded playoffs at March owners’ meeting

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 10, 2014, 6:26 PM EST
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The NFL will discuss expanding the playoffs when the owners meet in March.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said today that expanded playoffs were not a topic for this week’s owners’ meeting, but he does expect the Competition Committee to study the matter and the owners to discuss it at the spring league meeting.

“That’s something we will likely address in March, but not before,” Goodell said.

Goodell and several owners have expressed support for expanding the playoffs to include seven teams from each conference. Under that format, only one team in each conference would earn a first-round bye, and there would be six playoff games instead of four during the first weekend of the postseason.

Logistics of a 14-team playoff are not yet known. Would the first weekend of the postseason include three playoff games on Saturday and three on Sunday? Two on Saturday, three on Sunday and one on Monday night?

But expanding the postseason seems to be something Goodell wants to do. Probably for the 2015 season.

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47 responses to “NFL will discuss expanded playoffs at March owners’ meeting”

  4. “Player safety is of the upmost importance.

    … now lets add more opportunities for serious injury to befall worn down bodies.”

    Sincerely,
    -The N(o)F(reakin)L(ogic)

  5. Nothing like watering down the championship process, eh Rog?

    Adding another team will increase the chances of a bad team getting into the playoffs, lucking out and winning it all. People are already complaining about an NFC South team hosting a playoff game with what could be a 6-10 record. What if a team with a record like that wins the SB over a few bad calls by the officials?

  7. The playoffs are perfect now. Why does Goodell need to come in and change everything? The greed will kill the NFL, the Dallas Mavs owner was right.

  8. The only change to the playoff format that ought to be made is instead of division winners automatically getting a home game, teams 3-6 are re-seeded according to record, with the teams with the best records getting home-field advantage on wild-card weekend.

  9. This is something which cannot be done without the agreement of the NFLPA. Which means that the NFLPA just acquired massive leverage against Mr. Goodell on the Personal Conduct Policy.

    Of course, if the NFLPA wanted to play dirty, they could call union meetings during the week before a playoff game, e.g.

  11. Agree with shlort. Adding another playoff team is a terrible idea.

    Instead, simply make teams with non-winning records ineligible for the playoffs. If, as is likely in this year’s NFC South, no team has a record above 0.500 (8-7-1 = 0.531) then then next best team in that conference becomes the third wild-card. The first wild-card becomes the 4 seed and gets to host a home playoff game.

    I still think division winners should get the reward of a home playoff game but if they’re not even god enough to have a winning record then they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs at all.

    NBA has too many teams in the playoffs with the result that the first round is a bunch of mediocre teams getting blown out by far superior competition.

  16. They will keep adding to the playoffs until they can get the Cowboys in.Thank God it’s not Washington or they would have to let everybody in the playoffs.

  19. Us Bills fans want the playoffs expanded to 32 teams

    we would probably somehow miss out again

  20. To heck with 7 teams, make it 8. The playoff bye is BS. Win 3 to get to the SB.
    And WHY don’t the teams have 2 bye weeks during the season? Better for player health and safety, an extra week of meaningful games for fans, and more $$ for the owners.

  22. Makes me think of Manziel and his stupid money gesture. It’s all about the money. Dumb idea!

  24. Dallas or Philadelphia could get left out at 11-5 while a 6-10 or 5-10-1 wins the NFC South. Also the AFC could have a 10-6 team or two not get in. If that happens playoff expansion is a lock.

  25. This is another bad idea. They pay Goodell 44 million for coming up with this bad idea? I can do it for alot less. Hey, how about expanding the playoffs to include the top 2 teams in each division, plus wildcards. More playoff games, more money. See I just did it.

  26. Oh no! nuh uh! I say go for the expanded playoffs to shut some folks up who keeps talking about the NFC south every week!! That way? teams with good records that keep being left out? can finally get in. So yeah, I say go for it!!

  27. This is a great idea and long overdue. The league expanded to 32 teams over a decade ago while the playoffs have remained unchanged. Time to add the 7th team in each conference and make the second best team play instead of getting a bye. When did that ever make sense?

  29. All these comments about teams with good records getting left out.
    1) It does not happen that often
    2) Take a look at who the teams at risk of being left out played. Might some of them have nicer looking records because they lucked into playing the NFC South this year?

  30. You’re going to have a 6 win team HOSTING a playoff game and you want to expand the playoffs?

    The NFC South is proof the playoffs should remain 6 teams per conference.

  31. Stupid. So when good teams clinch a playoff spot in week 7 and play their scrubs in week 14 already(they do now at week 16 & 17) will they lower ticket prices? Considering they darn near double for playoffs it only seems logical right?

    I for one am already sick and tired of getting rammed on preseason tickets. NFL, get your head out of your ____.

  34. One thing that makes the NFL so awesome and unique is that each games is almost always a huge deal! If you start expanding the playoffs then each regular season game has less importance. Think of baseball or basketball. Do you really care if your team loses ONE game? Not really.

    Add games? No!

    Add teams to playoffs? Hell No!

  36. If there’s money to be made for the owners by Goodell, then he’s “all in” — even if it means a less quality league with fewer undeserved playoff teams qualifying.

    When does the greed stop and integrity begins?

  38. NFL owners are destroying the game. They have too much power over the direction of the league. The league should be independent of the teams. Owners just have the privilege of being the individual owner of a team and should not have the power to change the league in ways that destroy the Integrety, history, fun and future of the game. There should be a separate committee independent of owner corruption. (Not goddell)! Guiding the league. A dictatorship is the worst thing that has happened to the NFL.

  41. Just do 2 divisions per conference and the playoff picture would be clear…er. But isn’t the piont of playing a season is that only the good teams (select few) make it to the playoffs?

  43. Once again Goddell in his never ending pursuit of the “Casual”fan,totally ruins the Game at the expense of the Real Fans. You have a Division where a team with a sub 500 record will probably be the Winner,and they want to EXPAND the Playoffs? Brilliant

  44. Oh, this is definitely happening. The NFL owners will continue to twist out every last dollar they can from this cow because most of them know they’ll be dead before the dilution takes over. I guess as long as suckers are buying PSL’s and paying $50 for parking, there’s not stopping this bull.

  45. They’re not doing it for money. The Lich Lord sees it as the only way his team can make the playoffs.

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