The Minnesota Vikings are tied for the second-best record in the NFC this year, but their first playoff game will be on the road.
That’s because the one team ahead of them is the 15-2 Detroit Lions, who won the NFC North with a win over Minnesota in Week 18.
The Lions earned a top seed and a bye, while the Vikings head to Arizona to face the Los Angeles Rams. The game was originally scheduled for LA, but it was moved due to wildfires.
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The NFL shield logo on the field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on November 25, 2024. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
It’s not the first oddity in the NFL playoffs. In the past, seven-win teams have hosted wild-card rounds.
However, that may soon change.
According to CBS Sports, the NFL will take another look this offseason at changing its playoff format.
Jonathan Jones of CBS said one proposal is to award the top four teams based on winning percentage of home games, rather than automatically awarding them to division winners.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to a question during a pre-Super Bowl news conference at Allegiant Stadium February 5, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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If that system were in place this year, it would mean the Lions, Vikings, Eagles and Commanders would host games on the NFC side. For the AFC, it would be the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Chargers.
The Commanders and Chargers are on the road this weekend against the Buccaneers and Texans, respectively, because the latter two teams won the NFC and AFC South divisions.
However, Jones later added that team owners have not shown “much appetite” to change the format.
Prior to winning the division, Lions receiver Amon-Ra suggested St. Brown change.
“Obviously if you win the division you obviously have to make a playoff spot, but to have a team with 14 winners going on the road is kind of crazy. But I guess I don’t make the rules,” he said at the time.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to a question during a press conference ahead of the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The last time the playoff format was changed was prior to the 2020 season, when it was expanded from 12 to 14 teams. As a result, only one team in each conference received a first-round bye as opposed to two. It also led to six wild-card round games instead of four.
