The NFL has already taken drastic measures to ensure the best teams in the league are included in the postseason by expanding the playoff field from six teams to seven. Now, there is talk that the league may be further investigating ways to adjust and potentially improve the playoff seeding format, but there is controversy attached.
The latest discussion around NFL playoff seeding is centered on whether or not every division champion around the league should be hosting a playoff game. For instance, a team like the Minnesota Vikings which won a whopping 14 games last season was on the road for the first round of the postseason because they somehow didn't win their division.
Things like this happen annually with teams winning 11 or 12 games having to go on the road in the playoffs simply because they didn't win their own division, even though they might have won four or more other divisions around the league. As such, the league is looking into the possibility of playoff seeding or even re-seeding depending on how things shake out in the first round.
The solution is very simple and staring them directly in the face, but will they have the wit to see it?
NFL should seed playoff teams by record, SOS & award compensatory picks to division champions
The solution to all of this is very simple. Being a division champion in today's NFL should matter, but let's face a harsh reality: Not every division champion wins their division. Some are simply the last team left standing among a terrible group of four teams. Some teams have to endure a lot more when it comes to the strength of their division and the strength of their schedule overall.
The NFL already has a specific process in place for the NFL Draft, which is not determined by what "place" your team is in the division. It's based on win-loss record as well as opponent strength of schedule. What the NFL does for the NFL Draft is what they should do for the NFL Postseason, but in reverse.
Teams should be seeded in the playoffs based on win-loss record first, then opponent strength of schedule, and following the NFL Draft rules from that point forward.
How can division champions be rewarded for winning divisions if they're not automatically hosting a playoff game? Each division champion should be given a compensatory pick in the next year's NFL Draft based on their overall record.
- 12 or more wins: 3rd-round compensatory pick
- 10-11 wins: 4th-round compensatory pick
- 9 or fewer wins: 6th-round compensatory pick
This way, there is still a "reward" for winning your division, but it's also incentivized with different tiers.
This is the perfect combination of rewarding teams that win the most games against the toughest competition while also rewarding teams who earn the right to be called division champion each year. A team that backs into a division title shouldn't be hosting a playoff game against a team that is significantly better than them. For example, a nine-win team that won a terrible division should not be hosting a 14-win team like the Vikings last year.
Winning games should matter more in the NFL than being the best team in a bad division, and right now, it doesn't.
The good news for the NFL is, the solution is staring them directly in the face. The bad news is, not enough people are likely to agree on it.