NFL owners are set to vote on a potentially dramatic change to the league's playoff format in Minneapolis next week.

The shock proposal came from the Detroit Lions, who have called for the seven teams in each conference to be seeded by who has the best overall regular-season record, rather than the four division winners earning the top four seeds and the other three entering as wild-card teams.

Under the Lions' proposal, a wild-card team could be seeded ahead of a division winner if the wild-card team has a better record.

Team owners will vote on the proposed change to the playoff seeding format when they get together in Minneapolis next week, according to Sports Illustrated.

Commissioner Roger Goodell conducted an unofficial vote on the idea back in March, only for a handful of teams to approve it.

Yet it is believed certain owners are now considering a new logic put forward by the Lions, which has prompted Goodell to table an official vote later this month.




NFL owners are set to vote on a huge change to the league's playoff seeding format next week





The proposal, put forward by the Detroit Lions, would see teams seeded in their respective conferences by their regular-season records (Pictured: Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp)





NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared enthusiastic about the proposal last month




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Detroit's proposal is said to read: 'Competitive equity. Provides excitement and competition in late-season games. Rewards the best-performing teams from the regular season.'

The NFL has become increasingly concerned with teams who have already secured playoff berths resting players in Weeks 17 and Football 18 to get themselves ready for the postseason, meaning Detroit's argument about 'providing excitement and competition in late-season games' could sway a number of owners.

The league's analytic team reportedly showed owners a slide back in March with examples of how the 'open seeding' system the Lions are proposing could have affected last year's Week 18 games.

In the current system, the Houston Texans were locked into the fourth seed when they entered Week 18, yet the adjusted system would have left them with the possibility of finishing as low as the No.7 seed.

The Los Angeles Rams also knew they would be seeded third or fourth in the NFC. In the Lions' format, they too could have dropped to No.7.

Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles, who entered the final week set as the No.2 seed, also could have dropped to No.3.

The Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings would also have been able to host a playoff game rather than open the postseason on the road, which could have been beneficial to the latter after their heavy 27-9 loss away to the Rams.

Goodell was enthusiastic about the potential change when asked about in April, saying: 'I thought it is a very healthy proposal and a very healthy point that we need to evaluate and continue to look at.

'It went through many different forms. There was some great data to show that we should really look at some form or version of this.'


Detroit Lions