NFL owners have voted to expand the playoff field to 14 teams. As part of the change, only the one-seed in each conference would earn a bye. The remaining twelve teams would battle it out starting Wild Card weekend. This decision to alter the playoffs has been met with fierce criticism.
Has the 2-seed been devalued? Is this watering down the playoff field? What is the point of adding a playoff team when it is highly unlikely for even a 6-seed to win the Super Bowl?
These are fair questions. Here is why this is a good change:
The 1-seed is now extremely valuable
The 2-seed has indeed been devalued. This is not a problem. Scarcity breeds competition. Having two teams in each conference receive rest weeks allows for franchises with outstanding records to bench starters late in the season.
This affects fans who may be attending their only game of the season and have to sit through three hours of watching the same players they could have seen in the preseason for a fraction of their ticket price. Not to mention the millions of fantasy football players and gamblers who have to concern themselves with star benching during pivotal weeks of the season.
By establishing that only one team in each conference will receive a bye, teams are more likely to compete deep into the regular season. This is good for all fans.
Early-season struggles can now be mitigated
Teams are often slow to get going every NFL season. This is due to many factors. Rust, injuries, drama, etc… The current playoff format is unforgiving of these early-season struggles.
Allowing a seventh team in each conference solves this. If a team has problems early on and turn it around during the middle of the season, they can still enter the playoffs as a legitimate contender.
This could also benefit teams whose stars were injured late in the previous season. These players are often rushed back as the start of the new season approaches. Given the new playoff format, teams have a bigger cushion to ensure that the injured player is completely healthy before playing. This is good for fans and players.
More interesting football
An extra game has been added to each day of Wild Card weekend. On top of this, adding a seventh seed and increasing the value of the first seed now makes the later weeks of the regular season more intriguing. Many of the 32 teams head into week 16 and 17 of every year with no reason to play.
This is no longer the case. Even a team below .500 has a reason to continue fighting late in the season. Add to this the fact that good teams will be fighting for the first seed, and December all of a sudden just got way more interesting.
This is a good playoffs change!
The NFL has changed its playoff structure for the first time in a while. Instead of complaining, we should all embrace that more and higher-quality games are now a part of the late weeks in the regular season. Without the six-seed, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers would have one fewer Super Bowl ring. Let’s embrace the potential for more opportunity and more football.
