The NFL revealed several team proposals for rule and bylaw changes Wednesday that the league will vote on at its annual meeting, including adjustments to seeding and regular-season overtime.
The Detroit Lions submitted the most drastic proposal: a change to playoff seeding that would favor teams with the best records, regardless of division standings. For example, the Minnesota Vikings (14-3), Washington Commanders (12-5), and Green Bay Packers (11-6) were wild-card teams last season despite owning better records than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) and Los Angeles Rams (10-7), who won their divisions. The Vikings, Commanders, and Packers would be seeded higher than the Buccaneers and Rams under the proposed change.
The Philadelphia Eagles proposed adopting the league’s playoff overtime rules during the regular season. Both teams would possess the ball in a 15-minute overtime period (extended from its current 10 minutes) rather than one team being able to win the game with a touchdown on the first possession of the extra frame. Rare exceptions would include a safety being scored on the first possession of overtime – a rule already in place.