If the pandemic hasn’t made life confusing enough, the NFL is now considering adding two teams to the playoffs following this season.
The report, by Chris Mortensen of ESPN, suggests the audible would be to take place if games are lost due to COVID-19.
The contingency, if necessary, would take 4 division champions and 4 wild card teams from each AFC and NFC.
Playoff seeds would be 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5. https://t.co/bSHoU1OAKd— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) November 2, 2020
The contingency plan — which could become more likely as bye weeks disappear — would feature eight playoff teams from each conference.
The competition committee met via video conference Monday, according to sources.
The contingency, if necessary, would take four division champions and four wild-card teams from the AFC and NFC conferences. The playoff seeds would be 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5.
The No. 1 seed in each conference would not be happy if that takes place. As currently structured with 14 teams, the top seed in the AFC and NFC would each get a bye.
If this system is implemented, the bye would go bye-bye while adding an eighth seed in each conference.