I can't say I was surprised by the news that the NFL is likely going to expand the playoffs to 14 teams and expand the regular season to 17 games once the new CBA goes into effect. The owners have been trying to get their 17th game for quite some time, and the extra wild card team in each conference is something that's been floated about for a few years, as well.
Unlike Rob Manfred's stupid proposal to completely change the MLB playoffs for absolutely no reason, I have no issue with the NFL adding two wild card teams. Is it necessary? No. Does the current system work? Yes it does. But will it be the end of Western civilization if the NFL suddenly went from 12 playoff teams to 14? No.
This is something we've seen coming for a while. And, frankly, it won't really change much. Instead of two games on Saturday and two on Sunday during Wild Card Weekend, it'll be three games on each day. Wild Card Weekend is currently the only week of the season without a Sunday night game, so you know NBC would be on board with this plan (even if it means they have to find a new date for the Golden Globes). And it would give the NFL two additional playoff games to sell to the TV networks, which puts more money in everybody's pocket.
A 7-seed increases the likelihood that there'll be a 9-7 playoff team (which there usually is anyway), but it also makes it nearly impossible for a 10-6 team to miss out. And there isn't much difference competitively between the last team in and the first team out, so it's not like the No. 7 seed will be overmatched in the playoffs. (BTW, the No. 6 seed is 5-1 against the No. 3 in the last three seasons.)
The other thing to like about the third wild card team in each conference is that the No. 1 seed will have that much more of an advantage. Not only will they be home as long as they keep winning, they'll be the only team that needs only two wins to get to the Super Bowl while everyone else needs three. And they'll be the only team with a bye, which could make a huge difference in the conference championship game.
Speaking of the playoff bye week, how is it possible that the players on teams with byes didn't get paid for Wild Card Weekend? That was the only thing that shocked me about this announcement. I'm sure it has something to do with the playoff revenues (you can't make any revenue if you're not playing), but that seems like a pretty weak reason to essentially penalize the players for being on a team that was good enough to get a playoff bye. That doesn't make much sense to me, and I'm glad to see that they've corrected that.
Now, as for the 17th game, it's not as easy to get me on board with that. I've been lukewarm about the prospect since they started talking about it, which seems like it's going on almost 10 years now. And I'm still not a fan of it today.
There are a number of reasons why I don't like the 17th game, but I'll start with the most obvious. It's an odd number! Right now teams play eight home games and eight road games. Now that split will be uneven. And how do you decide who gets the ninth home game? Will it alternate each year by conference? (That seems to make the most sense.) Or is this simply an excuse to make everyone play an international game every year without having to give up a home game?
Also, how are you figuring out that 17th opponent? The NFL's current schedule structure is perfect. Six division games, one against all four teams in another division in your conference, one against all four teams from a division in the other conference, and one game against each of the other two teams from your conference that finished in the same place as you the previous season. You can't apply that same formula when you need to find an extra random opponent for everybody!
When are you scheduling this game, too? The NFL doesn't like to start the season before Labor Day. That's why the Super Bowl is in February. But to keep the Super Bowl on the first Sunday in February, you have to start Labor Day Weekend. Otherwise, you're either eliminating the bye week (not happening), eliminating the bye week between the Conference Championships and Super Bowl (not impossible, but highly unlikely) or pushing the Super Bowl back.
And a mid-February Super Bowl would screw up schedules all over the place--impacting all of the NFL's TV partners! February Sweeps are a major period for the networks. That's why the NFL wants the Super Bowl in February. That's why the Oscars and Grammys are always on a Sunday night in February. That doesn't include the other major February Sunday sports events--the Daytona 500 and NBA All-Star Game, either. And, let's not forget, NBC has the Winter Olympics every fourth February. The Winter Olympics and Super Bowl will overlap for the first time in 2022, but I'm sure they would prefer that not becoming a trend.
But...and here's the big but...the 17th game gives the owners one additional home game every other year. And it gives the league 16 more games to sell to TV networks. That's enough for an entire package, isn't it? So, line up ABC, Turner and everybody else who wants a piece of that NFL ratings pie!
That's the real reason for all this. More games equals more money. More money for the players, more money for the owners, more money for the league. And for a league that basically prints money, you know what the bottom line is.
So, whether we like it or not, the 17th regular season game and two extra wild card games are coming. They've both been inevitable for some time, so there's no reason to get all worked up about them. And, frankly, it might not be all bad. After all, who can't get excited about back-to-back playoff tripleheaders?!
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