DETROIT – The NFL is reportedly contemplating including a further playoff workforce in every convention this yr, and that will imply the Detroit Lions might management their very own future and make the postseason with a win over the Packers.

Why is the NFL contemplating this?

When the Monday Night time Soccer sport between the Buffalo Payments and Cincinnati Bengals was postponed this week due to the intense harm to Damar Hamlin (learn the most recent replace on his well being right here), it created a difficult scheduling state of affairs for the league.

The Payments (12-3) and Bengals (11-4) are each within the operating for the No. 1 general seed within the AFC. However because the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (13-3) have now performed an additional sport, they maintain the highest spot over the Payments by proportion factors.

The No. 1 general seed in every league is awarded a bye within the first spherical, which is a big benefit. The seeding of the Payments and Bengals would additionally decide who performs the No. 6 seed and who performs the No. 7 seed — and there shall be an enormous distinction within the high quality of these two opponents.

In keeping with a report by NBC Sports activities’ Professional Soccer Speak, Payments-Bengals isn’t prone to be made up earlier than the postseason. That’s not a shock because the first spherical is scheduled to start in lower than 10 days.

So the NFL might want to determine how one can decide the playoff bracket.

Different options into account

Mike Florio, of Professional Soccer Speak, wrote that one answer the NFL thought-about was to play the NFC wildcard around the weekend of Jan. 14-15, as scheduled, and end the Payments-Bengals sport that weekend. Then, the AFC wildcard spherical can be performed the next weekend with the surviving NFC groups on bye.

In the end, that will wipe out the additional week between the convention championship video games and the Tremendous Bowl. It could additionally put the Payments and Bengals at a drawback, as their lower-seeded wildcard spherical opponents would get per week off whereas these groups performed one another.

“There’s no urge for food for that strategy,” Florio wrote.

The NFL might additionally seed the AFC playoff groups by profitable proportion with none decision to the Payments-Bengals sport.

“However there are considerations about fairness, on condition that the winner of the Payments-Bengals sport would have been in place to be one of many high seed AFC seeds,” the report says.

Right here’s the half that would have an effect on the Lions: Florio says one risk into account is so as to add an eighth workforce to the playoff discipline within the AFC, thereby eliminating the runaway benefit of being the No. 1 seed. To maintain each leagues even, the NFC would additionally add an eighth workforce for this yr, in line with the report.

For this momentary playoff enlargement to happen, the NFL Gamers Affiliation must agree.

“Nonetheless it performs out, a choice must be made quickly, particularly if the playoff discipline will unexpectedly develop in each conferences,” Florio mentioned. “It modifications the dynamics for the groups vying for playoff positioning.”

Why this helps the Lions

If the playoff discipline expands, it will add much more juice to this weekend’s Sunday Night time Soccer sport between the Lions and Packers on Native 4 Information.

RELATED: Right here’s what the Detroit Lions have to occur this weekend with a purpose to make the playoffs

Proper now, the Lions want the lowly Los Angeles Rams to beat the Seattle Seahawks to also have a probability at a playoff spot. But when the NFC provides an eighth workforce, the Lions would assure themselves a playoff spot with a win in Inexperienced Bay.

For the reason that Rams are one of many worst groups within the NFL, their probabilities of profitable at Seattle are slim, particularly with the Seahawks preventing for his or her playoff lives. Chances are high the Lions can be diminished to making an attempt to play spoiler in opposition to the Packers on Sunday night time.

READ: Will Detroit Lions be preventing for playoff spot or simply to spoil Packers’ season on Sunday night time?

However whether or not Seattle wins or loses would develop into almost irrelevant on this case. With a win over the Packers, the Lions would earn the No. 7 seed if Seattle misplaced or the No. 8 seed if Seattle received.

A Seahawks loss to the Rams would clinch a playoff spot for the Packers, maybe making Sunday night time much more manageable for the Lions. However most significantly, it doesn’t matter what, Detroit would management its personal future for the primary time since a 1-6 begin.