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There seemed to be a concerted effort to change the NFL playoff seeding, eliminating the home-field advantage of divisional winners, but the Detroit Lions, who introduced the rule change, have decided to withdraw it.
Detroit reportedly withdrew its proposal as a result of a lack of support as long as the NFL stays with a 17-game schedule.
“There’s been significant discussion about reseeding the playoff format once the NFL moves to an 18-game schedule — which would likely lead to changes in the overall schedule format, especially with conference games carrying more weight. But for now, with a 17-game schedule in 2025, no major changes are coming. Not enough support,” Ari Meirov posted on X, formerly Twitter.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler similarly posted that the Lions' proposal “did not have legs,” but there is acknowledgment among team officials that playoff reseeding “will be needed down the line” if or when the league adds an 18th game.
As for now, the traditional playoff seeding remains, which rewards the four division champions in each conference with the top four seeds in the playoffs regardless of record. This has caused some odd moments in the past, such as the 2010 season, when the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks, who won the NFC West, hosted the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, who went 11-5 but finished in second in the NFC South, for a Wild Card matchup. The Seahawks ultimately won the game 41-36.
This past season, the greatest disparity came from the NFC. The Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders went 14-3 and 12-5, respectively, but earned only Wild Card spots because the first-seeded Detroit Lions won the NFC North with a 15-2 record, and the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC East with a 14-3 record. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams, the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively, each went 10-7 and hosted first-round playoff games against teams with better records than them.
While the Lions' proposal will not be relevant this season, an 18-game season seems all but confirmed at some point over the next few years. At that point, it would be unsurprising to see Detroit or another team suggest something similar in regards to playoff reseeding.
